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Agreed. A bottle of wine is a problem. Think about therapy plus join an exercise group. Maybe there make a couple healthy friends. The guilt and abuse added to life changes is a lot of stress It is hard to lose weight when stressed. Try meditation - progressive muscle relaxation - restorative yoga if counseling is not an option. Recently if I have a second alcoholic drink I black out. Way too freaky for me at 3 years out. I added a 1 drink twice a month rule and cautious black outswill enter this too

Just some more information: I'm having the gastric sleeve done, and I live in Switzerland, near Italy. Food funerals: definitely. Mine is tequila. Good thing is, alcohol is off the plan for a good 6 months and then I'll just carry on not touching it. Is there a FB page for sleevers in January?

Same thing happened to my sister. She went out of control after her lap band with her new sexy figure. She was married with 2 kids and now she's divorced with a 26 year old boyfriend. She went out every night and just changed as a person in general and she drinks all the time. I tried talking sense into her to get a hold of herself but she's stubborn and knows everything. So yes I believe there is a connection there between alcoholism and the surgery Sent from my SM-G935V using BariatricPal mobile app

actually, it turns out they have. this is the point of my post and is what the latest research is showing. that by rewiring our digestive tract, they are also rewiring our brains. lots of fascinating reading out there. i'd start by googling "alcohol gastric bypass".

a few issues to unpack here - 1 - to answer your question, i think the hysterectomy is the primary culprit for your recent weight gain. because it's known to do that, AND because you've been drinking this whole time up til now without gaining. 2 - gaining 13 (or more) pounds is the least of your concerns. probably the biggest thing in the field of bariatric science right now is the risk of alcohol (and drug) addiction. before i got my surgery, my surgeon stressed to me (rather disturbingly) that alcohol addiction is the ONLY thing that keeps him up at night. it is a huge concern for him. it's so big, that i think it might eventually threaten the viability of the surgery. if the statistics and research keep bearing out what it has been, it's possible that they "outlaw" the surgery. why? well we all know that alcohol "hits" you harder, and longer. anything that has more dramatic effect is more easily to be abused. however, there's a mystery element going on. a recent study found it's NOT just about our new anatomy. i.e. it's not just that alcohol isn't cushioned by the stomach anymore and dumped right into the intestine. they did a study where they took two groups of rats - one with normal anatomy, and another that had a gastric bypass - and they administered alcohol into these rats intravenously. so they bypassed the entire digestive tract and made the rats equally "drunk" through IV-administered alcohol. they shockingly found that the rats with the gastric bypass ended up significantly more addicted. what does that mean? basically they don't know for sure yet, but there is something about the surgery that increases the susceptibility to addiction and substance abuse. something about the surgery changes the brain to make this the case. which is also the reason that those with gastric bypass get addicted to things like cocaine and heroin. those don't go thru the digestive tract either. this is different from "transfer addiction". that is not what's going on. so what to do? i'm in the same boat because while i wasn't an alcoholic before surgery, i was getting there. and unfortunately now that i find myself nearing my goal weight, i have started drinking again after a good 5 months off. and yes, i notice it's much stronger and more effective. so i'm worried as well. aside from finding a very sweet person on this website who has partnered up with me to support each other in our addictions (mine being alcohol, hers being a particular food), there's another strategy i'm going to try... it's called naltrexone. it's a prescription drug that has been found to have profound effects in curbing alcohol abuse. take it once a day and it basically neutralizes the "reward" signal in your brain when exposed to drugs and alcohol. so eventually you can look at a glass of wine and have zero interest in drinking it. more and more physicians are wising up to this powerful tool and prescribing it to their patients (as opposed to just telling them to join AA). i've decided i'm going to make an appt with my doctor and ask for it. i did not go thru this surgery to go from one hell to another. i want to nip it in the bud. here's an article on how naltrexone can help: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/04/the-irrationality-of-alcoholics-anonymous/386255/

The original poster of this thread has slipped into cross addiction, a.k.a. addiction transference. Cross addiction is a widespread occurrence in the bariatric surgery community. Now that they cannot overeat, many weight loss surgery patients pick up another addiction (e.g. alcoholism, thrill seeking, shopping, smoking, gambling, risky sex, gaming). Basically, bariatric surgeons alter our stomachs, not our brains. Thus, people who misused food still have addicted brains and personalities after bariatric surgery. Only professional help can sufficiently address one's addictive tendencies. Wine certainly results in weight regain, especially with the quantities described, due to empty non-nutritive calories. In combination with a sedentary life, it's a perfect recipe for regain.

