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Depends. I can remember being advised not having alcoholic beverages for about 4 months or so and that we should try with caution because one can get drunk really quick. For me, it can hit like a hammer, depending on the beverage. However, this is only the "technical site of it" so to say. That one can have alcohol after some weeks or months doesn't mean that one should drink alcohol regularly (WLS or not).

I had my band placed on November 17th 2008 and had my first fill last week and after my home group meeting last night I ate some leftovers and ended up puking. It was unpleasant but not like I could have expected in my worst case scenario mind. I didn't share with my wife that I was blocked because I was ashamed of my behavior and reluctant to let her know because I didn't want to make a big deal about it. It was less awful than I remember throwing up from alcohol poisoning which I had done many times in my active addiction. I'm a cross addicted addict in recovery for 4 years and coming up on 7 months the 14th of January. I have shared with my home group (Marijuana Anonymous) my weight loss surgery story but just wanted to put it out there that I am working to be transparent with my wife, my fellows and myself. I'm feeling like I'm in withdrawal from my 1st substance I abused, food, and equate it to what I imagine it must feel like for herion addicts who have physical, emotional and spiritual discomfort from the withdrawl. Love to hear from other cross addicted people, my qualifiers are food, sex and drugs (weed, coke, booze). I hope you all have a better start to your first Wednesday of the new year than I have. Remarkably, I feel OK with all of last night's events and knew I had to expereince the feelings and emotional shame associated with the 1st puke session. I am hoping it will be the last one.

Without this surgery, I would have gotten even bigger. My blood pressure would be higher and I would have probably developed diabetes. My sleep apnea would have compounded everything. I have osteoarthritis in both knees and hips, so my ability to exercise was minimal. I am also an emotional eater. I could see myself sitting my couch watching TV with a big bowl of popcorn and a magnum full of wine, eating and drinking myself to oblivion, something I did every night. I would have become an alcoholic. I was, and still am a food addict. I would have lost my relationship with my boyfriend and isolated myself even more than I already was.

It's been two years now since my sleeve, and it's the best choice I ever made. My weight is stable +/-10 pounds or so, and it's relatively easy to take off weight that creeps up. I can eat pretty much all kinds of foods now. I still eat relatively small amounts, eat slowly and with small bites. I don't drink with my meals except a small sip now and then. I focus on low carb and high Protein meals. I eat plenty of fats. I still eat my protein first at every meal. I try to stay away from carbs, particularly refined carbs like breads, sugar, honey, rice, potatoes, corn, etc. I don't mean I never eat those things, but I try to limit it or I start to gain. How much can I eat? I can eat 5-6 ounces of meat and a 1/2 cup of vegetables at a meal. Sometimes I can eat more. I can eat a fair amount of salad, as lettuce doesn't seem to take up much room. I walk for exercise, take the stairs, and use a standing desk at work. This keeps my metabolism working better. I hate working out or gym classes. I still drink a lot of fluids and if I don't I get dehydrated very easily. I do drink alcohol, but I try to stay away from sugary cocktails with lots of fruit juice or sweet mixers. The first six months are the hardest. The next six months are difficult, but so much easier than the first. The second year things get much easier, but this is also a danger zone for a lot of people, I think. You must always be aware of what you eat. That said, it is easy to stay on track if you follow your rules: Eat your protein first Eat your vegetables second, and eat a good variety of them Enjoy fruit but limit it Avoid starches and sugars as much as possible (potatoes, rice, corn, bread, tortillas, Cereal, pasta) and save them for special occasions. pizza is my downfall. Keep up with your Water, Vitamins, and tests to insure you are not deficient When you want to drop some weight, do 3 days of Protein shakes. That will reset your sleeve. Then eat high protein/low carb until your excess is off. Once you are back at goal, slowly reintroduce foods back in and try to minimize those carbs to stay at goal. I'm happy to answer questions. Good luck to you all.

