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Oh this is VERY interesting thank you for sharing @GreenTealael! I have loads of friends on these drugs who tell me that along with losing interest in food they lose interest in alcohol. And this is in Ireland, where alcohol is THE social lubricant. Does not compute. Many people even on strict diets will include a 'beer allowance', LOL. Seems there might be a place for these drugs in managing alcohol dependence post physical WLS. Watch this space?

GLP-1 receptor agonists are now being studied for alcohol use disorder so that maybe an option for our population. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/08/28/1194526119/ozempic-wegovy-drinking-alcohol-cravings-semaglutide https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/news-events/research-update/semaglutide-shows-promise-potential-alcohol-use-disorder-medication https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10371247/

*raises hand* warning: this may get long.... now, for me, replace 'whiskey' and 'cognac' with Vodka Sodas or Red Wine or Espresso Martinis. i looked it up and according to North American AND European "standards" i would be considered an alcoholic in North America, as well as partaking in "harmful and hazardous" drinking if I were in Europe, based on my average daily alcohol consumption. I started drinking regularly during Covid, and basically never stopped. I too, consider myself a high-functioning alcoholic...i don't get black out drunk, i dont drink and drive, operate heavy machinery while under the influence, make bad decisions that would harm or embarass myself or others, etc. etc. since surgery i get affected much quicker, and on a lot less than pre-surgery. i'm pretty tipsy just after a single drink...legitimately drunk after 2. BUT.....i sober up really quickly too. the alcoholic buzz lasts me maybe 30-45 mins tops. then it's like i didn't drink a drop....which probably contributes to why i drink the amounts that i do. i am a boredom and social drinker (i.e,. i don't need it to sleep...i am a lifelong insomniac and need very little sleep all my life anyway *shrug*). so if i am busy doing stuff during waking hours that doesn't involve food, friends and sitting around, then i wont drink. i also have a chip on my shoulder, so often when somebody (i.e., Mr. or the Kid) challenges me that i couldn't stop drinking, I totally would just to prove him wrong. I've probably gone cold turkey 9-10 times for about a month each time in the past 5 years just to be right. Mind you, i never actually STOPPED for good, so maybe HE's right, ha. As for my current state of health, I am probably in the best shape in my adult life. I have maintained below goal weight since reaching it at 7 months post op. I am 5'2", 52 yr old woman, and this morning weighed 115.8 lbs. My body fat percentage hovers between 18-20% All my labs since surgery have been satisfactory, the last one being last fall. I don't take any medication any more (i used to take blood pressure and cholesterol and adhd meds). but I do have to take pesky PPIs i continue to need to keep my reflux under control. I have endless amounts of energy, bad moods and bitchiness are a rarity now, i am patient, calm, less stressed since losing the weight. I exercise (yoga, pilates, running, rock climbing) 20+ hours a week. I also dabble with swimming, hiking, volleyball, and dance for funsies. I consume over 2300+ calories a day so i'm definitely not starving myself (mind you, 400-500 cals are from alcohol...) soooo....sometimes i feel like i SHOULD worry about the amount of alcohol i drink, but really, if i'm honest, i don't, really. but if/when i do i feel like its becoming a problem, I can re-evaluate then (though this probably sounds like the alcoholic's battle-cry, no? ha!) p.s. may be worth noting here (not sure why) that i am also an ex-smoker at the moment. i smoked for 20 years, then quit cold-turkey for 10 yrs, then took it up again for 4 years, then quit cold turkey again last summer (am currently 14 months smoke free this time around, yay, me!). p.p.s. DISCLAIMER: i am in no way advocating nor opposing my M.O. to drinking to anyone who reads this. I am merely describing my own experiences. take or leave from it what you will ❤️ ...and scene. lol.

