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You do have to be careful with alchol. It might hit you very differently than before. Also there are many stories that there is a great danger of alcoholism post sleeve...http://www.webmd.com/diet/obesity/20120618/after-bariatric-surgery-alcohol-abuse-more-likely

I stopped losing weight at 7 months post-op and I went from a "Weight Loss" phase to a "Maintenance" phase. I am now 27 months post-op RNY. Since that time I have dropped another 15 pounds without really trying and I am currently near the bottom end of the scale. I attribute this added weight loss to the following: 1) A couple times I developed a stomach flu that was going around. I would lose my appetite for a few days and drop weight quickly. After I recovered, I would decide this was my new goal weight and not try and gain it back. 2) I have found that softer foods such as chili and Soups go down easier so I primarily rely on these for my meals. Whenever I eat out, I find that I cannot consume very much harder foods and as a result I lose weight. 3) I believe the meal plan for those in the Maintenance phase should be very different than in the Weight Loss phase. After surgery, the stomach that normally absorbs fats and sugars has been cut away. That is why your diet needs to restrict fats and sugars; otherwise it leads to dumping. But after about a year, you intestines change and the intestines begin to convert fats and sugars. So in the Maintenance phase the objective is to "not be hungry". Fats take away hunger. So I reintroduced fats back into my diet. And for the most part, 27 months post-op, I am never hungry. On the other hand, I almost religiously restrict myself from processed sugars. I read food labels; I really read them. If they contain more than a couple grams of sugar, I look at the ingredients to determine if they contain high amounts of processed sugars. For my sweet tooth, I consume artificial sweeteners (such as Splenda, sugar alcohol), natural low or no calorie sweeteners (such as Stevia), and natural sugars found in fruits and milk. So in general, I consume a cup or two of hot coffee each day with a very large scoop of whip cream. The whip cream I make myself using heavy whipping cream and Splenda in place of sugar. This adds fat into my diet. I also consume 2 or 3 Adkin's treats per day. I also use whole milk, real butter and real meats. I restrict my meals to one meal per day with complex carbs (such as Pasta, bread). In the maintenance phase, the meal plan should include a balance of Protein, fats and carbs. Fats are an important ingredient.

I agree! Same goes with alcohol. Each drink is loaded with empty calories. My torture the poor pouch like that, and sabotage your success? Some foods are slippery slopes, but a lot think this surgery will fix everything. People still need to retrain the brain for success.

So my surgery was due on 12th of June, got a call Friday to tell me that it was being postponed AGAIN! Because I needed a psychiatric assessment! So over the weekend I have been eating like a woman possessed, I thought im not getting my surgery for another few weeks I can have my food freedom again for a while, so this morning I get a call from the nurse saying the psychiatric assessment is no longer needed and the surgery is still going ahead on the 12th! Prior to my phone call on Friday I had been doing the post op diet for 8 days, My question is, would I have done much damage to my liver shrinkage over my weekend foodathon, which didn't include alcohol and only 1 pudding, And if I do the liquid diet till Friday do u think that will be enough for me to possibly shrink my liver a bit more for the op? Thanks

You can get particles of food in the incision. So you are not supposed to be eating anything with little pieces of anything that could get stuck. That is what I was told. I would eat ice pops so once you are cleared from drinking clear fluids I imagine you could have froyo. But...ice cream in any form is a trap. Give yourself some limits...Like I promise not to drink Alcohol until month six. I promise not to eat chips or fries until 1 year. Whatever is appropriate for you. Making sure you are in control of the driver's seat is important. The first year you won't have much control, but after a year or two you could easily lose focus since are natural instinct is to over eat.

Here is the Liver Shrink Diet my Surgeon and Nutritionist gave me to follow pre-op: Liver Shrink Diet Remember: Vegetables ar unlimited on this diet. (except potatoes, corn, beans, and peas. Breakfast Protein Shake or Protein Bar (You may use any shake as long as it has 220 or less calories and 10g or less fat/serving) Mid Morning Snack 1 small piece of fruit (if you have Diabetes add 4 oz low-fat yogurt) Lunch Protein Bar (220 calories of less and 10g or less of fat) or Shake Mid Afternoon Snack 1 small piece of fruit (add 4 oz low-fat yogurt if you have Diabetes) Dinner 3 oz meat (lean) - The size of a deck of cards steamed vegetables or salad with Fat-free salad dressing 6 unsalted crackers or 2 slices low calorie bread or 1 small baked potato 1/2 c fruit or 1 small piece of fruit Evening Snack 1 small piece of fruit (add 4 oz low-fat yogurt if you are Diabetic) (You may have non-caloric beverages on this diet) NO ALCOHOL!!!!!!!! Examples: Decaf. Tea, Crystal Light, Sugar-free Kool-Aid, Water Follow This 1 Day Prior To Surgery: Clear liquids only including Jello, broth, juice, and any beverages listed above. Jello can be congealed, but do not put fruit in it it. (NO RED JELLO) & NOTHING TO EAT PAST MIDNIGHT (of course). This is just what my surgeon and nutritionist gave me. Of course everyone's seems different but I just thought I would give you something to go on.

