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Yes!!! I had my surgery done on 5/19 and I do pretty good on getting my protein in. These last few days I feel HUNGRY, What am I doing wrong?

So for the dress in asking 10 just because I never wore it and it's a 60 dollar dress. Otherwise I'm thinking a dollar a top, 2 dollars per bottom, and cover the shipping and it's totally yours!

Hey guys I just had my gastric sleeve done on the 21/10 and I'm able to walk around, go toilet, etc. I barely had any pain (around 2/10 max). The nurses say I need to drink at least 1 litre of water. They also gave me some soup and yoghurt, which was fine for me to eat. However it only hurts when I'm drinking water. I can keep it down but there's just slight pain. Has anyone else experienced this? Also, can anyone give me any tips/advice on what to expect when I go home? Thanks

10 days Post-Op and still on liquid. I notice if I drink more than three swallows of my protein shake or creamy soup I get a discomfort as it goes down or rather settles into my stomach like a sensation that feels like gas build up and the soup or drink is trying to get through and then creates a pressure that pushes it up so I feel this constriction and then need to burp to relieve the pressure is the best way to describe it. I swallow two or three spoonful's of soup as an example then wait about 20 minutes before attempting more. Am I eating too many bites at once? Has anyone else had this feeling and or is it normal and passes with continued healing? Just thinking this will be a miserable existence if this is what I experience for the remainder of my life while trying to take in nutrition at every meal. Anyone?

most RNY'ers don't dump. The statistic I see thrown around a lot on these boards is that only about 30% of us dump. I don't know if there's any hardcore medical research behind that statistic, but suffice it to say, lots of us don't dump. I've never dumped. Teeth: I used to worry a lot about this. I've done a fair amount of reading on it and have come to the conclusion that yes, it happens - but it's not very common. I've been very active on this and other boards for a few years, and I rarely see posts about teeth problems. I asked my dentist about this, and he said he's never seen this in his WLS patients (of course, I have no idea how many WLS patients he has - could only be 10 as far as I know....). He told me to keep on top of my supplements and also, he gave me a prescription for a high-fluoride toothpaste to use nightly, and he does a fluoride varnish on my teeth every six months just as a precaution. He said all of this will go a long way in preventing problems. weakness and fatigue: the first few weeks after surgery, yes - but that's from anesthesia and the healing and the fact we're taking in so few calories. Since then, none. I have more energy than I've had in years. Malabsorption: I'm 2.5 years out and labs have been great. I can't speak to prescription drugs as I'm not on any...

Carolinagirl-Its good to see you too. I havent been on much lately. I'm getting ready for abdominoplasty in 10 days!!! I think Im more worried about that than the Lap band surgery!! 50/50-Thanks! Looks like you are well on your way!! You have done a great job to only be out a few months. Keep your head in the game and the taste of success will be in your very near future!!!