Look up the terms 'cross addiction' or 'addiction transference.' Cross addiction is a very common phenomenon in the bariatric surgery population. Instead of overeating, many weight loss surgery patients simply adopt another addiction (e.g. alcohol abuse, shopping, smoking, gambling, risky sex, video gaming). Essentially, bariatric surgeons operate on our stomachs and not our brains. Therefore, overeaters who abused food still have addicted brains after weight loss surgery. Nothing, other than professional help, will properly address a person's addictive tendencies. Yes, the wine leads to weight gain, especially in the quantities you drink. It is full of empty calories. Combined with the sedentary lifestyle, it's a perfect recipe for weight regain.

Hello Wv chef Im so sorry to hear about all your troubles & I agree with Crèekimp13! Alcohol is NEVER the way to cover over any problems! It just leads you to more as you have already experienced! I have a Niece who had a gastric bypass right after she graduated high school. She had been over weight most of her young life so wrhen she was old enough my Sister helped her to get the surgery. By the way shes now 25 or 26. Back then my sister, her Mom, didnt know about the gastric sleeve! Anyway my Niece loss all her weight & felt pretty & sexy for the first time in her life! She started to go partie, bars & started drinking, getting drunk which lead her to getting raped & anòther time she became pregnant & well...the fetus is no longer here![emoji17] To make a long story short.. she's still drinking despite all the help & encouragement from family & the TV show called Intervention. She is now living many miles away from her family, has a 4 yr old daughter, living with the babies father who is a drug addict & who beats her! So NO... alcohol is not good! And yes it will make you gain weight! WV let me ask you this...have you ever though about turning your life towards God? That is the Best direction you can go at this point in your life! Why not seek a way to have a personal Bible Study to show you how you can change you life & bring you much,much Joy! I promise you will never regret it or ever be alone no matter where you live! Sent from my SM-T530NU using BariatricPal mobile app

Yep it's serious, I can be so easy to switch one addiction for another and alcohol is an easy one to switch to. It's readily available, easy to get down ie liquids go straight down, there is some research out there saying that WLS patients get to feel the effects of alcohol sooner / more intensely than non WLS peope bbcause of the changes made to our digestive system. This has been a really big issue for me and has caused me a significant amount of heartache, suffering, pain and depression. I never thought I would talk about it openly but hey, I this is a support group. I might start a new thread tomorrow and tell you guys about my true story and see how I feel getting it off my chest and to see what help I can get and understand if there are people out there who have been through or are going through similar things as me who I can help to learn from me and my mistakes. OK post tomorrow when I have more time on my hands. Sorry WV Chef, not wanting to detract from your story or questions. You seem to have experienced similar issue to me regarding the increased alcohol intake. You do loo amazing though and I hope you're proud of your achievements. You're obviously one strong lady! Please feel free to PVT me if you want to talk about ongoing booze issues post op or anything else :-) Thanks guys, John

This is why the doctors and NUTS say to never drink because it is very common and very easy to replace one addiction with another and apparently alcohol is the biggie and many become alcoholics. I'm not judging you or putting any labels on but I would suggest you find a way to stop drinking altogether. Obviously because it is bad if you can't control it and also because of those pesky calories!!! A whole bottle of anything is not good -- count the carbs and calories in that and add it to the food journal that you are still keeping (I know, you probably aren't but need to get back to) and see if all those fit in to your days' calories, carbs/proteins. Best of luck to you and keep us posted. We are pulling for you.