I live in Europe, where we do think differently about drinking than you do in the States. Having a drink every day does not make you a serious drinker here. My answers may be a little different to your fellow country men. Big hugs for fessing up btw. That takes balls. But, if you think you need the booze to sleep then its a problem that will only get worse. Quickly. Can you try not drinking for one night on a off duty day, Put clean bedding on your bed. Switch off all phones etc. Have a pamper session. Watch a good movie. Take a book to bed and read until you drop off or if you dont, just lie there, resting. Get up at your usual time the day after and try and finish your day as usual. No naps. If you think you need a drink buy something you hate and make it into a long drink. Neat alcohol is terrible for your liver and kidneys. Every week use less and less alcohol in your drink. Find ways to relax. Good sex, yoga, beach holidays, walking holidays Doctors can prescribe anti alcohol medication that makes you vomit if you have any. Its so easy to transfer an addiction. Why is it anything addictive, delicious ?

I'm killing it, body fat down below 10 percent, I'm working out at least 4 times a week, am lean and strong. But I've found solace in whiskey. I drink it neat, no mixers. I don't drink during the day, but need to quiet my mind. Good quality whiskey does that, after 35 + years of total sobriety. I'm in Texas, so pot is largely illegal- and the illicit vapes make me paranoid. Crazy thing is I don't wake up with a hang over- I take Pharma sleep meds but am careful about the combo. I did talk to one guy who lost a crazy amount of weight through surgery and told me that heavy alcohol consumption is not uncommon. I was not fixated on food before surgery, but gained a lot during Covid sitting on my ass without serious exercise. I'm now working hard at the gym with a good trainer, and the results have been impressive. But the alcohol is an issue. I don't drive or go out when I drink, I'm home. I'm a high functioning boozer, but still. I hate being dependent on any substance, but I need to turn down the noise in my head. There are some legal CBD outlets in Texas which I can explore. I know the volume of whiskey I'm consuming is not necessary good for long life, but it definitely chills me out. Would love input from others who have had the same experience. Physically I'm in amazing shape, and generally, my mental attitude is quite positive. TIA!

Tested positive for COVID on Saturday morning. I suppose it explains why I’ve been feeling like I was coming down with something all week plus why my joints felt so painful. I just put that down to being back at the gym 🤷‍♀️ It will also account for why my liver function test was off too. It always amazes me how the LFT can show something amiss before I’m even aware of it. So, the weekend was a complete bust - no anniversary dinner, feeling like I’ve been run over and just general yak. Dealing with an out of hours NHS service has tried my patience to the nth degree this weekend. Due to having a suppressed immune system, I’m supposed to be given antiviral medication if I contract COVID. Huh, it’s Monday and I still don’t have it. Many phone calls all asking the same set of questions (and giving the self same answers) being discharged from the OOH Dr via text, twice, for no apparent reason, waiting for calls that never happened, receiving other phone calls at almost midnight on Saturday, blah blah blah. Thankfully I was able to get through to my GP surgery at 8am this morning (a complete fluke) and explain the situation. They will find out what needs to be done and get back to me. Honestly, sometimes the NHS is brilliant and other times it’s just dire. Health eating? LOL…do you know when you read about the effects of an illness and it says ‘loss of appetite’? Ha, Ha, Ha, I’m the complete opposite, every single time 🙄 I’m not fretting about it right now as I’m more concerned over getting the COVID stuff sorted out. Hey, at least I didn’t have any alcohol on Sunday so that won’t interfere with my levels for when I do manage to get my bloods done again. Obviously I can’t have them done until I test negative. I’ll test again on Wednesday and see how things are. My anniversary dress did actually fit, so that’s a positive! I wouldn’t have been able to wear it on Sunday though as it’s so cold and rainy here now. Hubby has rebooked dinner for 2 weeks time. I don’t think it will be warm enough to wear the dress though but It’s not the end of the world On the plus side, I will have it altered professionally once the weight comes off post-WLS as I really do like the dress and would like to keep it. Missing my gym time, obviously , but it was nice to go back. Muscle memory definitely kicked in which helped enormously. It also gave my mental health a boost so it was win/win for me. I don’t know if my case was discussed in the MDT meeting last Friday or not. They will let me know at some point I’m sure. I will focus on getting any gains off once I start to feel a bit better. My hairdresser put some layers in my hair in order to give it a bit of body and movement. It’s just a shame that i haven’t actually bothered stying it as yet! I’ve just been washing it and leaving it to dry naturally. It looks OK anyway 🤷‍♀️ That’s me for now. Have a great week everyone 😍 Onwards and Downwards!