So I’m now a little over a year out and wanted to share a few reflections on my journey so far. Please know that this was my journey….yours will be different. But I thought maybe you might find something that will help you along the journey, like I did from all those that shared their stories for me. Warning its very long!!! Sorry about that. I just have so much I want to share with you guys!! A little background. I started this journey March 19,2012 at 236. I was never heavy until after the birth of my 3rd child. I was very sick with that last pregnancy…… contracted a rare and deadly pneumonia that put me in the ICU for weeks. This damaged my lungs and it seemed like it was all downhill from there. I’m just now feeling “normal” again. That was almost 15 years ago. For me this journey was more than a physical makeover. It was a physical. Emotional, spiritual make over. There was not one area of my life I didn’t dig into. I will save that for another post. For now let’s just stick to what worked for me. Pre-op What helped the most was educating myself. I LIVED on this site the last few weeks before my surgery I prepared myself mentally for everything. I created a Stock My Pantry List that I see still gets around on this site. It helped me tremendously and gave me something to do (controll). This part of my journey was very much like I was nesting for a baby. Cleaning, cooking, and organizing everything in preparation of being out of commission for a couple of weeks. If you want a copy of the Stock My Pantry list….fill free to inbox me and I’ll be glad to send it to you. The best advice received during this stage: Follow doctor orders no exceptions! Post-Op No matter how much I prepared for the surgery….I still was unprepared. You see there were so many people that had such a quick recovery; I just knew that would be me! I have a very high tolerance for pain….Well I guess not!!! I did have several other things done at the time, but OH MY!!! Prepare for the worst and hope for the best! I had two hernias and adhesions removed along with the band..so maybe that was the difference…but I didn’t feel good for at least a week. Best Advice: The 4-6 weeks is for healing….so focus on that not weight loss!!!!....And stay off the scale!!! MY Journey I have been asked several times what made the band work for me, while others struggle so much. I’m a rule follower and a little OCD so if I get something in my head I can’t let it go. So I really never doubted I could get the weight off….I knew I could (I had done it several times before), but my problem lied in keeping it off. The band alone will not do this for you!!! The one thing I have learned is that utilizing the band and making it work for me was very much a head game (demanding your body to co-operate!!). I never thought of myself as “Addicted” to food. I could see how that element would make the process even harder. I might even consider a different WLS. It took 8 fills for me to feel anything!! If I hadn't been so determined I could see how it would have become very discouraging. And I still think I need another fill, but I’m waiting till after my abdominalplasty /Breast Lift that is scheduled in less than 4 weeks. This process takes time. You must be vigilant and dedicated to the process. For me, I have a condition called PCOS. I never realized that it was this condition that made it so hard for me to lose weight until my daughter was diagnosised with it at about the same time I had my surgery. I saw her struggling to lose her 50 pounds. Her doctor did well at educating both of us. I knew I had PCOS)( they told me that was the reason for my infertility 20 years earlier)….but I guess back then they didn’t know as much about it as they do now. I just thought it was an infertility issue….I was skinny (120 pounds) and Physically fit back then. After I had my family, I put it out of my head…it never dawn on me it was the source of my weight issues 20 years later. So with that new found info I was able to educate myself on the condition and put in place significant diet changes. Here is where some controversial ideas come in play. REMEEMBER this is MY journey!!! This worked for me. If you have similar issues, it may work for you….that’s why I’m posting it. But it may not work for you. You see there is a large group people that believe we are all basically the same…you know a calorie is a calorie…..and that we all basically need the same amount of them and that our bodies need the type foods. I STRONGLY disagree. I think we are ALL different….none of us are the same. We all have unique set of genes that determine how our bodies will respond to different foods. That’s why two people can follow the exact same plan and have extremely different results. I agree that the majority of people fall right in the middle in calorie needs however there are a large portion of people that fall on the outside of those averages. Some of us could NEVER consume 1200 calories a day and still lose weight!! Most people could…not me. While there are others that could consume their 2500 calories a day and never gain an ounce (I doubt there are many of those on this site-haha). Others could follow the food pyramid and all would be fine…not me. My body hates carbs…(I LOVE them). Others follow a strict High protein/low carb diet and just become sick. It’s no wonder why we give up!! I decided to be successful, I had to figure out what was right for me. So what was right for me? Well, I knew that in general before surgery I doubt I ate 1500 calories day normally. And I knew that I was gaining about a pound a month. So after post op, my nutritionist wanted me to eat 1200 calories a day with at least 70g of Protein no limits on carbs. At first (being the rule follower I am , I went along with the plan)The only exercise during this time was a 30 min walk about 3 days a week. I knew that this wouldn’t produce much loss, but I gave it a try. As I thought…I actually gained a pound by my 8week visit). I then (on my own) reduced my