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Am I crazy to think I can go away for a long weekend 5 weeks post-op? The trip is only 1.5 hours in the car. We will be staying in a rental with a full kitchen. I will have my kids with me but my husband will be with us to help out. We will probably be doing some lite hiking and swimming. We will be vacationing with another family and I'm sure that food and alcohol will be abundant. I am definitely prepared to abstain from drinking alcohol at that point and plan on bringing post-op friendly foods. Any input is greatly appreciated.

I can see how this can happen. My neighbor had GBP while her marriage was in trouble. After the weight came off she partied and drank herself into a alcohol problems. Her husband stuck by her through it all and with therapy they are back to a happy place. She regrets her reaction to her success and is more thankful that at least one of them remained committed through the process. I believe my marriage to be strong and very committed. But quite frankly it's important to stay diligent through this process.

Yes. Make sure of a few things: 1) You're eating very small bites (finger-tip size) and chewing extremely thoroughly. People tend not to even realize they're eating too quickly for their sleeves until it hits them. 2) You're not drinking fluids within a short period before/after of eating food. This will contribute significantly to reflux. 3) You're not eating foods that contribute to reflux.. like spicy foods, alcohol, etc.

My surgeon told me that I can have wine after 6 months and to always drink in moderation. I had have a glass of red wine with dinner on occasion prior to surgery, nothing sense, so waiting hasn't been hard but I do plan on incorporating an occasional glass of red wine and some hard cider in the fall back into my diet. The best advice I've heard is to try it, see how your body and your stomach tolerate alcohol and always use moderation. It may be possible that you will go to have that drink and no longer have the interest or the desire to drink anymore.

I've had two UTI's after my sleeve surgery. One at about 3 months post op and the other just a few weeks after that. I had a few trips to the ER because of some pain... I was having trouble with constipation at the time and my hernias were giving me pain. Anyway, while I was in the ER they did the urine tests and found UTI's both times. They also said I was dehydrated, and I had to stay all day to get IV fluids. I remember thinking that I thought I had been getting in plenty of liquids. I guess I wasn't. So my suggestion is to get over your 64 ounces of fluids a day, and if you are drinking alcohol, remember that it will dry you out. Be sure to drink plenty of non-alcoholic fluids. Hope the UTI's stop bothering you soon.

Not concerned about replacement addictions. I don't like alcohol, tastes like crap. I enjoy wine but won't try that until a year out maybe. I would love to get addicted to exercise again. I used to spend 2 and a half hours in the gym 5-6 days a week, cycle there and back. That's a fabulous addiction as it combated some mild situational depression and kept my energy high. I find the study interesting, it's the same for people who have food addictions. I would hear often of people in OA at the meetings I attended, say they were now abstinent of their food addiction, but now battling alcoholism. I always shake my head when people are defensive regarding food addiction in these forums, obviously many people are addicted to food or a kind of food, or element in food, such as carbs. Half the battle is recognizing it, owning it, and abstaining.

Has anyone else had trouble with UTIs since having their weight loss surgery? I was sleeved approx. 1 year ago and now suffer with these more frequently than ever. Someone mentioned to me it might be my alcohol intake, another one said not enough water. Thoughts?

Drinking almost 3 bottles of wine is very worrisome. One may be at higher risk for a transfer addiction to alcohol due to binge drinking tendencies. I don't say this so you'll beat yourself up but for it to be an immediate wake up call to examine your relationship with alcohol. I agree with PatientEleventyBillion that you may need to completely abstain.

I'd take a pretty good look at your relationship with alcohol.. it's such an easy thing to change from food addition to alcohol addition (addition substitution which WLS patients who have addiction issues are very susceptible to), if you find you have trouble controlling yourself, abstain from it entirely.

Yes, stay away from slider foods even at 1 week out. The point of the honeymoon phase is to develop lifelong habits so once you're in maintenance mode your risk for regain is low. Focus on new eating habits, not trying to mimic past food pleasures with products like Halo Top Ice Cream, which contains sugar alcohols and cane sugar, which won't aid in weight loss or curb cravings.