I was thinking the same thing as @catwoman7: the rising levels could be a result of your weight loss so far. It’s very common to have rising liver function levels while you’re losing. Also worried me a bit because I had a glass of Prosecco at lunch on Sunday and then had a liver function test Monday in preparation of a surgery I’m having next week. Hope the glass didn’t throw my results out at all. Considering I was asked lots of questions at the pathologists, they didn’t ask when was my last alcoholic drink and how much and often I drink. Hmmmm.

Eugh…I have to have 3-monthly blood tests as I have Methotrexate injections for Rheumatoid Arthritis. I’ve been on Methotrexate for 12 years now. Occasionally there’s a blip in my liver function test but this is generally when I’ve been unwell as the slightest thing can change my results. Anyway, I made a cock-up on my test 2 weeks ago. It was Bank Holiday Weekend and I had a couple of drinks on the Saturday and then more on the Sunday. I can count on one hand how many times we’ve been out this year and I don’t drink at home unless it’s a glass of champagne before we go out to dinner for example. Anyway, I wasn’t thinking and did my jab as normal on the Monday and then my bloods on the Tuesday. This resulted in a phone-call from a Rheumatology Nurse on Wednesday saying my liver function test levels were way, way up, what had I been doing? I was honest and said I’d been out at the weekend and had my jab when I should have left it a week and then had my bloods after. So, I had to miss the next two weeks jabs and have my bloods again which was yesterday. Phone-call today - levels have dropped some but still high. It was then a mass of questions - had I been drinking? No. Any infections? Not that I know of. Any ‘herbal’ ingestion (er…what???) No. Any NSAIDS? No. The list was endless and she sounded completely disbelieving of me, which has pissed me off no end. Could I miss my jab this week and have my bloods again on Monday? No. We’re out for our anniversary dinner on Sunday and there will be alcohol so it would be pointless. I did offer to have them on Friday but she said it wouldn’t be enough time for things to reduce. Now I have to have my bloods again in 2 weeks. It turns out that my levels have been creeping up for the past few months but no one had told me. She did tell me that the other things I’m tested for are all good (4 things in total so only be of them is bolloxed) I’m not happy, especially as I’ve been managing my condition and medication for 12 years. I drank more often earlier in my treatment and never had any issues. My worry is that this could affect my WLS journey. I know I may be worrying over nothing but the worry is still there. It may be that my liver has just had enough of the Methotrexate (as it’s a poison - lovely) and it’s time to stop it. Anyway, I’m not asking for advice, more a rant ☹️ I will now do some research on how to deal with toxins in the liver and how to reduce them. Sigh…