calories to 1000. My nutritionist didn’t agree with this but she told me to give it a try. Next visit I did have some loss but it still wasn’t where I wanted it (about 0.5 pound a week). I told her I was listening to my body and it needed something different. *I changed the calories to 900/protein at 70 gram/ and set a limit of PROSSED carbs to 30 a day (the nutritionist about flipped) *I Changed my 30 minute walk 3 days a week to a 15 min walk every day ( I wanted to establish a exercise routine but didn’t want to spike my appetite and want more calories) BINGO!!! This was the winning combo. The weight fell off at about 2-3 pounds a week. This lasted for about 5 months of steady weight loss. At my 7 month check in I was down about 50 pounds. My nutritionist was convinced!! She now supported my plan. But I also noticed that as I lost I the amount I was losing was going down too.Why? I was doing the same thing. Why would it change? It didn't really matter why...do it did mean I had to switch it up again. On reflection I kind of figured out that it was the same with other methods.Just like weight watchers point program…when you are heavy you get extra points…but as you lose they take away points. They have to take the points away to keep you losing weight.The same is true here. As I lost, my body required fewer and fewer calories just to move…my body was becoming more efficient. At the end of the 5 months (7 months after surgery) I was back to the 1 pound a week. (I was now 180 pounds and 7 months out)At this point, there wasn’t much I could cut out in the diet area…so I knew it was time to get sweaty!!! But I knew that exercise was out of the question on 900 calories a day!! I wanted to lose another pound a week so that was 3500 calories and I could go to the gym 5 days a week (it’s just math….that means I had to burn 700 calories each day at the gym. increased my calories to 1100 and started hitting the gym) ) Yes… I was hitting the gym hard!! About an hour on the Eiptical and 15-20 min on weight machines!!!! Yes I know that is an extremely low net calorie intake….but this is what I needed to do to get the weight off. I wasn't going to die from lack of food! There was still plenty of reserve!!!! No it wasn’t easy!!! Yes I struggled!!! Yes I cried, But I did it!! I ate a huge amount of healthy foods like spinach, celery, cucumbers, cabbage,broccoli, green geens ( I call these "free" foods VOLUME CONTROL things I simply eat because I need to take up space… I also ate tons .chicken, berries, nuts, tuna not to mention the countless low calorie protein shakes….I never went hungry….if I was hungry I ate. I might have been what I wanted to eat, but I gave my body the nourishment it needed. It wasn’t a exciting diet in fact I ate almost the same thing every day. I just kept telling myself “I could do ANYTHING for 20 more pounds…once I get it off I could return to a more enjoyable diet”. And it worked!! Off came the weight again!! At 2 pounds a week!!!BY January 2013 (10 months out) I was at my personal goal of 160 pounds!!!(76 pounds lost!!!!) When I asked my doctor If I needed to lose more he said absolutely not!! That the 15 pounds that I have left was all skin and he put me in the success file! Now he has taken my diet plan and is sharing it with his other PCOS patients. That made me feel good. Now, I’m a little sad. I always thought I would be able to return to that “normal” range for calories…that I would be able to eat at least 1200 calories and maintain…but that’s not the case for me. I maintain now. But my numbers aren’t pretty. I have figured out that my “Base Metabolic Rate” is more like 900 calories (and that is with a pretty good amount of muscle mass) if I don’t exercise and I hate exercise. But I like to eat…so now a days I simply add whatever calories I burn at the gym to my daily calorie intake. I try to go to the gym 2-3 times a week and burn about 500 calories each visit so to keep it simple, If I go to the gym 1 time a week then I can have 1000 calories a day for that week; 2 times a week=1050 calories a day weekly; 3 times a week =1100 calories a day weekly if I don’t hit the gym I get the whooping 900 calories. These are my numbers. Like them or not I had to accept them. And they are pretty accurate. I’m now at month 13. (3months into this final phase) and I’m simply maintaining at 158-160 pounds. Lessons lerned *You are unique!!!You must figure out what your body needs and respond to it . And most likely its not going to be what YOU want it to be. But you need to accept it and deal with it. I wish my body liked carbs…..I miss them a lot!!! It doesn’t mean I NEVER have them. I just need to be mindful there is a price to pay for having them…so I keep them to a minium. Nowadays I allow myself some healthy/nutral carbs but nothing like the average person eats. For me My diet is 900 calories a day (+exercise), 70 grams of Protein/ 60grams of healthy/natural carbs * gave up almost all processed foods * I try to exercise 2-3 times a week * If a plan isn’t working, mix it up until you make it work After re-reading this it may sound like this was just easy for me. I want everyone to know this was the absolute hardest thing I have ever done. I could have not did this without my family willing to give me the support to put myself before all of them for a while. Instead of me coming last in everything….I was first!! They worked around what I needed. That’s what families do for each other. I have always been there for them….this time they were always there for me. To a husband that was firm with me and would accept excuses from me (but yet hugged and encouraged me the whole way)….to a daughter that was my cheerleader….to another daughter that was my inspiration and motivator to a son that simply kept telling me how pretty I was. I will NEVER be that other person again!!! It was I life makeover!! It even made us a stronger family...We as a family lost over 150 pounds!!!! Good luck everyone!! Inbox me if I can help you in anyway.