Hello All, I have been considering lap band surgery since Nov. 2011. I met with a the surgeon's nurse practitioner and she was great! Answered many of my questions and was not pushy in my process. I attempted to lose weight on my own (again), but just seem to gain. I have insulin resistance and high cholesterol. I am 23, work full time as a paramedic and on call firefighter. I have become so discouraged, it seems I just keep gaining. I figure I now need to lose about 105lbs to be at a healthy weight ( I can't remember when I was at a healthy weight, but I have never been this big before) I am glad I found this forum, as I have read quite a few threads and I feel like I can get answers from people who have had the surgery. A few of my questions that I forgot to ask the nurse practitioner: Is 23 too young for this surgery? I have not had any children. Has anyone here had the surgery and then become pregnant? Does it increase any complications with pregnancy with having the surgery? I know the lap band won't take away emotional eating (something I have a problem with), but does it help to stop thinking about food? While I don't think I drink excessively for someone my age, I do enjoy going out and having drinks every now and then. How does the surgery affect consuming alcohol? Not that I would be embarrassed about having the surgery, I would like to keep it quiet. Is this the wrong attitude to have going into it? I am not sure how having the surgery and getting back to full time work as I do alot of heavy lifting and strenuous activity. I hope this isn't too many questions! I just want to feel confident and pretty again, I guess I just worry that this surgery won't work as I have decreased my calorie intake and I still seem to be gaining. Thanks so much for answers and advice!!! Kaylee

Proud of you Laura! I know you were depressed about eating bad and then losing, but I want to mention that alcohol is a diuretic, so that may have contributed to weight loss after a night out. Or maybe you body finally took the hint that you want to be smaller! I'm happier with my two lb. bounce range. I don't feel like I will get as out of control with the snacking. Lynda

As of yesterday, I have lost 100 pounds. YEA! (cue happy music to start playing loudly) Now, to lose the last 18 pounds. My target is to be done in January of 2012. I started my preop diet on February 9th of this year, and had surgery February 22nd with Dr. Nicholson in Dallas, TX. My surgery went extremely well. I had no complications and went home after one night in the hospital. My recovery went smoothly. I had no trouble drinking fluids or finding a Protein I could tolerate. Didn't have any vomiting once I got home. Didn't need much pain medicine at all - took a total of two or three pills after I left the hospital. Went back to work three weeks after surgery - I had to wait for my three weeks check-up before I could get my doctor's clearance. I have a two hour drive to the office, and the doctor was concerned about me being in a car for that long that soon. I had to stop and walk around for 5 minutes or so after an hour - to help prevent the possibility of clots. Working a twelve hour day (8 hours work, 4 hours driving) was too long at first, so I would stay in a hotel close to the office for three nights a week until I was ready for the 12 hour days. This journey so far has been a major learning experience for me. I am a very organized (obsessive?) person. I had everything mapped out for each day - what I would eat. I tracked calories, protein, carbs and ounces of Fluid. In all my dieting history I had never tracked the grams of protein or carbs in my food - so this was brand new. The other major learning experience was how to deal with life without my old "frenemy" FOOD as my coping mechanism. There are addicts in my family tree (alcohol, recreational pharmaceuticals) and that tendency is within me. Not for drugs or alcohol - why go there when there was food available? (Cocaine couldn't be any more satisfying than brownies.) So I am having to build an entire new relationship with food, and build totally different coping skills for all of the triggers that previously resulted in me choosing to use food inappropriately. I am pleased to report that this effort is going well. But it really is "one day at a time" as the AA folks say. I have to stay 100% conscious of what I am doing. On a lighter note - I have had a blast rediscovering smaller clothes. I am now in 12's and some 14's - and they are petites! Still sounds strange to even say that! I started out is 24 Womens and 3X's. I say "thank God for clothes" as it hides all the sagging wrinkled skin from the weight loss. I am also WAY HEALTHIER than I was. My PCP was talking to me prior to me starting the 6 month preop (which actually took a year for me - insurance issues) about WHEN I would have a heart attack, not IF. My father dropped dead of a massive heart attack when he was about the age I was when I started my preop diet. I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and sleep apnea (I hated my CPAP machine and wouldn't use it). My joints ached all the time. Now, I am off all blood pressure meds, all cholesterol meds and I no longer have sleep apnea. My last labs looked good - except for borderline anemia (even with iron). That doesn't have anything to do with the sleeve, I have been that way most of my life. The only meds I take now are Vitamins and minerals, acid reducing meds, and hormones. Didn't mean to natter on for so long. Thank all of you on this site for being such a wonderful support for me. You guys are my "AA" - and, believe me, I come here every day to help me stay focused. If I can be of help to anyone here, feel free to PM me - I am happy to return to favor. I posted some before and recent pictures. The picture with the giant guitar is at the Hard Rock in Albuquerque. That was last Thursday - I was on vacation with my 86 year old energizer-bunny mother and my two sisters.