Hi everyone! I haven't been on this site in a VERY long time, but I am currently on a new weight loss journey and I thought I would report in with my experience and the hope that some of you newbies can learn from it. I had my VSG surgery on 9/1/2014, so 10 years ago this month. At the time of my surgery, I weighed ~260 pounds and I am 5'6". I have lost and gained weight a million times before that, with my highest weight ever having been 277 pounds. In the first couple of years after my surgery, I was able to get below my goal weight (165) all the way down to 154. During that time I trained for and ran in a half marathon and a full marathon, completing the full marathon in September 2016 (almost exactly two years after my surgery). I separated from my then-husband in May of 2016 and our divorce was final in December 2016. My life took a very different path after that and I did not stick to my healthy diet and exercise. I met my current husband in February of 2017 and while I love him dearly and he is THE BEST, he is a bit of a hedonist and we definitely supported each other in our hedonism. I became a connoisseur of fine craft beers and we have a large friend group who we go out with or have get-togethers with several times a week. I not only stopped running but stopped exercising altogether. Both my current husband and I put on weight in the seven years we have been together, especially during COVID, and I got all the way back up to 234 pounds! Last year, my husband was diagnosed as pre-diabetic, and, in April, we resolved to turn things around together. Since then, I have lost 30 pounds and I am on my way down to my new goal weight of 180. So, here are some things I want to report, trying to lose weight again for the first time since immediately after my surgery: The restriction still works! I cannot eat much more than about 200 grams of food in one sitting. Once I cut out snacking and stopped drinking as many calories (beer), it was easy to rely on my sleeve to restrict my daily caloric intake. My metabolism is still normal. As a 5'6 female weighing 203.2 pounds, I still burn ~2100 calories per day just by living, according to my Garmin watch and it definitely tracks with the calorie differential I am logging and the weight loss I am seeing. I still can't eat and drink at the same time. I usually have to wait about 45 minutes to an hour to drink anything after I eat a full meal. Being overly full is still an unpleasant feeling. Before my surgery, I used to love the sensation of being "stuffed." Since surgery and to this day, it is still uncomfortable for me if I overeat in one sitting. Not a pleasant sensation at all, but not painful like it was in the very beginning. I can still get dumping syndrome if I'm not careful. If eat too much sugar too fast, usually in the form of ice cream or a milkshake, I get dumping syndrome and it is VERY unpleasant, fortunately, it is very rare. Food can still get "stuck." Every once in a while, mostly when I am eating turkey or pork it seems, food can get stuck and it is completely miserable. Be sure to thoroughly chew your food!!! Especially dense meats. My advice to anyone who is post-sleeve and still losing weight or trying to maintain their weight: Snacks are the enemy! It's so easy to get in extra calories by eating smaller amounts between meals. Your sleeve won't help you at all with this. Drinking your calories is easy and dangerous. I haven't given up my precious beer entirely, but I have cut back and I am mindful of the type of beer I am drinking as some types are more caloric than others. You can just as easily drink your calories even if you don't drink alcohol. Be wary of soda, milkshakes, energy drinks, juices, and too much cream/sugar/syrups in your coffee. Keep up with the exercise. It doesn't have to be training for a marathon like I did in the beginning. Currently, my husband and I take a ~mile walk after dinner each night and we try to do one, long, 4-5 mile walk/hike on the weekend. Just that moderate amount of activity can make a big difference. Be mindful of calorically dense foods. Even though I can only eat 200 grams at a time, if it is 200 grams of junk, it can have a LOT of calories! I hope the lesson that all of you take from this post is that the sleeve is a tool and it is all about how you use it. It can work for you, even 10 years out, as long as you use it correctly.

I grieve bread today like a bar b q sandwich with a big ass Texas size bun, I grieve all breads...due to my food addiction since surgery in April I no longer eat breads, potatoes, cookies, candies etc ...and every damn day I'm mourning bread. Like an alcoholic in order to sustain sobriety they can't even have one sip..the same applies for me unfortunately. A slippery slope into the pits of hell

Go slowly, my first drink was a gin & tonic and I nursed that low ball for hours. Not kidding - hours at my cousin’s 40th. I chose the G & T because I was very sensitive to anything that was even the slightest sweet tasting. I actually found I lost a lot of my taste for alcohol too and some drinks I used to enjoy the taste of I didn’t until well into my 2nd year. And yes it will hit you more quickly. I still can get a bit ‘happy’ on less than a glass of something specially if I haven’t just eaten.

out of curiosity... define "few".. ? (no judgement as im probably the resident alcoholic here, just wanna know...for SCIENCE lol)