I lost 17 pounds my first month. I stalled at week three and didn't lose again until my second month started. I lost 11 pounds my second month, and I lost 10 pounds my third month. I now know that I stall for a total of about ten days per month, thanks to my cycle. I'm a slower loser, but that still averages out to more than three pounds a week. I've never lost 3 pounds a week before. Yes, it's frustrating. Yep, we want to compare ourselves to everyone else. Women that were sleeved the same month as me, with similar stats, are already more than halfway to goal. But you know what? I am losing. I'm losing faster than I've ever lost weight before. And even though I feel like the slowest loser in the world I can reach my goal in less than nine months from my surgery date. That's just four to five more months. Once I put it in perspective, there's nothing to be upset about. It used to take me four months of near starving misery to drop 30 pounds before. In comparison, this is almost effortless. Keep up the good work, you're doing just fine. ~Cheri

Taking my own advice - Hold myself accountable. Surgery 10/2020, HW somewhere in the 280's. Low weight 165 ... Current weight 175.... Why? Here's why... Last day tracked January 19th Last regular/daily tracking November 2021 Last day registered weighing - January (I still do weigh almost daily though) Eating/drinking (including alcohol) whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted - "Justified" it by telling myself "It's ok, I can't eat that much of whatever... and I'm drinking low calorie alcohol. All of this equals close to 10lb overall gain in a fairly short period of time. Failing to address it now will simply put me back where I started. If you've been at all successful in this journey, you know what works and what doesn't - Don't lie to yourself and pretend everything is fine and end up with a 20lb gain - Mentally 5 was my threshold and we see how that worked out. For me at least, I don't want to feel ashamed that I worked so hard only to fail in the long run. Today, back on track, I have no doubt that I will fall off the wagon again, but hey... it's a marathon, not a sprint. I WILL track food and drink - even if it's not something on my plan. I WON'T lie to myself. I'll set realistic/attainable goals. I WON'T do anything drastic (for me) like liquids only for x number of days - It isn't sustainable and results with me doing stupid things.

You are likely dehydrated already, are you peeing darker urine or peeing much at all? Call the bariatric team asap, they can get another physician to call in a scrip for meds. Try lukewarm tea w a little ginger root. Try diluted broths, sip a teaspoon, then wait 5-10 minutes, try another. Stand up to sip.

thanks guys! i honestly think it was my shoes. i walked this afternoon for 10 mins and was in extreme pain. i returned them so i will try to run tomorrow. hopefully that will do the trick!!

At 10 days post-op i got a rash on the sides of my neck. Called the dr and was told to take anti histamine and use cream. It worked, now at 18 days out the neck rash is returning and i have a rash on my tummy (not near incisions). Back to meds. But has anyone been told why we get these rashes?

Been of the pain meds since yesterday at 9am. Water sucks and taste like metal. Got some flavoring and it is helping. Tried power aid zero and leaves a bad after taste. Broth is good but strong. Tried chicken noodle soup and strained the broth out and love it! A real treat! Jello is good, milk is good. Walked 3 blocks today and feel good! Going to keep increasing the length. Is it really true you get a runny nose when you are getting full? Two weeks prep weighted 331, day of surgery weight was 314, day after was 320. Said that the IV fluids cause that and some people gain up to 10 lbs. appointment Friday for 1st post op appointment.