Oh I can empathize completely. We do a lot of riding on the weekend and we aren't on any schedule so we grab food when and where we can. Weekends are definitely the hardest. Add to that the fact that my kids and I went down to Lakeland this weekend for my ex husband's annual St. Patrick's Day party. This year was a small party and included was 5 corned beef briskets 1 whole 60 lb pig two huge shepherd's pies cabbage and potatoes soda bread plus everything that other people bought which included numerous Desserts I did very good though. I had some corned beef and some pork and some shepherd's pie. Didn't do so hot in the alcohol dept although the drinks I made were mixed with sugar free tropicana orangeade LOL I think the worst thing I did over the weekend was have some thin crust pizza extremely late on Friday night after we got into the hotel. But we were hungry and there weren't very many places open at 11:00 on Friday night that were healthy. We will see how much damage I did in the morning when I weigh in.

I have had a few drinks here and there since having surgery.... I have steered clear of all carbonated beverages since surgery so that its not too overwhelming! ..... I am over 3 months out from surgery and I have had some alcoholic drinks about 4 times MAX....

Protein first? Increase water, increase exercise...track calories. Watch empty calories...alcohol, sugars, carbs. I usually know exactly why I am stuck without losing and it is usually one of the above.

I know it’s so, so common, especially for Bariatric patients and alcohol. I drink a glass or two of wine a night most nights but that was normal for me before and I don’t think it’s excessive. I definitely don’t drink to get drunk and rarely even get tipsy. But I used to be only a social smoker and I am now up to a pack a week 😕 I think it’s called addiction transferance? I want to cut back.

I wasn't hungry AT ALL and was so dizzy and light-headed that I felt horrible even laying down. It felt like when one drinks too much alcohol and the room is spinning (the last thing one feels like doing is eating and drinking when one feels like this.) It was the dizziness that was the WORST. And Parrot...I know! I have been so sick and my nurse thinks that I am having anxiety attacks (but I am not). I live in a very small NE town and the doctors around here don't know anything about lapband and wouldn't know how to help me. I can only rely on my lapband doctor (who is nicer than the nurse). He really does try to help me. The problem is that the problems come and go so sometimes when I see him my chest doesn't hurt (like on Monday). He focused on my dizziness and that has gone away. Now that I am eating again though...my chest pain is back.

Not sure why but I have read countless studies about alcoholism being a direct correlation of weight loss surgery patients.. I know of two people that have had surgeries (one had the sleeve and one had bypass) that are struggling with the use of alcohol and I fear that I could potentially be on the verge.. Has anyone else struggled with this? I also wonder why there is even a connection???