I was on purees at 2 weeks and that would be hard in vegas. Mushies may be too so as long as you take protein to consume as liquid, you can get what you need. As mentioned, someone else needs to carry your luggage, no alcohol, and needing rest, it would be doable as long as your recovery goes well. I had no nausea, have not thrown up at all in 6 mths, and was off pain meds after 2 days. I love Vegas and go once or twice a year. Best part is that you would be walking a lot.

This is what the pre-op psy exam is supposed to help flush out. Get to some addiction counseling / AA. Several bottles of wine a day, sadly, makes you an alcoholic. You seem to be accepting the addiction to wine, now you need to step up and get some help. Alcohol is in no way a healthier option than food, I don't see how you can justify wine as being healthier. 2 bottles of wine puts you into the 1300 - 1500 calorie a day mark, and with no protein or other required nutritional value... it's pure empty calories. So it's really no better than soda from a "health" standpoint. I hope you do get some help... this is bad on a few levels for a non-altered person, worse so for a WLS patient.

I have a lapband, but I understand your pain. I want to tell you, failing to lose has many causes--I know, I lived on less than 1000 calories a day for years and never lost an ounce. My lapband didn't help me lose much and my first doctor wouldn't give me a fill. So I found another who did. I am practically wheelchair bound (can only hobble around the house). So I started to lose--slowly. the big help was I didn't regain what I lost. One thing I've never heard a doctor explain to me is that excessive hunger can be giving you a message. So many diets I went on ended with me lying in bed, weak and starving within weeks. What I didn't realize was that my body was telling me those diets weren't nutritionally what I needed. I've tried low fat-high fiber, low calorie, vegetarian, all raw salads, lot's of nuts, praying the weight away, self-hypnosis, bodybuilding, lots of exercise...you get the idea. All of them failed because I wasn't listening to my body. When I got so hungry I would eat nails if there was ketchup to put on them, my body was telling me I was on the wrong diet. This isn't a normal,"Gee, that looks tasty." But was more like a weak pathetic cry from my bed that I was dying and had to eat. I kept experimenting and discovered a ketogenic diet helped, but I gained everything back quickly. As I worked with the keto diet, I learned I wasn't drinking enough water, and I wasn't sleeping enough. But the high protein with lots of greens was definitely a better choice than the others. Then I got the lapband, and the slow weight loss with no restriction was discouraging. But it was a tool. And once I got restriction, I used that tool. I mostly stayed on the ketogenic diet. Lots of protein was just a necessity for me. The fat I ate made the diet more enjoyable. The lapband made me eat small bites, or I spent days puking. If I got sick, I had to reduce what I ate because sickness caused my stomach to swell, and I puked. Over the last ten years I've lived on the ketogenic diet, except for two years when I lost control, (I gained 50 pounds and found I had cancer. I believe the sugar cravings after being in control so long were a result of the cancer.) Back in control, and the 50 pounds went away. I've managed to lose 160 pounds. Not a large amount, and I still have over 100 pounds to go. But I am happy not to be the woman I was. I don't know if the ketogenic diet will help you, but I'm sharing my experience to show you have to experiment to find the right diet. And you have to sleep enough to lose weight. So, get the junk out of your house--the chips, crackers, cake mixes, candy, soda, snack food, juices (fruit juice is just liquid sugar water with a few minerals, eat whole fruit instead), and the alcohol (You can go back to 1 drink a day after you've lost weight). And start the eating pattern you feel best on. Just practice eating a healthy diet for a bit. Don't eat much at a time and keep any easy to snack on food (like grapes or nuts) in the refrigerator. Then start working your tool. go longer between small meals, see what happens when you delete starches, or what foods change how you feel. I had to stop vegetarian because beans make me uncontrollably hungry(love those beans, yumm, yumm). Your body is unique, and just because you haven't found what works for you doesn't mean you're a failure. It just means you haven't found the balance of diet, sleep and exercise that works for you. The important thing is NEVER GIVE UP. After 10 years with the band, I'm revising to a sleeve this spring. I love my band, but there is evidence it doesn't do well after 10 years or so. I feel I will do even better on the sleeve.

