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This was sent to me in a private message by one of our members who wanted to stay anonymous but thought the information might be useful to other BariatricPal members: "Alex, I realized my drinking was getting excessive. Particularly when I woke up with my hands shaking. It was quickly going from drinking after working out, to wanting to take nips to quiet the nerves during the day. There are two schools of thought out there when it comes to alcohol - the AA/total abstention model and Harm Reduction model. In my typical fashion, I started researching it and realized that sudden withdrawal could be very dangerous. Just stopping drinking if you have been doing for an extended period of time can create bad withdrawal symptoms, the worst being known as Delirium Tremors (DT's), but it also can spike your blood pressure, elevate heart rate, night sweats. If I went into a medically supervised system, my options all involved sudden withdrawal with benzos and other anti-anxiety drugs. And at the same time you risk loss of professional licences, reputation, gun rights etc. Not a great solution to a problem. And it is a problem. Not only is it stalling my weight loss, but if I was in a accident, the hospital is not going to bring you a bourbon as medicine, instead you get to go through DT's. So I didn't want to risk being dependent on alcohol, the dangers are too great. Then I found these articles: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0022994 https://hamsnetwork.wordpress.com/2010/10/09/more-on-tapering-off-alcohol/ One of the benefits of controlled tapering of alcohol is avoiding a syndrome called "kindling." Some people who have repeatedly gone through cold turkey withdrawal without tapering off become more and more likely to have bad withdrawals from even small amounts of alcohol. This phenomenon is referred to as "kindling". People who have undergone kindling can suffer withdrawal seizures from drinking as little as a six pack of beer. Some decades ago some detox facilities forced clients to undergo cold turkey withdrawal to "teach them a lesson". Not only did this fail to stop people from drinking, it resulted in many people suffering from kindling. I used this system over three days and the result was a controlled landing. I've now been able to go through the last week alcohol-free without really bad withdrawals. Can't say it wasn't without discomfort. It did goof with my sleep and I have been agitated and muscles are a little sore, but it was bearable. Used a portable breathalyzer to monitor my BAC and home blood pressure monitor to make sure nothing spiked. My goal is to stay alcohol-free for the next month and re-evaluate. I need to re-learn my relationship with drinking, and make sure I bring my BAC down to 0 between drinks so I don't get back to that level again and make sure it is not an everyday activity. But that is my goal, not a recommendation."

Hello all, I'm being banded on Tuesday. I'm just wondering what to expect in terms of how I feel. And, I'm wondering about eating. Do you really just have Clear liquids? Do you feel full? Do you really have to wait 10 days to start mushy foods? Just lots of curiosity/anxiousness. Any and all thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Hello, I am pre-op and I have a “habit” I need to change. Right now, my 10 year old niece and I meet over Zoom once a week and simultaneously try a snack from a different part of the world. I ship it from Amazon the week before so we both get it in time. I’m wondering what else we can do. This bonding and shared experience has been really great during COVID and I don’t want to lose the shared experience, but it’s not sustainable as I approach surgery. I’ve thought of toys as a replacement, but neither of us really need toys every week. Books would be great but I don’t want to pressure her into reading by a deadline or anything like that, especially while she is in school. What else could we do that we could share, without mixing unhealthy foods into it? Thank you all for answering my questions that I’ve posed so far!

wow, I am so proud of all of you. congratulationsss u all. I am size 22. my goal weight is 145 lbs. this is my dream. I think I can wear size 12 if I reached my goal weight. Now I am 230 which means I need to lose abut 80-90 pounds. sounds like a very far away goal. carolyn: I agree with you. your expectations are very reasonable. 10 lbs a month is great....10 x 8 = 80 pounds which means I can reach my goal weight in less than a year!!!! is this even possible???? Best wishes to all of you. keep the good work up.

Lost 60 pounds in 5 months. I had/have a total of 121 pounds to lose to be at my goal of 125. I'm 5'-7.5" so 125 might be a tad skinny, but I'll decide that when I get closer to it. Right now at 186. I figure a 10 pound loss a month is a realistic goal and should be attainable; it allows for small stalls and other holding patterns.