Dave, i was also scared about the surgery and it being "too good to be true". To be blunt, whoever said this is the easy way out was on crack. This is not easy. This is only a tool to help you get what you want. If you don't do the work, (changing habits, stop emotionally eating, becoming an active individual etc) then it will not work as per your expectations. For example, my dad is 6'9" and pushing 550 lbs. He got the gastric bypass surgery. Did great for 2 years. Dropped all the way to 250 lbs. then he became an alcoholic and is now as big or bigger than he ever was. It it was my biggest fear doing the surgery to be like my dad. To sabotage myself and not let the tool work with me to be successful and let me tell you, this is a whole brand new life for me. A whole new way of trying to deal and make better habits. Some days I make progress and some days I don't. i think your family will be more supportive than you may imagine. If there are individuals who are not supportive or detract from your goals, choose to spend your time with those that are supportive of you. You are are choosing to make a change in your life. Don't let fear stop you. Megan

I am 5 months post op, I have over 5 and 1/2 stone far, but at the weekend I went out and decided to have a few glasses of wine, not before surgery I was a cider/beer person but I know to stay away from carbonated drinks. Well the wine obviously went straight to my head and I lost all control, I landed up drinking almost 3 entire bottles of rose wine, even before surgery I could only ever have handled one bottle, this was on Saturday night and now it is Tuesday I am still be absolutely rubbish both physically and obviously mentally as well. Obviously it was a massive wake up call that I am not ready to drink again, but I am genuinely worried if I have damaged my liver or kidneys, I'm trying to keep as hydrated as possible, but my stomach is clearly out of sync, which is then just making the guilt cycle in my head. I am so mad at myself for not having control when I have been doing so well. Was just wondering if anyone has any advice or similar stories on this as I have given myself a real scare

May 29, 2017 -- 10 weeks post op ==================================== Been a while since I updated! I'm 10 weeks out and have been cleared for all foods as tolerated (they suggest avoiding alcohol for the first 6m - 1y which i planned anyways - I was never a big drinker). I have still yet to find something that really doesn't agree with me - some things go down harder or fill me up faster, but I can still eat pretty much everything (just in very small servings!). I'm down a total of 58lbs since I started this journey, about 22 since surgery. I've got another 48 to go to hit the top of my goal range. I feel that I'm a slow loser, but honestly I'm OK with that at this point. I seem to lose 6lbs in a week, then stall for 2-3, then lose again, then stall. It appears that just what my body likes to do! I am down 2 pants sizes from a tight 20 to a comfy 16 (sometimes I can fit 14s), started jogging again and resistance training for strength. My knees and ankles don't hurt anymore. I have SO much more energy! I wake up refreshed and ready to go, instead of wanting to go back to bed. I was taken off my BP meds at my 1m appt and my BP has been good. I've started getting compliments and comments when I see people I haven't seen in a while, which is nice but weird I've gone to "girls' night out" events and BBQs and dinners with my family and had NO issues with any of them. Just nibble and move on. My life no longer revolves around what food I should eat next. I get my protein, veggies, and water in; and if I have room I indulge in a bite of dessert. I feel amazing. I am still in the transition phase of course, but I think this will end up being one of the best decisions I've ever made for myself and my family. <3

What are you drinking? I recommend you cut out all carbonated beverages, especially soda, no fruit juices, limited coffee (unless black), and no alcohol. I would also stop the cuties or any other fruit. Eat protein first then non-starchy veggies, and plenty of water.

@OutsideMatchInsideBecause it takes time to change and to trust yourself, and love is better than all else. I am not for enabling, or beating a dead horse. And you can't change anyone, that I learned from being in an 18 yr alcoholic marriage (ended 23 yrs ago). I decided I could be bitter, but that isn't what I want to be. Keep posting. I see parallels in successful veterans on this forum and another one with their eating/exercise plans that I find useful.

Hmmm. This got way worse after I commented. People do count, so I learned to be thoughtful when I am direct, if I can. Hormones, emotions run high sometimes, and can make emotionless internet posts seem harsh. People post without taking a deep breath or even thinking. It's good to have veterans that have success and experience, but your journey and head is in a way different 'time zone' than the people just starting out. It's like a calculus teacher that forgets how hard it is for beginning algebra students to just 'get it already'. Yes, there are amazingly head shaking questions about eating pizza 2 weeks out or drinking alcohol but there are also legitimate questions. I can't offer much anyway because I am preop, I usually ask the OP more questions so I can get more details and see where it goes. I am sure I have some moaning, and battles ahead, I hope to recall those posts when I have an issue that might be similar.