Tough Love: Alcohol slows lipid oxidation (the burning of fat) by about 75%. So yes, it's likely the alcohol causing your weight gain. And it's probably contributing to your nutritional deficiencies. You should be eating nutritious food, not alcohol. Particularly if you are deficient. DUI is selfish and dangerous. You are extremely lucky that you...or anyone else.... wasn't injured/killed by your poor choices. 3-4 mixed drinks, or a whole bottle of wine a night....is an addiction. I think you're trading one dangerous addiction (food) for an even more dangerous addiction (alcohol). Try to stop drinking for a month. If you can't? Seek help. I don't mean this to sound overly harsh, it sounds like you've been through a lot. But sometimes being kind means being honest....even if the truth hurts a little. Please take care and let us know how you're doing.

I started my weight loss journey in Sept 2008. Had absolutely NO complications or problems and lost over half my weight in 3-4 months. I weighed 247 on the day of my surgery and quickly plummeted to a sexy 125!! Felt amazing and looked it too! However, 5 years later I had picked up a brand new habit!! I started going out...like to bars...which I had never done in my life ( I was married w/ kids so this wasn't acceptable) anyway, Now, I was divorced and had alot of free time on the weekends. Had a wonderful job, gaining new friends, hobbies etc. However, I also started drinking. Would never have more than 3-4 Captain and Cokes but my god they were delicious to me!! I had never drank before nor did I drink much soda. I quickly found myself drinking on the weekends while out with friends. Long story short, 2 years later I got a DUI !!! The first and ONLY person in my family that drank much less, get arrested. This killed my spirits, and I felt I had let my family down so I swore off alcohol. Fast forward 2 years...no job, new relationship that required a move 3 hrs away from everything I had ever known, only to find he was an alcoholic who was also physically abusive when drunk (strangled me on numerous occasions)...I started drinking again (along with him and only at home) just to get my mind off the fact that I was so far away from my family and other miseries. I am now on my own, doing very well, great job, my own place but have now started drinking wine (a whole bottle of Pink Moscato) a few nights a week. This didn't really start until this past April when I had a full hysterectomy....Thankfully, I have never had a hangover, never get sick and am actually really productive around the house..(which isn't a bad thing) I guess my question is, I have gained about 13 lbs since this time last year ( my job is sitting for 12 hrs 4 days a week) when I am home ( I live alone) I am just sedentary and don't really have any energy to do much of anything ( severely anemic and get iron infusions every week ) so do you think it is the Wine that is causing the weight gain, the Full hysterectomy, the desk job or just a combination.??? I would really like to stop any further weight gain and any answers would be appreciated.

“Do you think it is the Wine that is causing the weight gain, the Full hysterectomy, the desk job or just a combination.??? I would really like to stop any further weight gain and any answers would be appreciated” Probably all the above. Alcohol is empty calories. But the hysterectomy could DEF be playing a big part. Your body went through a huge change hormonally. A lot of women put on weight after menopause (naturally or w/hysterectomy). As far as your desk job, I have the same problem. I found using a step tracker, like a FitBit was really helpful to keep track of my steps per day. It holds me accountable for sure. I have to spend a lot of time outside work hours to get my steps in.

I started my weight loss journey in Sept 2008. Had absolutely NO complications or problems and lost over half my weight in 3-4 months. I weighed 247 on the day of my surgery and quickly plummeted to a sexy 125!! Felt amazing and looked it too! However, 5 years later I had picked up a brand new habit!! I started going out...like to bars...which I had never done in my life ( I was married w/ kids so this wasn't acceptable) anyway, Now, I was divorced and had alot of free time on the weekends. Had a wonderful job, gaining new friends, hobbies etc. However, I also started drinking. Would never have more than 3-4 Captain and Cokes but my god they were delicious to me!! I had never drank before nor did I drink much soda. I quickly found myself drinking on the weekends while out with friends. Long story short, 2 years later I got a DUI !!! The first and ONLY person in my family that drank much less, get arrested. This killed my spirits, and I felt I had let my family down so I swore off alcohol. Fast forward 2 years...no job, new relationship that required a move 3 hrs away from everything I had ever known, only to find he was an alcoholic who was also physically abusive when drunk (strangled me on numerous occasions)...I started drinking again (along with him and only at home) just to get my mind off the fact that I was so far away from my family and other miseries. I am now on my own, doing very well, great job, my own place but have now started drinking wine (a whole bottle of Pink Moscato) a few nights a week. This didn't really start until this past April when I had a full hysterectomy....Thankfully, I have never had a hangover, never get sick and am actually really productive around the house..(which isn't a bad thing) I guess my question is, I have gained about 13 lbs since this time last year ( my job is sitting for 12 hrs 4 days a week) when I am home ( I live alone) I am just sedentary and don't really have any energy to do much of anything ( severely anemic and get Iron infusions every week ) so do you think it is the Wine that is causing the weight gain, the Full hysterectomy, the desk job or just a combination.??? I would really like to stop any further weight gain and any answers would be appreciated.