So I get to the hospital at 10 am an I didnt get sleved until 3 pm because they were running behind with other surgeries. I went in the OR an thats all I remembered until I woke up at7:30 pm they said I was out for sometime but it didnt bother me because I was already sleepy an tired prior. I was suppose to stay just one night butttttttt! My blood pressurr wouldnt go down and I have severe nausea, the weird thing is nothing was coming up but air, it hurted so bad because my stomach was clinching everytime. This last all of saturday but my fluids came from the IV the doctor ordered a double dose of the nausea medicine an it still didnt work then sunday morning they switched to a different nausea medicine an then I was on my way. Im home now and feeling good, im ready although I do have this bag hanging on my side but its not a drainage bag, they said its medicine for my stomach an it gets pullef out when the ball collapse on its own. I had it from surgery date an it doesnt hurt or anything they have it in a fanny pack so its around my waist. Just letting ya know what some might go through but im super!!!! So far im getting down 3 oz an hour an im walking alot in my house....

Banded 6-10 I posted about the same question a few days ago and they are right, it does go away, I am on full liquids now it has improved. Still having some gas but its not like it was before.:smile2:

Yay! I'm happy I'm down 4 lbs this week! Still in pain since banded on 2/19/13. But getting Better!

I was stuck for 3 weeks at between 180-185 fluctuating. Talk about driving me nuts!! Then finally I was 180, then the next day 179.5, then 179. Then I stopped weighing for 2 days ( well.... I was too tired by end of day). I weighed myself last night. I came in at 170.5!!!! 9 pounds in 3 days???? Holy moly !!!!! That must have been stuck water weight right? I'm almost at my second goal already!!! My first was to be under 200 ( hit that in 2-3 weeks). Then I roughed out where i thought I'd be at a happy medium. 160 popped in my head. That's only 10 pounds away!! I'm only about 9-10 weeks out. I'm finding this all pretty crazy.

I was sleeved on Tuesday 11/13! Came home from the hospital yesterday, still felt pretty shitty, but today I started feeling more like me, like a tired, sore version of me, but, still. I keep feeling the urge to burp, but they're not really coming out. I'm excited to be starting my journey. I bought some powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury unflavored Protein powder - hubby has been adding that to everything for me. I still haven't felt the "full" feeling, but I get scared and stop eating after a little bit. I had a half a small mug of chicken broth for bfast. half small mug homemade potato garlic Soup for lunch, same thing for dinner. Small cup of sugar free caramel pudding. And then Crystal Lite. All with Protein Powder added into it to reach about 35-40 grams of protein for the day. He said get to 60, I just don't feel the urge, but I may try for another 5-10 in a little bit. Does this sound about right? My doc, I gotta say, I'm a huge fan of what he did for me, but his personality and everything else = toilet. Not big on the small talk/bedside manner at all. After surgery I didn't see him at all, the next day I breifly saw another doc from his practice that I'd never met before, and then on checkout day he came in, pulled out my drain, told me to make an appointment for 2 weeks, told me I was going home, and left, total of about 2 minutes facetime, 5 if you include pre-op! But, it seems he did a good job, so, I can't complain. I just feel a little bit unsupported by the doc in all this. He didn't tell me what to do, as far as the gauze/bandages on my wounds, if/when I should replace them. He said to eat full liquids until I see him in 2 weeks and follow the paperwork I got on my first visit (back in August) but only because I thought to ask as he was walking out the door. The nurses in the hospital were well informed thankfully, and they said he's like that with everyone. Always seems to be in a rush! Ah well. I'm sleeved, and I didn't want a real clingy doc that wanted to see me all the time anyway! Thank goodness for my online research because I'd be totally lost!!