Be honest. I was scared too because I have a lot of mental health issues... but it turned out fine. The psychologist wanted to know that I 1. Was honest with myself about my limitations, my successes, and what I needed to work on pre- and post- surgery. 2. That I had a realistic attitude toward surgery and what it could and couldn't do for me. 3. That I understood what I was getting into wrt permanent lifestyle changes and potential for side effects etc. 4. That I was doing my best to fix whatever problems I had and was in treatment for my various disorders. Having depression and anxiety and ADHD wasn't a dealbreaker, it was if I wasn't treating them to the best of my ability that might have posed problems for my long term success. Hard to stick to a long term, complex diet plan if your ADHD has you unable to focus or organize squat. Lying might jump you through the hoops faster, no question about that, but it also means that you might be shooting yourself in the foot. Think of it this way: just GETTING surgery is not the ultimate goal.. having a successful lifetime POST surgery is. The surgery won't mean **** for you if a month later you're binge eating or abusing alcohol or eating fast food six times a week or, or, or, which is essentially what the psychologist is trying to screen for. Wanting to be prepared is understandable, though, so here's what I did. Since I knew I'd probably forget half of what I wanted to say, I made a series of lists before my appointment that I could refer to or show the psychologist: 1. my successes so far with regards to lifestyle changes (not eating in front of screens, limiting eating out) 2. things I thought I still needed to work on (get better at meal planning) 3. what I was hoping to get out of surgery (opportunity to be more active, avoid type 2 diabetes) Not only did it give me guidance on what I wanted to say to her and not forget important things, it also showed that I was already engaging in goal setting, self-reflection, and that I was the kind of person to plan and prepare. I think it DEFINITELY helped my case. she was very impressed by how organized I was and how much work I'd done already.

I think grown ass adults asking random strangers on the internet to validate their life choices are getting the responses they deserve. If you want to eat soft serve ice cream, eat it. Don't ask internet strangers if it is okay. Dumb questions deserve dumb responses. You can ask someone on the internet if it is okay to eat nails and they will tell you it is fine because their cousin ate nails on a dare in 7th grade and nothing bad happened. Everyone that asks about pizza and alcohol when you can google like 50,000 responses for it, when people jump down their virtual throat, don't care. This whole site is searchable with google, even if the site search sucks. Plus there are other sites, to search and ask questions. Almost no one every asks a new question. Ideally people should be asking questions from the people they let chop them up for thousands of dollars. You know the people that actually know their medical history. Also, someone fresh from surgery or newly pre-op makes a little be nice to idiots rant monthly. This is old and played out too. @BigViffer Said it better than me. I totally agree with his entire post. I do have one friend from here that I text with almost daily, who is also a like minded individual. And I have a few other people that I am friends with on Facebook. These forums are pretty much useless for anyone that wants to make a real lasting life change and be a healthy/fit person. The only reason to come here is as a reminder of what not to do.

Nothing halts weight loss like alcohol

Have you had your blood tested recently to see if you are deficient in anything? Right about 8 months is when my blood work started to look really bad. I also experienced dizziness etc due to very low B1. Oh and then there is the whole not eating thing. That can do it too lol. Basically- blood work aside- you went out on almost no food- probably less than half what your body needs - for the last 8 months basically on a starvation diet- then had a drink. It was loud and hot and your body is trying to just fuel itself but is being givin very little to work with and is having to use your muscles and fat stores as fuel- your glycogen depleted and yeah---- That's what happened. Get some blood tests and realize you are not in a great state for any alcoholic drinks. If your gonna drink- better eat.

I would be very careful with alcohol. I get drunk super fast and black out. Tread slowly.

And Blondie thanks for the reset info- I'm going to have to google it- I have to cut out all carbs I suppose- it's really tough- I know we all have this issue- I'm getting my protein shakes in and fluids thanks to skim milk and I don't even like alcohol so that isn't a worry- And thanks for clarifying about the "slowing down" stuff at 6 months- it's nice to know that it's really up to us- and not at the whim of a predetermined slow down- By the way- how many calories/carbs/protein do most people have recommended in their programs at 6 months? My program just says 60+g of protein and doesn't measure anything else except fluids- so I'm just wondering- Anyway- thanks for the replies ladies I'm really lucky to have this group- you all are awesome

I personally would, because I never over-did alcohol in the first place, but I think people don't understand a few things: - Contributory factors of addiction in many of us who had eating problems shows this isn't a good thing to have post-op -- those who had food addictions are way too susceptible to substituting food addiction with alcohol addiction. This is something my hepatologist mentioned before surgery and I notice this is backed up by numerous scientific journals. - Nextly, many of us know that the surgery puts our body into panic but don't fully understand the extent. The liver, for example, goes into overdrive, producing massive ketones to burn glucose and fat throughout the body as a natural response to lack of carbohydrates to utilize as energy. It likewise has to work extremely hard to produce enough glucose to move through the bloodstream to make up for the lack of glucose due to the extreme carb and caloric deficit, so the body needs to have enough energy to function. This happens all the way until we've healed enough to go to a normal diet. So add alcohol to the stress the liver is going through and it's very easy to cause damage to it without even thinking. This isn't a huge deal for people with normal livers, but for the 20%+ of population who do have liver issues (diagnosed with 1st stage fatty liver or worse), it's not smart. I believe in a recent journal I read that over 90% of people entirely who go through VSG wind up having inflamed livers (showing in their enzyme levels) for a period of time. It needs to heal almost as much as the stomach does. So throwing alcohol into it one or two months into surgery I just don't find to be a good idea. Besides all the carbs in alcohol it's likely to cause stalls and weight gain, never mind the prior paragraph about liver damage. If you want attention find a guy. You've already made enough drama out of nothing. Go away.