My drinking days do seem to be in the past. I need a holiday, wedding or such to drink these days. My first drink was a Bloody Mary, very light on the vodka. I made it last and had no side effects. After that holiday I went on to try long drinks, vodka and diet tonic, Pimms, Dry Martini and diet tonic, Sangria or if its wintery, a spiced rum coffee. . Last Christmas I had a few glasses of wine and got totally smashed, first time in my long life that I couldn't remember where I had been. I just don't eat enough to soak up the alcohol these days. I had the foamies on a Baileys. Wine gave me terrible GERD. Enjoy your holiday

Just that it's going to hit you FAST. It goes right into your bloodstream. So just keep that in mind (it leaves my system quicker than it did before surgery, too..). And in general, be careful with alcohol as some people have trouble with it after surgery - cross-addiction is real! I limit myself to a glass or two of wine a couple of times a month. Between the surgery and the fact alcoholism runs in my family (two uncles), I don't want to take chances.

Yet another holiday post 😅 My bariatric nurse has given me the go-ahead to try a small amount of alcohol whilst I am on holiday next week - I will be 4 months post-op on the 14th when I fly out! She has suggested trying a white wine as they tend to be dry and therefore low in sugar. Any other recommendations - such as type of alcohol, and how to go about trying it again etc ❤️

I drink it slowly & only have one glass so the bubbles aren’t as great an issue plus the bubbles are smaller & more refined in good champagne. It does mean I can’t open a bottle to drink at home myself. I don’t mind as I’m not drawn as much to alcohol as I once was but I do know what you mean by having a nice supply of bottles. Never know when you have to go somewhere or if someone pops in. I introduced my girlfriends to the joy of real champagne some years ago and now there’s never ordinary sparkling for us anymore. I say quality over quantity now. Don’t know about using a swizzle as part of the joy of champagne is the bubbles. What are your favourites champagnes? My go to is Mumm but I enjoy Veuve in summer don’t mind a Moet or Bolly and have three bottles of Dom in my fridge I’m saving (not sure what for though).

I’m carefully with carbonated drinks (including champagne) because it causes issues with my reflux which I think is one of the reasons surgeons advise to avoid it especially in the period after surgery. I’d given up carbonated drinks years before my surgery because of the hideous reflux hiccups I’d develop. The only ones I drank was soda, tonic or sparkling water and champagne but not often & I’d have to watch how many glasses I had. I still drink these. I have. Sparkling water every day (as an alternative to still water) but I usually try to let it go a little flat and drink it over a couple of hours. Soda & tonic waters are used as mixers only so rarely have them as I don’t drink very often like champagne (maybe once a month I’ll have a glass of something alcoholic & it may not have a carbonated aspect). Plus the taste (things can taste too sweet & I lost my taste for them a long time ago) & the artificial sweeteners - I try to avoid as many of those as I can. But you have to work out what you can tolerate: how often & how much of whatever carbonated drinks you prefer.

