Hey everyone,

I'm new to this group. I have just completed all my pre-op hoops nad am awaiting insurance approval. I have been severely overweight all my life and am sick of it. I just turned 30, and I am getting married in November and have been contemplating this for a while. I am a Probation officer on the state level and specialize in warrant service/fugitives and want to be in better shap for my health and to do my job better.

I don't really mind not being able to eat (which I expect to be the case after surgery) the only reservation I have at this point is going out with the guys and not being able to have a couple you know? Tell me what its like please?

Welcome, BB. And relax - you can eat after banding, just not so much, and a bit carefully...

I can't advise you on the other, but the band will do nothing to slow the booze from going down. The problem with alcohol is that it packs some calories of its own, but also being disinhibited might make you more likely to slip up...

But hopefully you'll find out for yourself in a little, after the insurance permissions come through!

Welcome to the site.................

welcome bro. don't worry about the ?. what ever the ? is. ? = empty calories.

don't need ? to have a good time. If you are concerned that much about ?, then you might want to look at your relationship with ? like you're looking at your relationship with food.

from what i hear, you can still have a couple ?. in moderation is what they say. for me, i had to cut out ? and ? and ?. with my personality, additive as HELL, anything that was close to ? was a killer for me.

either way... good luck with your decision and good luck with your wedding.

hope to see you on LBT more often.

cheers. well...that was prolly a bad sign off.... how about C YA!

Welcome aboard. As stated above, most people can eat most anything, in moderation. Sure, some things may be harder (like bread) but if you chew carefully and eat slowly, it really is not a problem. As for a few drinks - its ok, again moderation being key here. I have no problem with wine or hard stuff, but beer (or anything carbonated) tends to make me bloated. That said, I was at Busch Gardens last week and enjoyed a cold beer on a sunny afternoon and it went down great. I don't think I could have put down another one and quite frankly, I didn't want another one. And thats coming from a former beer drinker.

hey guys, thanks for all the responses. The ? marks are only beers or drinks. It is just going to be a tough change for me not to be able to have a couple of beers at will. I know in my heart it is probably for the best calorie wise and wallet wise but it is ritual that I will certainly miss with my buds!

No reason you couldn't go and hang with the buds! If anybody asks why you're not drinking as much, reply with "what's it to ya, Nancyboy?" and then clamp in a bearhug. Oh wait....that advice may only be applicable to my friends. Your milage may vary.