Hello Everyone, So much to say, where to begin? Hmmmmm. Ok, so I had RNY Gastric Bypass surgery back in 2013 when I was topping the scales at 289 at my heaviest. Having been on every diet under the sun by age 16, being approved for WLS was the greatest thing to ever happen to me. At the ripe age of 23, I had the idea that if my weight was under control then my life would be great, my life would have meaning, I would be happy. Growing up hating yourself because of what you look like is so lonely, it's so painful, and a prison that nobody can set you free from. As I have grown and matured over the years since my surgery I have gained a greater understanding of the why behind the what. What was the issue? I was obese, but why was I obese? The why is not addressed when someone signs on the dotted line after being approved for WLS. I am 7 years out of surgery and I had to learn the why through grueling life experiences that ran me face first into, well...ME. I will forever be grateful for the tool that was given to me through my surgery but I have come to realize that if the why isn't dealt with then my tool will be of no use to me. After my surgery I lost 132 pounds from my heaviest weight going from 289 to 157 and I loved it! I was on top of the world fitting into my size 8 jeans and able to wear whatever I desired but soon my life started to spiral downwards. Since I was no longer able to overeat, I substituted that for an unhealthy relationship, drugs and alcohol. To the naked eye my life seemed great because from the outside everything looked wonderful. The reality is that I sold myself a lie when I convinced myself that when I lost weight my life would automatically be great. Don't get me wrong, losing weight is wonderful but in my case it was much deeper then the extra pounds I was carrying. I needed healing from a life long battle of rejection, abandonment and emotional wounds that shedding 132 pounds didn't cure. I maintained my lowest weight of 157 until 2015 along with my out of control pain pill and adderal addiction and emotionally abusive relationship but it all came to a head when I found God (don't tune out if you don't believe as this is my truth and my experience) in January 2015. In surrendering my life to God and with His power, I was given the strength to leave that relationship and leave the drugs behind and thats when the real work began. In the last 2 years I have gained about 50 pounds and have come to realize that I never dealt with the real issues that caused me to almost be 300 pounds in the first place. I am in a really good place in my life right now as God is helping me tackle the root issues of my brokenness that manifests itself in self destructive behaviors like compulsive overeating or substance abuse. Emotionally I am at a place now that I wish I would have been when I had my surgery, in a place that I can appreciate the tool that has been given to me but more importantly having an awareness of what is going on within. I believe that I had to gain this weight to really appreciate not only what I have but knowing that my weight can't make me or break me. I no longer live in fear that I am not good enough like I did for my whole life leading up to WLS. I allow myself to feel and not numb my emotions with outside things which has been a constant in my life. So unlike most stories of feeling like a failure after regaining weight, this is a success story and one that is still being written! I want to document my journey to losing the regain and hope to encourage, inspire and open the dialogue to similar stories like mine. This is life peeps, if we aren't growing, we are dying. I started on Tuesday going on walks and getting back to the basics and am down 5 pounds and my goal is to get to 150. I know I can do this and would love the support from my fellow WLS community. My first time around, I did it alone but i know that there is power in unity and community. Be Blessed family. I have attached a progression picture of me at my heaviest, my lowest and now. -Mari

Let's see -- what are some of my favorites? Swedish fish, peeps, pizza on day 3 post-op, chicken fingers and fries during the pre-op liquid diet, ice cream as a full liquid, putting protein powder in a milkshake, alcohol during the first month post-op, a pork chop in the first week post-op. And there have been countless others; these are just the ones I remember off the top of my head. (And most of these posts come in the form of yes/no questions -- can I eat swedish fish? -- can't ice-cream count as a liquids? -- etc.) Yea, I have sparred with some folks in some of these threads -- mostly because I want better for people. But probably 1/2 to 3/4 of the people I've encountered on this site really aren't making lifestyle changes, aren't changing their relationship with food, and aren't going to be successful long-term because of their decisions and their inability to get a handle on food. And those people will be blowing up these forums for a while, and then they'll disappear until they come back months or maybe even years later talking about how WLS failed them and they need a revision to one thing or another. And then the cycle will repeat. For those people who are super focused on what they need to do to be successful pre- and post-op, this gets really frustrating. Yes, it's probably better to just ignore these kinds of posts, but, again, many folks just want better for these people, make a comment, and then commence the next internet war. There are a handful of people on here who are successful and thoughtful. I stick around to see what they say. Everyone else can eat/drink/post/etc. whatever they want to. I'm just going to enjoy my 200 pound weight loss, and work on getting this last 17 pounds off by the end of the summer.