Last night I drank a whole bunch for halloween, and during the past four days or so I have gone through like almost 4 boxes of Cereal, and not the good kind.

I see people post on a support group Im in (not sure why Im in it..like...it does nothing for me but see people succeeding...yay them...)

All this surgery did for me was make me drop like 60 pounds in the matter of 6 weeks or so, and made me not handle my alcohol at ALL. So I'm THAT guy when I go to college parties. And by THAT guy, I mean the guy who is the most drunk. I dont want to be the most drunk.

I wonder if my stomach stretched all the way out? I never feel full anymore. My hair is falling out at an alarming rate, my shower/bathtub is a mess because I have like tens of dozens of hair strands just all around...

yay life.

Throwaway (i do NOT like calling you that), my personal opinion is that there is nothing you can do to stop the hairloss. i dont think vitamins will help that, either.

*take care and be kind to hair (and to yourself, of course). try to use good products on your hair. avoid chemicals and blow dryers. biotin may help to make it grow back fuller.

*i dont know if any doc actually does this, but i know they can tell the size of the stomach by doing an upper GI. talk to your surgeon.

*Be honest with your therapist and your doc. this is your reality and you need to be honest with yourself and the people that can help you thru this.

* the sleeve is not going away. that is permanent. its your choice, one day at a time, to face this positively and get on with your new, thinner, more healthy life.

* how old are you? they really cant tell your mom anything if you are 18 or over. Besides, your mom may be able to help you more than you give her credit for.

* "to thine ownself be true" another fave motto.

Hang tough!!!!

Oh...yeah...I have had maybe 5 bags of Mission tortilla strips (not all at the same time, spread over the course of like 2 weeks) but I can typically finish the bag within an hour or two....

What do you mean by sliders? Just like snacks?

Sliders are highly processed junk type food..

In that case...yepp..

Hi. Sounds to me you are not in a good head space and have not been for awhile. Even the name you chose seems very sad. You are not being honest with the people who can really help you. What do you think would help you at this point?

I don't think you are broken. Your choice is to continue as you have been and nothing changes for the positive, or go back to your food plan and see what happens.

I think we all have a bit of the feeling that "this won't work for me," and we know we can make that true with our choices. Maybe you have a large portion of "I don't deserve this."

What happens to you goes from this point. What do you choose?

By the way, the hair thing is normal and will stop. Any time the body goes through trauma it releases the hairs that are in line to be released one at a time, all at once.

Edited November 1, 201312 yr by raven123

Also, the whole "Im not an alcoholic because Im in college" is bullshit too, anyone with a brain can know that. Its like saying just because Im a professional gambler doesnt mean I have a gambling problem or something like that.

Regardless, the alcohol isnt the problem, its the food. People told me I would be stuffed. People told me I wouldnt be able to eat, that I would throw up if I pushed myself. And guess what? I threw up once, and that was enough to know that I should not drink (WATER......) after eating a whole lot, and I should definitely chew a bit better.

Other than that....yeah nothing is really working. I wonder if its possible to see how much my stomach stretched.

Alcohol is PACKED with calories dude, so yes alcohol is the problem AND do is food.

What do you mean by sliders? Just like snacks?

ANYTHING .. That you can eat a lot of. As in cereal and alcohol in your case. Alcohol is sliding and you can drink endlessly and gain from all the gazillion carbs/calories. If you can eat/drink something and not get full with it then it's a slider food. You're digesting it as fast as you're consuming it. Avoid it.

Then in this case anything is a slider...

Hey OP, I really really feel for you. You must seek therapy and be honest with your therapist. Let them help you. It sounds like you really were not prepared for surgery. The sleeve is a tool. It is no obesity cure. You have to do the work and follow the plan. The sleeve can help a lot but if I don't do what I am supposed to as far as eating goes, I can consume way more food than I wish I could. It sounds like you really need to take it from the start again and commit to the lifestyle change. The sleeve really is not for everyone and it sounds like your doctors may not have done you any favors. Good luck.

Here read this about SLIDERS..

Slider Foods Spell Weight Regain For Weight Loss Surgery Patients Soft processed carbohydrates, slider foods, are the bane of good intentions and ignorance often causing dumping syndrome, weight loss plateaus, and eventually weight gain for gastric bypass, gastric band (lap-band), and gastric sleeve bariatric patients.

To the weight loss surgery patient slider foods are the bane of good intentions and ignorance often causing dumping syndrome, weight loss plateaus, and eventually weight gain. Slider foods, to weight loss surgery patients, are soft simple processed carbohydrates of little or no nutritional value that slide right through the surgical stomach pouch without providing nutrition or satiation. The most innocent of slider foods are saltine crackers, often eaten with warm tea or other beverages, to soothe the stomach in illness or while recovering from surgery.