Anyone know a guesstimate for how long before surgery you should stop drinking alcohol? Guesstimating surgery in February but tis the season and I enjoy some booze during the holidays, just don't want to ruin my plans for surgery in the process lol

I think that a 34 bmi as a female should be fine for wls. Doubts are normal. Don't listen to them in this case. Your brain is super powerful, and wants you to stay overweight/obese. Many of these doubts end up in...I should be able to do it on my own. However, they begin in...My lifestyle will have to change. My eating habits will have to change. I will have to give up many of my favorite foods, and won't be able to drink alcohol. What will people say or think? What if I fail? What if I have complications from surgery? These are just a few that I felt myself, and have read in this very forum over and over again. Some are true. Some are not. Your lifestyle and eating habits will have to change, but is that a bad thing? Your relationship with food is going to jeopardize your health in the long-run. I never had health issues...Until I had them this year. I still enjoy most of my favorite foods, but in a healthy way. I also only have them every once in a while. I will be having my first alcoholic drink on New Years Eve. I don't care what people think, nor am I afraid of failing. This tool is helping me to do what I need to do to ensure my long-term success. I didn't have any complications from surgery, so that is good. The chances of having complications are very small. You can lower them even more by choosing a reputable surgery team with proven success, following your plan to a "T", staying hydrated, and walking as much as possible before and after surgery. You'll be fine. You've jumped through all of the hoops, because you obviously felt that you needed this. Do it for you!

I was scheduled last January for SIPS, surgeon got in there and had to pull out due to enlarged liver. I had to lose 30+# before he would consider trying it again. I checked in with a liver specialist and was diagnosed with non alcoholic fatty liver. I am hoping for a go Monday. This pre-op diet is rough this time around. Contrive and probiotics have been my friend... Thanks for all the well wishes.

Well, you have to do what you think is best, but think about it this way. If you had a good friend who was an alcoholic, and they decided to sober up, would you sit down with a six pack and drink it in front of them the first week they're trying to stay sober? If you're a good friend, then probably not. You're not asking him to quit eating forever, you're just asking him to not chow down right in front of you while you are literally starving in preparation for surgery. Anyway, sorry for throwing my 2 cents at you. I'm on my liquid diet right now too, so I know how hard it is. If my husband came home with a sack of cheeseburgers I think I'd have to kill him.

Eating out- In my job we take guests out to dinner quite a bit. In the departmental budget for next year, I saw the manager decreasing the dining out amount by 20% with "forgetmenot has turned into a cheap dinner date" as the explanation for that line item. Keep in mind most of the reduction probably reflects the dessert and alcohol that I don't order anymore. I still order an appetizer and/or entree, with more than half of it packed up for another meal. Groceries - I haven't seen a big drop because I am buying better quality foods. Grain fed beef, almond flour, protein powder and the like.

Ahh.. I didn't realise there are deeper issues. Sorry to hear. As your confidence and self esteem grows you will know if that's the life you want to live. No judgement I hope their isn't kids in this situation with an alcoholic. There is lots of support available if you need it. All the best. Sent from my Vivo 5R using BariatricPal mobile app

I started smoking a cigar and having a drink with it after 5 weeks. I don't drink a lot just enough to go with my cigar and I smoke a cigar about 3 or 4 times a week. I had my surgery September 6th, haven't had any problems or issues. I talked to my doctor about the drink and all they told me was I would feel the alcohol a lot earlier and get drunk very easily. Maybe I don't drink enough because I haven't gotten drunk, just a little tipsy. I have lost 60 lbs so far and am so glad I had the procedure.