Since you mentioned you've posted several times about already having a "stall", I will respond with a excerpt from an article written on Bariatriceating.com because it may be of interest to you: Your internal surgical wounds must heal – this is no time to go to the mall, out to dinner, visiting friends and on vacation. Sew what? In terms of food, you must stick to your surgeons program for post op food stages. You need time to allow the tiny pouch cut and sewn from the fabric of your giant floppy stomach to heal itself closed. We have all glued something only to have the seams pop open. The liquid & soft food stages are to avoid stressing pouch seams and give your stomach a break from the process of digestion. Is ice cream a puree? Sirloin steak is not a soft food. Ice cream is NOT a puree. You can’t eat popcorn, raw carrots or celery ten days after surgery. People ask if we think they could have a pork chop, we say ‘no’, they eat it anyhow, then tell us ‘they didn’t have a problem’. NO alcohol for a year… NON-negotiable… but people push back saying their surgeon said five weeks was okay. Folks… we know better and we are trying to help you. General Tso? NOT your friend The post op dietary stages are not a suggestion, they are a requirement for you own safety. You cannot eat Chinese food the week after surgery because you ‘chew it well’. A ‘craving’ for Orange chicken landed one support group member in the hospital! It’s a very bad idea to push. Being ‘released’ to ‘regular food’ does not mean what you think it does, but you already know that. How long until you can have pizza again? “Pizza is not a food for someone having obesity surgery.” (that’s a quote from Dr. N on My 600 lb Life) Every single week in our support group, these actions land new post ops in the hospital. Sip sip sip sip sip… If you had a back injury, you would not tile your kitchen floor the same week. Yet, people think nothing of making a trip to a theme park when they should be at home resting and taking in fluids. People ask us ‘Do you think I would be able to go on a cruise two weeks after my sleeve?’ (Nooooo!) As high as 30% of post ops are dehydrated enough to land back in the hospital with a Fluid IV. Not drinking enough Water after surgery can cause heart damage. Dehydration is the most common bariatric complication, yet it’s largely avoidable. Stay home and heal… drink hot water, cold water, broth, Diet Snapple, herbal tea, eat sf ice pops and Jello. (We have a free bariatric water app called HY, click for GetHyApp.com) Vitamins are critical It is impossible for you to have your stomach surgically removed or reconfigured and take in the nutrients needed to run your body. While your surgeons group has mentioned Flintstones, that is so you will possibly take something instead of being one of the 67% of post ops who take nothing. They are not optimal and won’t prevent long term problems like broken bones from simple falls and losing teeth, but may keep you from dying in the short term. The idea behind supplements is to prevent issues from grabbing you in twenty years when it’s too late to change the path. Take them! Protein from food? What a novel idea! Yes, yes, yes, we’d all like to get our protein from food and that’s what you want to hear. However, if you are unable to take in 70 grams of protein per day, you can either weaken and lose your hair or you can figure out another way until you are able to learn and eat the right foods. Protein drinks make up the difference between what you can eat and what you need. They are not simply a tasty beverage for your enjoyment for you to be all picky and ridiculous over. They are the antidote for your disease of morbid obesity. Morbid means death and obesity surgery only slows and reverses the disease IF you follow your plan. I personally like their no-nonsence approach to this life altering surgery we've all had. Also, yes to wait staff looking strangely at us but it won't last long. I found it harder for them when I wouldn't want to order anything to drink since we can't drink while eating. Now I tell them, "No thank you, I don't drink when eating". I've been asked "why?" many times. I then tell them how no one should because it doesn't allow your food to be properly digested when liquid is present. 95% of them tell me they're going to try it. I wish you nothing but success

Hello all. I had the Realize Band put it on 6/13 and have now lost approximately 17 lbs. A friend of a friend, who had bariartric surgery turned me on to obesity.com and that's how I found this website. I am rapidly approaching 60 years of age and could not take the weight off myself. I have probably gained and lost the weight of two people before this surgery, and this will be my last. My doc is very nice, but there is not a lot of communication so I find corresponding with people and reading these topics very helpful. I do have some questions for all of you out there: 1) When can you begin a regular exercise program, like Curves (this worked for me before, so I want to try it again) 2) When can you start to introduce fresh fruit and leafy greens into the diet? I'm allowed to begin eating regular food again this week, but the diet plan excludes fresh fruit and leafy greens and I have no idea why. 3) Can you ever have wine or other alcoholic beverages? 4) Do all doctors prohibity the consumption of fluids for an hour before meals and an hour after meals? Why is this? Thanks for all your postings and keep your fingers crossed that I am able to make the long journey with all of you.

Hey! I haven't been banded yet. I can tell you that as hard as given up drinking may be for you its totally worth it when it comes to your health. Alcohol has a ton of empty calories the importnat thing is that if you do get the surgery you do it for you.

It's no biggie but they didn't give me a preop and I'm surprised about that coz I was 277 and 5'5". My surgeon was Dr. Atkinson. Weight loss center. Had my surgery at Desert Inn hospital on the 5th of this month. I followed orders the first two weeks but I don't follow to a t anymore. That's bad. I still get all my Protein in but I had pain popcorn (not supposed to) and I had alcohol one night (not supposed to). Other than that, it's going great. When I first woke up, I immediately regretted it but now I am so glad I did it. I went back to work 3 days after. Sent from my SM-N910V using the BariatricPal App

Might be reflux developing (citrus, spices, alcohol, etc. make the burning worse). It's a very common banding side effect so keep an eye on things.