Understanding Slider Foods The most commonly

consumed slider foods include pretzels, crackers (saltines, graham, Ritz, etc.) filled cracker Snacks such as Ritz Bits, popcorn, cheese snacks (Cheetos) or cheese crackers, tortilla chips with salsa, potato chips, sugar-free Cookies, cakes, and candy. You will notice these slider foods are often salty and cause dry mouth so they must be ingested with liquid to be palatable. This is how they become slider foods.

They are also, most often, void of nutritional value. For weight loss surgery patients the process of digestion is different than those who have not undergone gastric surgery. When slider foods are consumed they go into the stomach pouch and exit directly into the jejunum where the simple carbohydrate slurry is quickly absorbed and stored by the body. There is little thermic effect in the digestion of simple carbohydrates like there is in the digestion of Protein so little metabolic energy is expended. In most cases patients in the phase of weight loss who eat slider foods will experience a weight loss plateau and possibly the setback of weight gain. And sadly, they will begin to believe their surgical stomach pouch is not functioning properly because they never feel fullness or restriction like they experience when eating protein. The very nature of the surgical gastric pouch is to cause feelings of tightness or restriction when one has eaten enough food. However, when soft simple carbohydrates are eaten this tightness or restriction does not result and one can continue to eat, unmeasured, copious amounts of non-nutritional food without ever feeling uncomfortable.

Many patients turn to slider foods for this very reason. They do not like the discomfort that results when the pouch is full from eating a measured portion of lean animal or dairy protein without liquids. Yet it is this very restriction that is the desired result of the surgery. The discomfort is intended to signal the cessation of eating. Remembering the "Protein First" rule is crucial to weight management with bariatric surgery. Gastric bypass, gastric banding (lap-band) and gastric sleeve patients are instructed to follow a high protein diet to facilitate healing and promote weight loss.

Bariatric centers advise what is commonly known among weight loss surgery patients as the "Four Rules" the most important of which is "Protein First." That means of all nutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fat and alcohol) the patient is required to eat protein first. Protein is not always the most comfortable food choice for weight loss surgery patients who feel restriction after eating a very small amount of food. However, for the surgical tool to work correctly a diet rich in protein and low in simple carbohydrate slider foods must be observed. The high protein diet must be followed even after healthy body weight has been achieved in order to maintain a healthy weight and avoid weight regain.

Self sabotage is a tricky thing. I know, that when I have the symptoms of HALT(Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired), I can sabotage myself without even realizing it. And not just food. It sounds like you may be following a similar path of the F*-its.

I know this is going to come across as judgemental, but please know that it is not. I just don't have the literary skills to be as tactful as you (and other readers) may like, but know that my response is based in concern and love.

You know the guidelines, but are ignoring them. You know you are not supposed to have liquids with meals, but alas ... Cereal with milk ... sure. You are going to be able to eat a ton of that because it is not going to sit in your stomach. But you know this ... and you still you cry that the sleeve is not working for you. Cookies with Water ... well ... what did you really expect?

You have expectations for the sleeve which are not real. Everything you have heard about the sleeve is true, but what you did not listen to is that you are going to have to be a participant in this, too. The sleeve will help you move mountains, for sure, but you know what? You need to bring your own shovel, too.

Sorry for the tough love, but if you really want this to work, then get to work. If you want change, then make a change.

Oh my... I really wanted to not comment as I always try to be postive and understanding. Maybe it is because I am dealing with someone like you in my personal life right now. But everything that everyone is telling you seem to have a justification for it and it is not your fault. When in fact it all is your fault. That behavior is the root of your problem. The poor choices you are making and your excuses are setting you up for failure not just in weight loss but life. Grow up take responsability for your actions. Everyone goes through struggles it is how you overcome them that matters and show what kind of person you are. Sorry to sound so harsh, Good luck hope you work through this and come out better and stronger.

Last night I drank a whole bunch for halloween, and during the past four days or so I have gone through like almost 4 boxes of cereal, and not the good kind.

I see people post on a support group Im in (not sure why Im in it..like...it does nothing for me but see people succeeding...yay them...)

All this surgery did for me was make me drop like 60 pounds in the matter of 6 weeks or so, and made me not handle my alcohol at ALL. So I'm THAT guy when I go to college parties. And by THAT guy, I mean the guy who is the most drunk. I dont want to be the most drunk.

I wonder if my stomach stretched all the way out? I never feel full anymore. My hair is falling out at an alarming rate, my shower/bathtub is a mess because I have like tens of dozens of hair strands just all around...

yay life.