Today is 3 weeks post-op since my Lap-Band. It's four weeks since my pre-op visit when I started a no carb/no veggie diet in prep for surgery. I am the same weight today as I was 6 days after surgery - that's dissappointing! I do realize that a lot of that weight loss may have been from being on a liquid diet, for 6 days, too. So I'm still 12 lbs. down from my visit one week pre-surgery. I should just be happy. But I've been working VERY hard, and doing pretty well, and I want to see more results. I don't see anything yet except on the scale, which will have to suffice for now. He told me to stop obsessing - I'm down 17 lbs. from my heaviest - which I think was back in July when I visited him to kick this off again. So,... that's promising! I kept reading about fills here and on Bandedliving.com where people talked about how many cc's of saline their doctor added. Lots said that their doctor will only do 5 cc's at a time. My surgeon had previously stated that I will leave there after every fill at the perfect point, and I'll come back when I notice that I'm able to eat more than I used to be - for another fill. Huh. Today I asked him how many cc's he starts with. He was like, "WHERE did you hear that nonsense? STOP listening to anyone but me!" (Jeez - I wasn't "listening" so much as hearing! I'm following no one's recommendations but his. I tell him that - that I can't believe how he only had me on liquids for 6 days following the surgery, when I see elsewhere in print or online that people have up to 6 weeks on liquids and purees. He says, "There's no reason for that - it's just that some doctors don't treat any of their weight loss surgeries any differently. They do the same thing for band, sleeve or bypass. And their patients are suffering needlessly if they're band patients. Of COURSE they lose weight - they're on a liquid diet! He says that it's not the end of the world, and it usually doesn't hurt anything. But it's really unnecessary. He says that he'd love to do an experiment where people who want WL surgery are told, "You're having WL surgery", but not told afterward which one they had. Then treat them all the same as if they'd had the bypass, and you'd find out that they all have the same results. He's convinced of it. Lol. Says that of course bypass patients are on liquids and purees longer than band patients - because they NEED to be - their stomach can rip if they don't do things slowly enough. But doing that to a band patient is just scaring them when there's no need. Interesting. Anyway, he lays me down on the exam table, he asks me where my port is. I point. He wipes it off with alcohol wipes. He says, "Little pinch", and I feel the needle puncture my skin (such a little thing). He pushes in some saline. Then he sits me up so my legs are dangling over the table. The syringe is still in my stomach. He hands me a glass of water, and says, "chug". I do, and he makes me stop after about 4 gulps. Says, "Okay, where's the water now?" I point to my stomach. Says, "Okay, tell me when it goes down past the band". He withdraws a bit of the saline back out, and I think I feel a change. So I say, "There". And he says, "Okay, then we're good", and pulls the syringe out and puts a band-aid over the port. I tell him that I'm not sure of what it feels like for something to go down past the band - I've never had that sensation. He says, "That's okay - you go home and try this. If it's not enough, you just come back and we'll work on it more next time." Ummm, okay? I asked him a few questions today. I said, "Your information packet says that the point of the band is to keep the food above the band for a time, alleviating hunger. But elsewhere, I see that it says, "wait for the food to pass your band before you take another bite." He says, "Dang - NO ONE has asked me that in all the years we've had that packet. Now I'm gonna need to fire my nutritionist, who put that in there." (he's obviously joking). I say, "So which is it?" He goes into a long explanation with me about how the band is designed to make a pouch at the top that food holds in for a few hours. If food is passing the band as you're eating, then the band isn't tight enough - and it's virtually pointless. K, got it. Next I ask him about why the band needs to be tightened/filled over time - does the saline seep out? No - it's because of a few factors - one being that your stomach below the band is thinner than above it - just like once you get a ring past the plumpest part of your finger, it slides off from there on down. So you need it tightened occasionally. Also, it can slip down a bit and need to be tightened more for that spot. This is not the "bad" slippage - this is more incremental migration. I also asked the doctor what makes the food in the pouch above the band move down past the band eventually? Is it just a log-jam effect that takes time? Nope - it's that the stomach acid starts eating at the food in the bottom of the pouch, which makes it break down and fall through the band. Ah - got it. I'm going back in a few weeks for a pre-holiday check. I'm hoping to get down past 300 in HIS office (vs. my home) this time!