I make it "cheaters low carb" all the time. 1 pck SF Vanilla Pudding Fairlife FF Milk or Vanilla Premier according to package instructions. Extra vanilla Freshly grated nutmeg And your favorite alcohol Extra FFF Milk to thin it down to your desired consistency Whipped Cream in a Can (ReddiWhip) You blend it all together and top with whipped cream. You can also pour some of it (sans alcohol) in ice cube trays then use them to blend up in the ninja for ice creamy drinks of the EggNog persuasion. I just got the makings for this yesterday. It's one of Mr. F's yearly treats!

Good luck with your upcoming gastric bypass!! I hope you’re working on resolving any emotional eating issues as the new surgery won’t prevent you from eating poorly or overeating. It is also common to lose less weight with a revision versus an original surgery. But if you follow recommendations to eat dense protein first then non-starchy vegetables, and to avoid sugar, processed food, simple carbs, alcohol, and liquid calories, you should be successful. This new way of eating needs to be a long term lifestyle change, and not just until you reach your goal weight. You can do this!

No, I definitely can't drink like I used to drink and it has nothing to do with malabsorption. It's entirely to do with the length of time the alcohol is in my stomach before hitting my bloodstream. Much like sugar can dump post op if you consume too much for the body to process before it hits the intestine, the same can happen to alcohol. Body weight also has something to do with it, as I'm 100 pounds lighter now. The more sugary the drink, the faster the reaction. I seem to metabolize it much faster - I can get completely tipsy from less than 1/2 of one drink or a few sips of beer or wine but within an hour I'm fine again. I used to easily consume two or three mixed drinks and only feel a buzz. One night I drank a mixed drink rather quickly and could hardly walk when I went to stand up! I was never this much of a lightweight before. You'll see a mix of responses, OP. A lot of people report that they're lightweights post op, but some people handle the same quantities of alcohol post op as before. Be mindful of it and be careful at all times because where I would have been perfectly fine to drive somewhere after one glass of wine at dinner before, I could not possibly do it now. ~Cheri

I was never given a timeline for alcohol. I'd wait until you're at least done with the special diets post op. Alcohol will hit you harder than prior to surgery - or at least, it does most of us. In the beginning, I sincerely doubt you'll be consuming even remotely close to 700-900 calories a day, let alone what you'd been eating pre-op. There is nothing wrong with the OCCASIONAL indulgence. You have a choice: treat your sleeve like a diet or treat your sleeve like a tool that can help you learn moderation for life. If you choose the first option, remember that you still have to learn how to eat in maintenance. If you choose the second, maintenance becomes infinitely easier. In any case, always be wary of transfer addictions. Freshly sleeved we can't eat our emotions and there are numerous threads on VST about transfer addictions - to alcohol, in particular. So remember that the long term goal is control over food and our emotions, as opposed to letting food and our emotions control us. Do not feel bad for asking this question, OP. For every question you ask, you'll get as many varied responses as their are people on the internet. You have to choose what sounds right to you and what you can live with, but ultimately it's your choice and it's up to what your body will tolerate. ~Cheri

My doc said 4 months before any alcohol. Every surgeon is different tho, some people have to wait a year. While I probably will enjoy an adult beverage every once in a while, they are just empty calories. For me, hitting my goals are more important than a beverage, even if I do miss them.