JennyBeez you wrote; " grieve the convenience of high fat/sugar/calorie foods. The ability to go anywhere with friends or family for a meal and not have to worry about 'will I be able to find something I can eat?' and cruising the menu online first." Hi, I'm blonde patriot living in CDA, and I have a problem. I'm a social eater..." This is the hardest for me. I am already sick of doing the menu scans beforehand. It quickly made me realize that 99.9% of the food at restaurants is a no go due to being fried, made with sugar or extremely high in carbs and calories! Plus, if you're like I am, I detest cooking and eating out is what my husband, friends and family do - we enjoy, excuse me I use to and they still do enjoy food and the experience. It took all the joy out of get togethers for me. Plus most food I can eat tastes bland now. Now before anyone says "but you can still enjoy being with friends and family foods just a small part of that" <rolls eyes> they don't understand - it wasn't and isn't a small part of it. When we used to go out it was to eat, we'd share our choices, talk about the differences between this and that choice here and at other restaurants etc. It was one of the main reasons we got together! We had certain restaurants for celebrating birthdays, promotions, good semester grades and holidays etc. We had certain dishes - our favorites depending on what our activities for the day were. Now, I spend the first 15 mins examining the menu picking each thing apart ..does it have fat, too many calories, carbs, protein or hidden sugars will it even taste decent? Is it 300 calories or preferably less? After that I look longingly at others choices I actually want. Then comes the dreaded lets get an after dinner drink or coffee with dessert. So I get to watch that too from the sidelines. Even my husbands and my retirement has changed, we had a list of the places in the U.S. that were known for specialties such as a lobster rolls in Maine, black beans and rice in New Orleans, Philly cheese steaks in Philly, New York pizza etc., for our first year of retirement we were going to rent an RV and travel..visit those places based on our food choices and eat their specialties, they were our destinations. Then, after the first year my husband wanted to "belly up" to the shrimp and lobster bars on cruises for "days on end." Now all this has changed and I'm now resentful at myself and society. Myself because well becoming obese and society for being judgmental and valuing youth, beauty and being thin over the value of a persons worth inside! Yes, I'm thinner and healthier and most likely will live longer (no guarantees)... but...to be honest I don't want to take a walk instead of going to a restaurant as one person said and as my dietician suggests. They're NOT the same thing, one does not equal the other! No friend who wants to go out and about with the girls to shop and eat wants to substitute a walk instead. I DO know its my "new reality" and I do what I must, I'm just not happy about it. It feels as if a part of the joy has been removed, sucked out of life along with a portion of my stomach. Yes...I do try and find other things.. .but yeah well. Everything involved food, go to the beach pack a lunch (not two separate lunches one I can eat and the rest for everyone else), go shopping, go to the theater with dinner beforehand, go to the movies, go dancing - nope no alcohol or anything with calories oh joy - water!!!. Lol no one ever said hey girls lets do a girls day...and hit the gym where we can all sweat together, grunt and watch others pop veins struggling to lift a weight bar for fun! Even my poor husband has had to change, he used to be excited to bring some new food home he found at a new restaurant or even at the grocery store he'd want to share with me...nope not anymore. He just eats it before he gets home to save me and him the having to turn it down. So yes, I mourn not only the food, but the convenience, fun and get togethers. I have even noticed my friends don't call much anymore to "do" lunches because they'd always ask "where CAN you eat now"? The choices were limited or I'd have to ask the server for considerations..making it more work than fun. 300 calories or less is extremely hard to do at restaurants and my friends didn't want to put me through it anymore. So yes, I mourn. Sorry for the long whine/rant but Jenny geez brought it all up again for me.

Happy Friday everyone! I had my 2 week follow-up with my dietitian yesterday and got my diet progression schedule! I'm officially on mashable right now. I meal-prepped some ricotta bakes and refried beans last night. I get to have eggs which I'm excited about. In two weeks I go to soft and two weeks after that I move to solids and adding meat back in. No bread/rice/pasta/alcohol for 6 months. I also got to start my vitamins which should help with my energy levels. The only thing I need to work on right now is upping my water intake and getting back into walking. I was going to the gym consistently before my surgery but I've just been so tired it's been hard to get on the treadmill.

I did tell my husband that doing laundry today was too much bending. So he knows that if laundry is getting done again in the next few weeks, it's on him to load and unload. I can pour in the detergent and get it going, but I just can't bend over to move the clothes around. I've been using alcohol swabs to try to get the sticky stuff off, but some of it is absolutely being hardheaded and wanting to stick around. Oh well, it comes off a little bit at a time lol. The grabber thing is a great idea. I hadn't thought about that. For the allergy tests, they do keep medicine in the office to reverse reactions. So if you want to play it risky at home, just make sure that there is someone with you in case you go into anaphylaxis. In office, ambulances are only called when even an Epi Pen doesn't cut it.