Hi everyone! I have BC/BS managed under carefirst administrators. When I met with my surgeon’s insurance specialist, I was advised that I didn’t have a 3 or 6 month nutritionist requirement, instead that I just had to get an upper endoscopy, psych evaluation, sleep study, nutritional evaluation and letter of medical necessity. I did all of that really quickly because for deductible purposes, I wanted to have the surgery done this calendar year. My coworker also started the process soon I finished everything and was advised that she had to see a NUT for 6 months. My paperwork was submitted to the insurance company yesterday so I’m hoping to hear from them early next week [with an approval!] but now I’m having a minor [read: major, monumental even] freak out because I obvs don’t have enough time to meet those requirements and have the surgery before year end. Basically, I just need some positive energy that will assure everything will work out okay! I’m so ready to have the surgery done and officially be a part of the losing team. I wouldn’t be devastated if I don’t get approved but it would definitely suck. I did reach out to my insurance company after speaking to the specialist in the beginning and these are the requirements they sent me: 1. Requires diagnosis of Obesity (BMI over 30). 2. If BMI is under 40 then a comorbidity is required (hypertension, diabetes, coronary artery disease, heart failure, obstructive sleep apnea, gastroesophageal reflux disease) is required. 3. The member must have a documented history of participation in a supervised weight loss program. 4. The member must be unable to lose weight despite sincere attempt. 5. They can’t have any active peptic ulcer disease or gastritis. Or evaluated and treated. 6. Endocrine (thyroid) can not be the cause of the obesity. 7. No alcohol or drug addiction or greater than 1 year since last used. 8. No cigarette smoking or smoke free for . 6 weeks. 9. No history of psychiatric disorder or disorder is managed. 10. Must have a dietary consultation. 11. Member understands surgical procedure, post compliance and follow up care. 12. The procedure must be done in a bariatric center. Nothing about 6 month nutritionist visits but.. idk. Maybe I’m freaking myself out. Anyway, thanks for reading!

I think when people say 'lower your standards' they don't really mean you should be willing to date married alcoholics (at least I hope not!) But I know more than a few (single) women who have a literal list of requirements: be above a certain height, earn a certain amount of money, have a certain level of education, etc. etc. There's a tendency for a lot of women to go around with a Mr. Perfect in their head and that's who they want and no one else will do. The probelm is, he doesn't exist - because you made him up. I didn't lower my standards when I went out with my husband for the first time, but I did open myself up to new possibilities. He wasn't my type at all, his clothes were too conservative, he wasn't nearly as "cool" as other guys I'd dated... and he's the most wonderful man in the world: supportive, funny, romantic, clever. So I don't like the phrase 'lower your standards,' but I do think people should keep an open mind about who they're willing to date. Just because a man doesn't catch your eye or make your heart flutter at first sight doesn't mean you won't have crazy chemistry with him once you get to know him a little. Just because he's unemployed right now or doesn't make a lot of money doesn't mean he can't be a great guy who keeps your house running like a well-oiled machine (stay at home dads!) Anyway, no, avoiding drunks and cheaters is not being too picky. But beyond that... I think it's worth it to give unlikely suitors a chance.

My doctor said 6 months and I waited the 6 months. Alcohol is no issue for me so I don't drink it very often. A glass of wine at special events or dinners is usually it for me. I suggest waiting your surgeons allotted time and then proceed with caution. As mentioned above some people are effected highly by alcohol and some aren't. My tolerance was the same as prior to surgery but I really don't want to waste the calories so that's a decision maker for me.