I'm not a teacher, but I am a school-based occupational therapist in 2 public school systems. I've been in the schools for 13 years. Most people do not have a clue how hard teachers work. It is definitely not a 9-5 job. Most teachers I know work long hours, both in and out of school, to do the best they can for their students. The behaviors that are in most classrooms today is appalling. I don't think that people know what happens in school. Many classes I work in are special education. The majority of classrooms are now cross-categorical, meaning that many types of disabilities and behaviors are now in one class rather than having more specialized classrooms that serve a particular population. Classrooms that used to be just for mentally retarded kids now have kids that have behavior and emotional disorders. Kids with autism are thrown into the mix. Teachers are overwhelmed trying to serve each student according to their individual needs. There is often not enough staff in the classroom. But I don't know one special ed. teacher that hasn't gone above and beyond to make sure that her students get the best from her. Regular education teachers now have special ed. kids mainstreamed into their classes on a regular basis, whether that child is appropriate to be mainstreamed or not. They have to deal with behaviors and needs that they were never trained to deal with and are expected to adjust the curriculum for that one student so they can "fit in" to the class whether they can do the work or not. Kids today now have family members that are drug addicts, alcoholics, or in jail. Many see violence as part of their daily life. Some parents don't give a damn about their kids, never participate in school activities, or offer support to their children at home to enhance the learning process. These are often the parents who scream the loudest because their kids are struggling and it must be the teacher's fault. The "No Child Left Behind" requires that all children are tested at their grade level for standardized testing. That means that a 3rd grader with mental retardation who functions at the level of a 2 year old, must be tested as a regular 3rd grader. The schools looks bad because then the tests make the school look like their students, as a whole, are testing poorly. So funding is lost and programs are cut, the kids lose out, and parents are bitching about what a rotten job the teachers are doing with their kids. What do I hate the most about teachers? Nothing. Over the years, I have met a couple of people who really should have gone into another line of work. 99% of the teachers I have met are dedicated, caring, do their best for each of their students, want their kids to succeed, and will do as much as they can to make sure that the time in school is safe, nurturing, and a haven, for some, from the crappy reality that is life outside of school. I have nothing but admiration for teachers. Thank you to all that teach our children.

I feel you, banded bob, I really do. I work a job that takes a lot out of me and causes me extreme stress, but the money is good, so I keep going in for more. I don't do much booze anymore because of the effect it had on my triglycerides. I'm doing prescription anti-anxiety medicine because the shrink figures now that I am of a healthier weight, the stress will be what prematurely kills me. Stay away from the drinks that involve fruit juices - lots of empty calories there. If you need a mixer, diet cranberry juice is not too bad and will help save some of the calories. I have only had alcohol 4 times since I was banded 6 months ago (OMG, it is 6 months, isn't it) but when I had it I was in a social setting, so I ordered only an appetizer, that I shared with the person next to me, and the alcohol was allowed to have its full effect on me. Also, I mixed hard liquor and beer, which is always interesting. But I've always been a two drinks under the table kind of girl...

What have you been trying? I've been supposed to lose 10lbs since January but gained 10lbs instead. I have been trying everything I could think of since April and I finally think I have it right. I've lost 6lbs in 3 weeks. Here's what's working for me. Following my nutritionist's program with some adjustment: 60+gms of Protein, then veggies. I can't do the carbs, I just don't lose if I do. I'm trying to keep carbs under 50gms, all fruit and veggies. 64 ounces of fluids. No carbonation, no alcohol, no caloric drinks. 1000 calories a day or less. My program says 1200 but I just can't lose on 1200. Believe me 1000 calories is not much food. I'm hungry all the time but I just drink Water until my next meal. I can't exercise much due to my arthritis but I added a chair yoga class and an arthritis-focused water aerobics class and I'm trying to increase my average daily steps to 5000 (from 3000). Here's a day's menu: Breakfast- shake with a scoop of chocolate Designer whey and 1T PB2 (defatted Peanut Butter powder), 4 strawberries. Snack- half of a Nugo Slim Protein Bar lunch - 1oz of tofu, 1oz of almonds and cashews, half a cucumber, a few bell pepper slices Snack- 1/4 apple with 1 teaspoon almond butter dinner - Same shake as above with 1/2 a frozen banana, a green salad with homemade low cal, low carb dressing. Snack - my special treat- 1/2 of a homemade chocolate peanut butter cup made with stevia, cocoa, Protein powder, peanut butter and coconut oil. This is 115 of my calories per day but it's worth it as it keeps me from feeling deprived. Hope you can find a way too.