@draikaina8503 i really hope They underneath you for purée anyways. I have my fingers crossed for you. And I hope you get some answers and solutions about the blisters and the pain as well. To me, cottage cheese has a kinda weird consistency and it’s sorta salty. Which is odd because I like salt and my friend who always thinks things are too salty loves the stuff. I am waiting for soft foods because I found a list of things to mix in with it to make it taste better but for purée you can mix it in with eggs. The recipe is 1/4 cup with two eggs. I tried it and of course that’s more than we should eat so I saved it for the next day. It did dry out a bit if your super sensitive I would just make one at a time and estimate an eight if a cup. Thank you for reminding me about the ac. My husband said he was gonna call and ask them about the error code if we still needed a tech and he hasn’t mentioned anything. It’s still working but I need to make sure he didn’t forget to ask. Thanks for the heads up about the allergy tests. Sounds like I can pretty much do the same thing at home for free and just call for an ambulance if I need one. I assume that’s what they do as well. Take it easy with the Bending. I know the feeling of just wanting to do it yourself but I seen my NP today and asked what i can do in terms of housework. She said you have to be super careful engaging your abdominal muscles. She said I probably wouldn’t tear anything at this point but I could develop a hernia. And that’s another surgery with another recovery. Better to do a little while longer now then to have to start all over. Do you have one of them grabber things for picking stuff up? I got one at dollar tree that’s probably won’t last too long cause it’s plastic but it’s been fine for now. I had a metal one but I’m pretty sure it found its way to the garage and that’s the land of no return. They come in handy outside of surgery when something gets underneath things and is hard to reach too. The sticky stuff comes off easily with alcohol and the NP said today baby oil too. And you will sleep less and less as time goes on. Your body is just living on so few calories right now it thinks it’s starving and wants to hibernate. In terms of the routine it sounds like yours will have to be more flexible but you will figure it out I’m sure once we make the exercise and stuff a habit it’s just a matter of changing times of day to keep it up if other things come up We can do this Update. Glad to hear you get to start puree and that you do not have any infection. All of us seem to be making the little steps day by day towards getting back to our presurgery grove with our post surgery bodies. It’s so exciting!!

It’s been a strange kind of week. I haven’t gone wildly off plan but I have definitely struggled with focus. Nothing has gone wrong, I’m not upset about anything or fed up. I just think that having the dietitian appointment and everything going OK with that sort of had me taking my foot off the accelerator a little. Then the shock of getting my appointment with the surgeon has played with my head somewhat? “I honestly don’t know” is the answer right now. I think, as others have pointed out, that this whole WLS journey became very real this week and there’s a bit of panic going on. Me and hubby have had lots of conversations this week too, about how the future may look what with the LRD to come, immediate post-surgery things to deal with and then long term. Hubby admitted that he knows he’s going to find how little I will be able to eat a struggle but takes comfort in the fact that others have done, and continue to do, the exact same thing and survive plus the Bariatric team at our hospital seem really switched on so he knows I’m in good hands. It’s a learning curve for him too, with more lessons to come! Thankfully the hospital team does welcome questions from family members because they know it can be difficult for them too. I’m not worried about anything specific, just more a case of the practicalities of things. I always do better when I have planned things, even if it’s just in my head, because it’s feeling like I have some control! I’ve ordered a mini food processor to hel with the purée part of the journey to come, so that should be here by the end of the week. Hubby has been looking at different sized ice cube trays for freezing individual portions of purée plus looking at recipes etc. I think he feels a bit ‘in limbo’ at the moment, which I do understand. Anyway, went to see Fatboy Slim on Saturday. I felt good in what I was wearing: Size smaller sparkly black jeans (with lots of stretch, obviously 😉) It was a nice confidence boost anyway! However, the gig was outside and it was freezing cold - that a UK summer for you 🙄 I had a blanket plus a wrap but it got too cold and my hips and knees just had enough, especially with being locked in one position while sitting on the scooter. We left before the end because I honestly couldn’t handle the cold anymore. Disappointing, yes but it happens. On the drive home the heavens opened and it rained so I didn’t feel too bad after that. It took me ages to get warm though. Had a hot shower, extra blanket on the bed, plus pyjamas but I couldn’t warm up. Hubby eventually made me a hot water bottle and I managed to slowly thaw out. We’ve said no more outdoor things for now, especially as the weather is so unpredictable here. Nothing else to report. I will knuckle back down and re-focus. I’ve had a weekend of pizza and alcohol so that’s my wander off-plan done with! Oh, my new weighing scales are in agreement with the dietitian’s scales, which surprised me! The dietitian suggested that I took a photo of her printout from when she had weighed me. I have no idea what everything means but she did underline a couple of things like the visceral fat number, metabolic age etc etc and my new scales match those numbers exactly 😮 So thank you @FifiLux for your suggestion 🥰 I just need to make sure that the weight numbers on the new, shiny scales start reducing again… Wishing everyone a successful, happy week regardless of where you are on your weight loss journey 😎 Onwards and downwards everybody!