Globe and Mail - Tues March 13th, 2007 There's a downside to obesity surgery SHERYL UBELACKER Canadian Press TORONTO — When people with obesity have surgery to help them lose weight, they can also lose something else — the ability to properly absorb certain nutrients, in particular Vitamin B1. And that deficiency can potentially lead to permanent brain damage if left untreated, researchers say. In a review of the medical literature, researchers at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine found 32 cases of bariatric surgery patients who developed symptoms of Wernicke encephalopathy, a condition marked by memory loss and confusion, an inability to co-ordinate movements and rapid eye movement. Wernicke's is caused by a deficiency in vitamin B1, also called thiamine, and these classic symptoms are usually seen in alcoholics, said lead author Dr. Sonal Singh, an internal medicine specialist at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. “But interesting to our study, we found that these people also had other symptoms, like hearing loss, convulsions and tingling and numbness of the arms and legs — symptoms that have not been previously described with Wernicke's,” Dr. Singh said in an interview. That made the researchers wonder if these bariatric surgery patients were suffering from more than just a B1 deficiency and may have been experiencing a deficit of other critical nutrients or had developed immunological problems. Strangely, almost half of the patients with the neurological symptoms showed no brain lesions when given an MRI scan, said Dr. Singh, whose study is published Tuesday in the journal Neurology. Of the 32 patients — who had one of four weight-loss surgeries, including gastric bypass and gastric banding — 13 made a full recovery. Eighteen others were left with various levels of dysfunction and one patient, a 33-year-old woman, died. Most had experienced vomiting prior to onset of the neurological symptoms, said Dr. Singh, noting that patients ranged in age from 23 to 55, and 27 of the 32 were women. (In the United States, 75 per cent of bariatric surgery patients are women, he said.) The vomiting could have been caused by any of several factors, including the anatomical changes created by the surgery; blockages caused by swelling around the surgical area; and ulcerations or other erosions of the stomach developed following the operation. “When people who have had weight-loss surgery start experiencing any of these symptoms, they need to see a doctor right away,” stressed Dr. Singh. “Doctors should consider vitamin B1 deficiency and Wernicke encephalopathy when they see patients with these types of neurological complications after weight-loss surgery. If treated promptly, the outlook is usually good.” The average point at which patients began exhibiting Wernicke's symptoms was four to 12 weeks after surgery, although one patient developed problems two weeks after the operation and another 18 months later. Dr. Singh said his study could not determine how common Wernicke's encephalopathy is among people who have surgery to help them lose weight, and he said studies that follow patients are needed to establish how often it occurs. While some doctors prescribe thiamine supplementation after bariatric surgery as a matter of course, Dr. Singh believes national standards should be set for physicians to follow. “This is an emerging risk which is going to become more important in the future as more people get surgery,” he said.

As very nervous....its only been a week..,ive lost 5 lds yeah,,,,but really misss my girls and going out ..so tonight Feeling great and having tolerated ....string cheese ,soups,guacomoli. Hummis, i decided ill try..the girls do not know...they think I am on a medically supervised diet....we went for chinese...i ordered won ton soup. Drank half the broth was fine,,,,then ordred diced beef for lettuce wraps.....I never ate the lettuce....just put some on my lettece and ate with a spoon...i chewed and chewed. Went down fine...once or twice felt like it was a bit much....but all went well...no alcohol of course

I'm almost two years post-op. These days I can eat (comfortably) a cup of food at a time. I eat three meals a day and a couple of planned Snacks daily. I've lost 100 pounds and have been maintaining at 135 pounds for the last 6 months (and at or below my original goal -- 150 pounds -- for 14 months). I typically eat 1700 - 1800 calories/day to maintain my weight. I'm 70 years old. At six months I could eat 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup of food. It's slowly increased since then. Very early on (a month or two post-op) the restriction is much greater because your newly built and badly traumatized sleeve is swollen and inflamed after surgery. The reason why your eating program is so restrictive for the first 2-3 months is because your stomach edges (where it's stapled together) haven't knitted together / healed yet. If you do have WLS, you will REALLY want to follow ALL your surgeon's eating phases so you don't spring a leak. Here's the deal -- after losing your weight you can regain a lot of weight by "grazing" (nibbling) foods that won't challenge your sleeve. The foods that will flow right through you, leaving your sleeve empty and awaiting more food, are things like chips, crackers, Cookies, ice cream, starchy foods, sugary foods, and, of course, sweet and alcoholic drinks. Dense Protein and fibrous vegetables stay in your stomach longer than anything else. (You'll learn all about "the rules" if you go forward with WLS.) Oh -- and sleeves seldom cause "dumping", although it does happen for a few folks. Sleeves usually let you eat all the sugary foods you can slurp up. Whatever you do / decide, good luck!