I got my phone call this morning, my psych eval is scheduled for Nov 15th. I am excited that things are moving forward. I have 5 more pounds to go until I've reached my pre-surgery goal weight and my surgeon will meet with me to schedule my date. It's kinda hard not to want to "cheat" and crash diet to drop those 5 pounds. My surgery date won't be until June, but I really want to get the date on the books so that my position is secured. I work as a school bus driver and I'd like to have our 10 weeks of summer break to recover. Patience, patience, patience, I know, But DAMN it's hard to do.

How is it possible to think your stalled at just two weeks? You’ve only just began. I was told not to be concerned with weight or even the scale until 3 months & yes I’ve felt like I’m losing at a snails pace but I can’t argue the fact that NONE of my clothes fit anymore at 10 weeks. Hang in there & be patient.

I am 10 years out. I lost 145 pounds - was 54 years old at surgery. I eat. I even have a half of a cocktail every once in a while. But half of a margarita fills me up and makes me drunk now ! I eat well, healthfully. I watch carbs. I use rice or pasta as a sprinkle added to a dish, rather than as the main event. Chinese dinner out (pre Covid) I will order chicken with vegetables and sprinkle some rice on top ! If I grill a small steak - it might make three or more meals for me with salad or vegetables. I love something sweet - and will have a small serving of ice cream or a chocolate - but that is like three little squares off a cadbury bar !!! But I indulge in very small amounts. My sleeve still helps with that. No issues. Post op was hard - my body does not like surgery. I needed two nights inpatient to stabilize - but I did well afterwards. No issues no problems.

Try not to get too wound up about it - it doesn't help I do understand though. In the past 10 months, I've learned that my body can only lose so fast, and it's not like anyone else's, so there is no predicting what will happen. I just went through 14 day stretch of no loss...and even though I've lost a lot, I have a long way to go. I still fear every pound lost will be my last. Some months are better than others, but one thing is for certain - stick with it, give it some time, and you will see that the weight does come off.

This line of thinking fits with my current plan. I am at 80-90 grams of Protein a day. I usually begin the day with a Protein shake that has 25-30 grams of protein. My remaining meals have between 15-20 grams and two Snacks meet my daily requirements. It makes sense to spread out the amount of protein intake but what the article didn't state was that our bodies are not capable of absorbing huge amounts of protein at any one sitting. Absorption rates do vary by the kind of protein ingested. My understanding is that whey protein is among the best for absorption at about 10-15 grams per hour. So ingesting large amounts protein can end up as stored fat.

I know exactly what you mean. LOL... My personal goal is 135 to and I'm 46.Imagine that....We started out at about the same weight as well.... Surgeon's goal for me is 122. I don't think I will see 122. To me that is too little. So I am shooting for the 135 mark. I'm only 5,1'. and my build is on the medium side. 135 should be just right. If I had a super small frame then I can see 122. Size 12's are too big in the waist and butt for me. 10's are a little too tight in the hips. I am between sizes. I never would've thought I would be wearing 12's a year ago. Starting size this time last year was 20 in pants. Tops were XXL. Now 12 pants and small in tops. No more lane bryant.... Sorry nothing against lane bryant just like shopping coldwater creek now. Deb

Hi everyone I am 10 days post op and started my mushies yesterday. Not sure if I am eating too fast or too much but every time i eat I gave crazy pain near my chest that lasts for a few hours. Is this normal. Also I feel like i have no idea what I am doing because I am eating mashed potatoes how many calories can I eat etc,.. I feel so in the dark here please help the pain really hurts.

I'm actually going to bring some things too yayyyyy (2 dresses size 14, 1 pair of jeans 8 but really a 10-12, 1 velor sweat suit M, and 1 pair of capris 10 tomorrow)

I was also banded early Monday morning. Can keep fluids down, but concerned that I'm retaining too much of it. I stepped on scale last night because the gas and bloat were unbelievable and I am up 10 lbs from pre surgery weigh in. Is that normal?