Hello, I just want to give you all an update on how surgery went for me! Monday August 19th I was given a 6:30 arrival time, the checked me in and weighed me. Next the took me to a short stay room where they had me change, use the restroom if I needed to, wash my hands up to my elbow and get into the bed. By this time it was probably around 7:20. Just so you know I hate needles and well they poked me twice! Ones to get my morning lab done and another to put the IV in. Next they took my Vidal’s asked me questions, had me sign my last consent form that was to confirm the surgery and put my compression cuffs on my calves to keep blood circulation going and to prevent blood clots. Then here was the waiting game, by this time it was probably 7:50am. At about 8:25/30 another nurse came in and gave me a chance to use the restroom before being rolled down to the surgery prep room/recovery room, there I met my anesthesiologists, my in surgery nurse, got prepped for surgery, signed consent form for anesthesia. And then I was just waiting for my surgeon to arrive, he was late 17 minutes which I heard was normal for him by one of the nurses waiting with about 4 of us to go in to surgery. When he arrived he asked me how I was doing and I had any last questions and then was told he will see me in the operating room. The last thing i remember was my anesthesiologists giving me something to “calm” me down in my IV as i was being rolled away going into the operating room. Next thing I wake up in recovery, being asked about pain which was high for me but I remember also being really nauseous so they didn’t want to give me much pain medicine because they didn’t want me to to get more nauseous. While still in the recovery room all I remember is them changing me to a different and more comfortable gown from being in this itchy paper one I was given in the beginning. They took off all the stickers off me and rolled me to my room where my mother had already been waiting for me. I probably slept most of the day Monday. By the time I was in my room it was already 11:45am/12pm. My mom stayed with all day till about 5:30 and my sister visited me for about 2 1/2 hours and left at the same time as my mom. Which I appreciate them keeping me company even when I was knocked out (but I did feel bad) _______ Now I was told everything went well with surgery BUT once I started to wake up more during the night I did have quite a bit emotions going through my head. Like what did I just do? I want to cry. All because all I wanted to do was drink water/my liquids in normal speed (they brought me Water at around 4pm but my tray of liquids at 6 for dinner with medicine cups) but i knew I couldn’t and that i had to take sips because i didn’t want to hurt myself. I had a hard time with that! Tuesday came and I was brought my breakfast and it took me a long time to drink even one thing because I had no appetite and my mother had to remind me to drink one medicine cup every 15 minutes like I was told to by my nurse. I had a little pain but was able to get it under control. My surgeon came and checked on me at 11:45 and I asked him if having pressure in my chest when I drink normal and he said yes it is but it will go away after today or a day more. He told me surgery went well and that I even look good being as awake and aware as i was the day after surgery. He saw I was keeping my liquids down and didn’t vomit once so he requested the discharge nurse to start my discharge paperwork. Meanwhile that was happening I was seen by my dietician, even though I had the papers at home she gave me another copy but gave it to my mom since she will be taking care of my groceries, she also gave me my medical card to keep in my wallet just Incase of anything which is also a card that gives me permission to pay for half a meal half price later on if I was to go to a restaurant. I got discharged at 1:30pm and let me tell you from all the bumps and turns (the little that we did have) got me REALLY car sick that I had to close my eyes in the car and even when I got home at 2 I still had a little nausea for about an hour so I napped because I couldn’t find my little mint thing they gave me to smell when nauseous (I told my mom to put it with my stuff but I couldn’t find it unless she put it in her purse and forgot). Dinner came around and I had brought home my Protein drink from the hospital I didn’t finish at lunch and I had a hard time drinking it, i just didn’t have no appetite. Anyways that’s how surgery went! How are my AUGUST 19th 2019 surgery siblings doing? It is 3:27am Wednesday morning (wide awake as I type this in bed, was woken up by my mother checking up on me at 2:40 asking me if I have to use the restroom so she can help me out of bed since my bed is high, we checked my incisions and one of my incisions started to leak a little which I was told if it did to just put gauze or a bandaids on where it’s leaking. Got back to bed but started to have pain so I had some medicine and then decided to type this out and now here I am lol. _____ Pictures bellow are from when I was in the hospital. The two in the dark was Monday night after dinner time (they left my tray because they wanted me to work on it throughout the night when I was awake because I kept falling asleep) and the one I’m in with my tray was taken by my mother to send to family who wanted an update on me and on how I was doing on Tuesday at breakfast. 

I had my first checkup after surgery and I was down 10 lbs.... (1wk before and 1wk after)...first fill at 6wks... (5/9)...

I track my sugar for everything!!! I eat nothing with over 5 grams, but really like to keep it 3 grams or less. It is my belief that sugar is a HUGE factor in weight loss. My pre-op diet was the Sugar Busters diet and I lost 18lbs in 3 weeks. Now I am not saying that once in a while I eat a cookie or something, but I do have my general rule that I like to follow and it has really helped me. I have lost 63 lbs since Sept. 10.