I'm Miss Wisconsin...oooh wait...maybe not... I'm Jennye...27, soon to be 28...live in Wrightstown, WI which is between Green Bay and Appleton...hmmm...single...same situation as Michelle and Alexandra said earlier...alcoholism...unfortunately we still own the "condo from hell" together and it has been on the market for 2 years...he has moved out and hopefully once it sells I can finally wipe my slate clean...been dating but nothing promising... I'm the mommy to my little rat Rummele who is a little tiger cat and my beast Fischer, a Vizsla and the best damn walking partner in the world...put it this way...if he thinks I'm not going for a walk he runs upstairs, opens my dresser drawer and starts prancing around with my socks... I'm currently in pursuit of my Masters...Management and Organizational Behavior and have worked at Wisconsin Public Service, an electric utility for 8 years. I've been at a standstill for the past few weeks with my band...my nice and tight fill ended up being too tight thanks to some antibiotics bothering my tummy and stress from my Mom having a stroke...now with the unfill...watch out...bolt it to the floor...I'm getting another fill hopefully back to my comfy tight on the 16th...so far I have lost 69 lbs...I'm hoping to lose another 31 leaving me at 150. Other than that...I've been MIA for some while and trying to get back into the board...I've missed you guys!

It's not stevia it's the erythritol a sugar alcohol http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truvia#Gastrointestinal_side_effects What is your pre-op requirements, everyone is different, way different. Mine was 14 days of protein with either milk or water, broth or jello or sf (yuck) Popsicles.

That is a fad diet. It is a myth that you can “reset your pouch.” It was invented by someone selling products on the Internet and is not based on science. You need to go back to basics which are eat dense protein first, followed by non-starchy vegetables, weigh and track your food, don’t drink alcohol or soda, cut out simple carbs & processed food, don’t drink during and after meals, limit snacking, and go to therapy if you’re struggling with emotional and/or binge eating. As well, if you’re gaining or maintaining, instead of losing weight, you’re consuming too many calories. As you lose weight, your body requires less calories to subsist.

My doc said one year for alcohol.

I felt the same way the week of my surgery and kept thinking "Am I sure" and then the "what if I fail" - all sorts of things go through your mind. I will tell all of you, that it has been the SINGLE BEST DECISION I have ever made for myself and has been the one thing that has helped me to lose more weight than I ever have before. I can't even begin to tell you how much I love my band. I have changed my eating habits, but not so drastically that I'm miserable. I actually ENJOY my Protein first and find myself craving it. I don't miss soda pop and I was never one to really drink alcohol, so I don't miss that, either. Wiggling into a size 16 dress today made it all worth it for me. One day I hope to see a 12. Trust me - the surgery will be over and you will be so happy with the results in about six months or so. :thumbup: Good luck to everyone and if you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me. I remember being a new bandster and feeling so lost!

You are not alone. Studies are showing that people that have had bariatric sergery are more likely to get late onset alcoholism. I suggest to start cutting back if you noticed that cutting back causes you to have physical effects such as shaking I would mention it to your primary care doctor. You colossal look into AA meetings and your community. Sent from my SM-G950U using BariatricPal mobile app

It's time to address what's going on. Cross addictions after surgery are common. It's important that you have recognized that you are having an issue with alcohol. Look up treatment options in your area. Addiction is a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry. Dysfunction in these circuits leads to characteristic biological, psychological, social and spiritual manifestations. This is reflected in an individual pathologically pursuing reward and/or relief by substance use and other behaviors. Addiction is characterized by inability to consistently abstain, impairment in behavioral control, craving, diminished recognition of significant problems with one’s behaviors and interpersonal relationships, and a dysfunctional emotional response. Like other chronic diseases, addiction often involves cycles of relapse and remission. Without treatment or engagement in recovery activities, addiction is progressive and can result in disability or premature death. You can overcome this! Wish you the best, Jenn