This is a wonderful thread, Banded on 9/23/10 ups Lost 10 lds DH says he can tell I lost My face looks smaller Support from family and friends downs need to chew food restrictions to fluids cabin fever unbearable heartburn

Wonderful Thread... Banded 09/22/10 UPS: have lost 16 pounds since surgery not as sore (a bit where the port is at) didn't know that tomatoe Soup is awesome!!!! can finally drink more, without feeling sick my hands look thinner:smile: DOWNS: the pain on my left shoulder:frown: rumbling in my stomach gas Baskin-Robbins icecream (once a week) Pasta ( I love pasta)

For me I started working on my core, back, and legs first. That means a lot of crunches, planks, and leg lifts, dips, leg press, leg curls, lunges, jump squats, squats in general, jump rope, jumping jacks. You can use your own body weight for this but for starting out I wouldn't go beyond 10/15lbs max. The ideal as you are starting out is to get get the form down so you minimize injury risk, while getting your body use to working out in general. I would work on that for at least 8 to 12 weeks before increasing weight. And even when you do increase in weight, do so very moderately and only after a good 6 to 8 weeks of consistency with the current weight. For example if you are doing leg lifts at 50lbs and you've been doing it okay for about 8 weeks at that weight and its easy to you, then go up to about 60/65lbs. The ideal is to ease into more resistance, while minimizing the chances of injury that will cause you to miss more time working out. I do workout my arms and chest too, but I didn't focus on that till maybe a good 16 weeks into working out more. I do curls, pressing both bench, and hammer, curl rows, push ups, lat pull downs. I do alternate days and I do focus training, where I will spend one day working on either legs and back, and then the next on arms and core (gut). I try to average at least 3 to 5 days a week working out with weights. However for Cardio I try to do that damn near daily. Walking daily helps. the more you can average per day the better.

Hi everyone: I am so excited to finally be able to join this group! I've been "lurking" here until I officially qualified. LOL. I'm 6'2" and had a highest weight of 337 summer 2010 (BMI 42). I lost 31 pounds on my own through extremely strict diet and exercise; for my surgery, I actually had to gain a couple of pounds to reach a BMI of 40 to qualify. I was sleeved in April of 2011 and have since lost 87 pounds. Total weight loss as of right now is 118 pounds. I started in tight 26/28s and 3X/4Xs and now wear 16/18 and XL. My surgeon didn't set a goal for me, so my self-determined goal weight is 190, which is on the top end of the normal BMI scale for my height and bone structure (which is actually small--long, but small). I'm still losing at a rate of around 10-12 pounds per month and am feeling pretty good about making goal by Christmas. I have an issue that I need your support on, though, and that is exercise. I don't do it. I mean, I don't exercise at all. I'm a teacher (choral conductor), so my job is pretty physical, and I have several hours 4 days a week where I'm up on my feet, working, energetic, deep breathing, lots of upper body exercise, etc., but I don't exercise outside of teaching. Why don't I exercise? Basically, it's because I'm pretty lazy. No other reason. I don't like to get sweaty; we live in south Louisiana, and it's HOT down here. One of the great parts of losing so much weight has been that I no longer sweat while I'm teaching--yay!--and I feel better about not looking like the "sweaty fat woman." I also have exercise-induced asthma, and I really, really hate to feel out of breath. So I don't like exercise, and I use the excuse that I don't have time for it--I have an hour and a half commute every day that I teach, but there are days when I don't teach, and I definitely DO have time for exercise--really, who doesn't, if one makes it a priority..... In high school, college, and early adulthood, I was an athlete--swam, Water safety instructor, played softball, volleyball, biked, etc. As I started working, I lost the habit of daily exercise and have never gotten it back. SO, sleeve sisters and brothers, I want to be held accountable for exercise, even if all I do is get up off my butt and walk. I even own walking shoes. Summer 2010, I joined our local YMCA and was able to do an hour of exercise a day (even though I hated every single second of it--walking, weight training, Zumba--worst ever). I have exercise videos for yoga, Callanetics, and Tai Chi, all of which I have thought about in the past, but none of these videos have even been opened yet. We own a Wii, which I never play..... See, it's just something mental for me, I think. I can easily achieve my goal weight without exercise, but that's not really all I want. I want to be healthy, and I know with my head that I need to exercise and get into the habit of physically moving in order to be healthy, but for whatever reason, I have resisted that with no outward penalty--as in, I'm still losing weight, despite not moving my butt. I know I could be healthier with exercise. I am hereby setting a very public goal of getting to my doc to get my asthma medicated. I'm also determined to meet the goal of walking for 30 minutes 5 times a week. I think that is the very least I can do--and maybe just getting into the habit will get something started. I'm planning to check in here every Sunday to post whether or not I've met my exercise goal. Thanks for reading and for your support in advance!!