Hi Dana, I'm getting sleeved on 12/19. I bought a binder from Walmart for like $5, not sure how it'll work since I haven't tried it yet, but from what I hear they do help when moving alot. Good luck on your journey and I hope you have a quick recovery.

Love this PRE OP VSG. 35/M. HW: 465 CW: 435. SURGERY 5/6/2019

Here's an article I found on caffeine withdrawal. Beware the perils of caffeine withdrawal Susan Todd loves her daily coffee fix. "I can drink four or five cups, easily,comfortably," said Todd, 59, of Clinton Township, Michigan. But if she skips her regular dose of caffeine, Todd warned, watch out. "I feel lousy all over. It's not that anything hurts," she explained. "I just feel sluggish, and a cup of caffeine will cure that." Todd is among the estimated 80 to 90 percent of North American adults and children who consume caffeine products every day. Experts estimate about half that number will experience headaches and other symptoms from caffeine withdrawal syndrome. There are a numberof reasons why someone might need to reduce or stop their daily caffeine intake.Experts tell pregnant women not to consume more than 200 milligrams of caffeinea day (about one 12-ounce cup of coffee). Caffeinated products are notrecommended for people who are prone to panic attacks or those who suffer fromanxiety. Some surgical patients may also experience the symptoms of caffeinewithdrawal syndrome on the day of surgery, because they are told not to eat ordrink anything. Researchers atJohns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, recognized the condition as adisorder five years ago after reviewing decades of studies. They concluded thehigher the caffeine intake, the more likely a patient was to suffer from severewithdrawal symptoms when denied the ingredient. Researchers also reported that some caffeine users considered themselves addicted to caffeine because they were unable to quit or cut down on their usage. Michael Kuhar,chief of the division of neuroscience at the Yerkes National Primate ResearchCenter at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, prefers to use the word"dependent" rather than "addicted." Even though he called caffeine a drug, Kuhar wouldn't go so far as saying it has reached the statusof cocaine or heroin. According toKuhar, caffeine is a mild stimulant. "If you take a cup of caffeine you'relikely to feel good and energized," he said. Miss that cup of"Joe" or can of cola and don't be surprised if you start feelingfunny, Kuhar warned. He said some people complain of "headache, fatigue,sleepiness, inability to focus and concentrate." Others report experiencing flu- like symptoms, irritability, depression and anxiety after skipping aslittle as one cup of coffee a day. Kuhar explainedthat caffeine blocks receptors in the brain that can dilate blood vesselscausing headaches. "Withdrawal symptoms can start from 12 to 20 hoursafter your last cup of coffee and peak about two days later and can last aboutas long as a week," Kuhar added. It is not justcoffee that can lead to caffeine withdrawal. While a 6-ounce cup of brewed coffee contains about 100 milligrams of caffeine, tea and cola have about 40milligrams each, a bar of milk chocolate has about 10 milligrams and hot chocolate has about 7 milligrams. Kuhar said that means adults as well as children may be suffering daily physiological and personality effects of caffeine withdrawal. He recommended that people who are motivated to give up caffeine, or cut back on consumption,do so very carefully. "The thing to do is what we do with so many drugs --basically you wean yourself off slowly," Kuhar suggested. "That doesn't mean it is going to be easy at every step, but it should be easier thangoing cold turkey." Johns Hopkinsresearchers also endorsed a stepped approach to quitting caffeine. Theyinstruct patients to gradually substitute decaffeinated products ornoncaffeinated products over time in order to reduce the likelihood of experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Kuhar suggested the process also can begin with reducing caffeine consumption by a half to a whole cup a day. Technology consultant ***** Spillane, 42, of St. Petersburg, Florida, started a step-down program after years of consuming up to three cups of coffee each day. He felthe was "drinking way too much caffeine." Spillane said heknew right away that he was suffering from caffeine withdrawal when he started getting severe headaches. His wife told him he was cranky most of the time. He now drinks tea instead, and occasionally sneaks a cup of coffee. Looking back, he was going through withdrawal was "tough for a while," but he's feeling better these days and he's glad he's not so dependent on caffeine.