Had my one week post op appt today. She said my incisions look good but when she was cleaning one of them mostly because I was scared since the bandage came off in the shower and it was bleeding she noticed my pain lying on the table and getting up. She told me that I am trying to be too tough and that I need to take my pain meds. I ended up talking to her about that again today and she said if I don’t want to take them thatI could take Tylenol and try a muscle relaxer which I just picked up both and came home with the groceries popped the trunk and went inside. My husband took the hint since I had already texted him that I was hurting pretty bad. lol. I mostly talked to her about my gallbladder since I didn’t know anything about that ahead of time and didn’t much care while I was in the hospital. She made it sound like for most people it’s not really that big of a deal. I may have some issues with super rich and greasy foods but for most people that’s about it. She also started me in B-12 injections. She said it usually ends up being required witb the SADI but now with the gallbladder thing too she may as well just start me now. I am starting with once a month and we will tweak it from there depending on labs. So I picked that up too and ordered the sharps container and medical grade alcohol swabs. Wish me luck since I can’t even look when I get a shot. I feel like I have had to learn so much this week. A lot of surprised but am still just rolling with the punches. My biggest thing that’s pulling me through right now is that Sunday I get to have purées. 😆 Good luck to the two having surgery tomorrow and I hope that everyone else is going well with preop and recovery. ❤️‍🩹

I had my gall bladder removed years ago after collapsing due to infected stones. I was told I wouldn't be able to eat rich foods afterwards but I didn't have any problems. I have to do B12 injections every 4 to 6 weeks. I used to get them at my doctors surgery but the GP said it was a waste of my money to be paying to go see her when I could do them at home myself. I used to be terrified of needles but like @MrsFitz says I actually find it easier to do it on myself now. I also do the thigh, alternate each time but I would consider it a long needle as it has to go through fat/muscle to get into the system. I often wonder what my cleaning lady must think when she is cleaning my cupboards, one is my drinks and medicine cabinet and when you open the door you see all the needles, alcohol wipes etc. nicely there besides the Baileys 😂

The only reason I suggested the stages is to give yourself time mentally to adjust to the changes little by little. It won't do anything for your pouch, but trying to change everything all at once, or even too fast, can set you up for failure. Yes, it's on you now. But really, it's always been. You just didn't know it. We rely on the restriction and the small size of our pouches to tell us when to stop eating, or what not to eat, or how often we can eat. But the food choices are still on us. Slider foods, foods high in carbs and unhealthy fats, high in salt and sugar...that's still on us. Slider foods, alcohol, sodas...that's still on us. So if you want to skip the stages, that's fine. But get yourself ready mentally to make the changes you need to make. You still have your tool. You just have to relearn how to properly use it.