Preach it! I don't know what to do with myself either when food is not the focal point of my life. I'm 10 days post op.

@slvd2bfit@slvd2bfit@slvd2bfit@slvd2bfit@slvd2bfit@slvd2bfit Dr. Shillingford is my dr also. My sleeve is scheduled for tomorrow at 10 am!

Ssflbelle. If you have face book you can send me a friend request to Debbie Hatmaker Grose. I had my surgery with dr Vaughan May 28. I see him for my one month on monday. I have lost 19 lbs according to my scale.

Hi all, new to this app. I originally had sleeve in 2014 and lost almost 100lbs. I maintained my weight for a year, happy, healthy and exercising. I was diagnosed with Epilepsy and put on medication. I became very depressed and started packing the lbs back on. After several years of getting seizure meds regular and 10-15 lbs gain each year plus Covid.... I gained 65-70 back. I have my final appointment 4/14 hoping for surgery date ASAP. Can anyone share pros and cons from VSG to Bypass? Thanks Tiffany

There is no better or worse between the two outside of each person's individual circumstances and lifestyle. Please don't think we're trying to argue which is better/worse. However, this is a BAND board, not a generic WLS board, so a lot of the responses you'll get are likely to be pro-band. I know many people who have had RNY, and it was right for them at the time. Some now regret it, some do not. I can say that the concern he mentioned about needing fills -- I'm surprised he didn't mention the RNY recovery time. Even laparoscopically, this is often about 6 weeks. With the band, it's often within one week. Just looking at it from logical numbers, fill appoinments (in over 2 years I've had a total of 5, one was for an unfill) take about 10 minutes at the most. So that's less than an hour I've dedicated to follow-up. Oh, plus the post-op visit to have my staples removed. Even after 2+ years, that's still a TON of saved time over an additional 5 weeks of recovery. The sweets - that's a very valid point. If you're an ice cream junkie, there's a risk you will not lose weight with the band. Unlike RNY, the band itself does nothing to prevent you from eating crap food. Even people who are overfilled and can only eat a few things often find it's ice cream, Cookies, shakes, etc. that go down the best. If someone isn't able to commit to the lifestyle & behavioral changes that come with needing to be responsible for their eating decisions, then the band may not be the best option. They call the band the "thinking person's WLS" for this reason -- we're still accountable. With some of the other procedures, including RNY, this isn't so much the case. You can expect some degree of hand-out weightloss, even if it comes at the cost of great pain. Best of luck inyour decision. :biggrin:

Actually you did write a lot but it was all worth reading. You make many valid points. Just so you know I am 5' 1" so I do have at least 100 lbs that could be lost to get me to what is considered my "ideal" weight. But I would feel great at 145, i've been there before. I also do not have the $$ to be getting anything nipped and tucked and I know my stomach will never be bikini worthy because I had 4 c-sections and all of my boys were OVER 10 pounds. Again, a very valid point. As far as my surgeon goes, he is very familiar and does many, many band operations. He was even involved in a study for the swedish band and the new band that they recently came out with. He was also telling me that someone is working on a band that will automatically adjust itself so that you will no longer need fills. He's not sure what that technology will entail but that it will be a huge step for the band. I guess I have some more thinking to do, my surgery is scheduled for April 28th but I have to make a decision so they can submit to my insurance. Good luck with your surgery.

1.5 HOURS?? Dude, that's crazy. I stop drinking 10-15 mins before eating, and start again 20-30 mins after. Never had a problem with this, and it's all my program requires. If I'm quite full, I wait the full 30 mins, but if you are waiting 1.5 hours, you will never get in enough liquids in the day. JMO