Gowalking. Your apology has actually made me feel that it's ok to post concerns again. I understand your point of view but I also understand that we live in a society that promotes sabotage and literally try to push u under the bus. I have counted upto six offerings of foods people trying to feed me @ work. They say things like "oh but just one slice of cake won't hurt." I've come home and told my husband about it. AA tells their members to avoid alcoholics, parolees are prohibited from associating with other parolees. But a food addict has no escaping food environments. It's a hard situation. My coworkers will come and offer me all this poison and then say after I refuse it "oh that's right you can't eat this. " I have said a dozen times In the past month. "I can eat whatever I want, however I didn't go under a knife to eat your cake." We have to be compassionate so sometimes. Good luck to all of us.

I am wondering hoe alcohol is tolerated after the la band surgery. I'm not a lush but I do enjoy going out and have drinks with friends. I know that alcohol has many empty calories but other than that ha anyone had any complications with alcohol and the lapband?

I am in my early 20s and just got the band. I was similarly concerned about how it would change my social life. I am only a few days into being banded, but I think the real changes for me on this topic came about a month ago, before I had the band. The truth is, you can have fun in moderation. I am a big drinker and social eater and often plan outings surrounding these things. The thing I have found out from being on my preop diet and being restricted in eating and not drinking is that people don't really care if I am eating fatty foods or drinking alcohol with them. As long as they can do those things, and I am not making my not-participation the focus of what is going on, then no one really minds. The bigger change will not come from your friends, but from you. You will have to learn to be fun and jolly and entertain yourself without the food/alcohol. No one is going to care if you order a Soup instead of a Pasta dish, or if you have a cranberry juice instead of a vodka tonic if you are still being fun and normal. Your friends like you for you, not for how much you can drink or eat. It is a hard transition though. I have added other things to my social life too, like doing-non drinking activities, like seeing a movie or going kayaking with a friend or going shopping, as a replacement to some of drinking/eating related things. I also went to a BBQ at my friends house where people could bring food but I provided food that I knew I would be able to eat without feeling deprived (I brough lots of grilled veggies, veggie burger and crab stuffed mushrooms and propel zero-- no one cared what I was eating or that I wasn't drinking and it was a ton of fun. I enjoyed myself way more not feeling guilty about over eating or worrying if someone counted how many chips I had had and was judging me and I felt the need to drink less). It will be different for every person though. These life changes are good ones. The sooner you start the sooner you get the band you will be able to have control of your life, feel good about yourself, and show other people how confident you are. Being able to have fun without alcohol is an awesome skill, and being able to having conversations and socialize without using food as a crutch will only make you a better friend. I just work hard not to make my new eating habits or band anyone else's problem. It requires planning and has changed my life, but for the better. I have had to really look at what is available on menus before getting to a restaurant and I always carry something that will curb my appetite in a pinch (although there are some fast food options that aren't awful, just look at nutrition and do your best to stay high, Protein and low carb). These things aren't hard though. I think it is good you are asking these questions and if you aren't ready to make some changes inside yourself with how you cope with social situations (not drinking or eating your way through them) then it probably isn't the time for you to get banded. It would be worse, in my opinion, to get banded now and feel like you are failing then to wait until you are mentally ready to give up some of the social comfort and let your friends still have it. The band won't be a cure for any of your bad habits or mental reasons for eating, so those changes need to either come first or you need to be prepared enough to fight them when the cravings come. Doing the 6 month preop nutritionist consults, meeting fellow bariatric surgery patients, being on this site, watching youtube videos, reading blogs and meeting with a therapist have all helped me realize that I don't use food in a normal way and in some ways that hinders my social life more than it helps. This is all just me though. I don't know if it relates to you, but as a young 20 something, the sooner you are happy, the better. It just might take more work mentally if you don't want to change your lifestyle 180 degrees, because the triggers and reasons to eat will still be there after the band. Good luck deciding and feel free to message if you have more questions.

Mine is to lose 30 lbs and hit my goal this year. I also am going to slow down on alcohol.

I'll be going on vacation with some old friends and it "coincidentally" is planned for when my doctor allows alcohol. So my question is, what should I drink that will be less likely to make me sick?! I WILL be having one drink or at least most of one. I've heard to stay away from margaritas/mixed drinks Bc of the sugar making people feel sick. I've heard wine gives heartburn. I've heard beer or any liquor mixed with soda just hurts. So what does that leave me to try?!