Whoa bud, slow down a little bit. Maybe take this weekend to reevaluate why you got the sleeve and where you want to go with it. I am sure there is still plenty of inspiration for you if you just allow yourself to tap into it. Start slow and try to figure out a whole new food identity that you can align yourself with. This journey is not over for you and I don't think you messed up your sleeve at all. Failure defines success, so respect the process. Tomorrow is another day. You're just not on the same page right now with your sleeve and it happens to the best of us.

Edited November 1, 201312 yr by endless80

Oh my... I really wanted to not comment as I always try to be postive and understanding. Maybe it is because I am dealing with someone like you in my personal life right now. But everything that everyone is telling you seem to have a justification for it and it is not your fault. When in fact it all is your fault. That behavior is the root of your problem. The poor choices you are making and your excuses are setting you up for failure not just in weight loss but life. Grow up take responsability for your actions. Everyone goes through struggles it is how you overcome them that matters and show what kind of person you are. Sorry to sound so harsh' date=' Good luck hope you work through this and come out better and stronger.[/quote']

True true and more true- I can't cook, I can't tell my therapist... You really need to X that word can't out of your vocabulary. That's probably part of the reason you CANT follow your diet and CANT not eat all that cereal. You thought processes are everything in this process. What was your plan preop for your diet/money for food options before you got the surgery? Did you not have one? Get your a@$ in the kitchen and try! BTW I hate when people think because you have a few drinks- in your case a couple- and call you an alcoholic (so dumb), however you are being irresponsible with alcohol at this point in time for the circumstances you are in along with the other information you have presented.

Tough love but it sounds like you need it! Switch your thinking- you are much stronger than you think you are

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I have to agree with what most people are saying, which is that you should stop blaming outside circumstances that could be changed and instead look inward, being very blunt and realistic with yourself.

Alcohol should not be consumed by people who have had a sleeve for ideally 6 months to one year after surgery. There is a special digestive enzyme in your stomach that processes alcohol. Since 85% of your stomach has been removed, there is very little of that enzyme (if any) to process alcohol. You could actually end up with alcohol poisoning and be in the hospital getting your stomach pumped.

If cereal is a "trigger" food (a food that you can't seem to stop eating once you start) then don't buy it. There are a ton of things that I just can't buy because I know I can't control myself and I will eat all of it! Grocery stores sell pre-cooked chickens, usually for $5. If you want something quick and easy, you could get a chicken and eat off of that for a few days. Also, Protein shakes with milk will give you protein and what your body needs to feel full. I tried Isopure Water for the first time today. It smells kinda weird but tastes OK... and dang, it filled me up. I'm actually burping! (TMI)

Support groups work when you work the program. Do you think it would be acceptable for an alcoholic to attend an AA meeting if they just kept drinking and drinking, week after week, year after year? Just going will not help someone until they actually hit rock bottom and make the decision to stop. The point is, it is horribly difficult... horribly horribly difficult to stop eating... (I am literally fighting it every minute of the day) but it is something you have to fight just like any other addict.

Your stomach is not likely stretched all the way out, but you could be doing damage to your insides. Your hair is falling out because you are not consuming nutrients. The majority of people who get a VGS will have hair fall out - this is because your body is working to keep the more important parts of your body working (like internal organs and muscles) and ignores things like hair, nails, and skin.

I've noticed in a lot of your posts you mention things you can't do, such as not being able to cook. I can't cook either, and that was a big fear of mine. So, what am I going to do? I'm going to sign up for cooking classes. In the meantime, I look up stuff on youtube that looks basic enough for someone who can burn water! My nutritionist gave me smoothie recipes that use frozen fruit and yogurt. The frozen fruit doesn't go bad for ages (cuz it's frozen) and the yogurt isn't anything fancy. Then I just add Protein powder and put it in a blender. It literally takes 5 minutes and you can't screw it up.

To conclude, it's easy for anyone to tell you what to do; however, you sound very depressed on top of everything else, so anything people tell you to do will seem unrealistic. I have been through therapy myself and was on antidepressants from the time I was 15 up until last year when I finally got good therapy (I'm 33 now). So, I do understand depression... everyone is just like, "Well... don't be sad. Think positive." Gee.... why didn't I think of that? I'm cured! haha. The point I'm trying to make is, PLEASE reach out for help... either to your primary doctor to work with you on getting the correct type of medication for you, or to a licensed therapist that can help you through this. If you can work through some of these issues in a non-judgmental environment, you will feel more positive about your outlook in life, then things kind of click into place slowly but surely.