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@@Anna Nim I've got no good reason why WLS allows some people to keep the weight off. It's obvious why it doesn't work for a lot of people.....they don't follow the rules, they go back to old eating habits, they basically don't make the necessary lifestyle changes. But why can some people do these things? How are previously fat folks who were never successful losing (and keeping off) weight through traditional diets "magically" able to succeed with WLS? Why couldn't they log their food and eat more Protein and make better choices and not use food as an emotional crutch before surgery? I seriously don't know. For me, I think it was because surgery allowed me a second chance at finally doing things right. The strict diet and sleeve restriction in the beginning allowed me to lose more weight than any diet ever has. I became a thin person for the first time in my life. I was given a "get out of jail free" card and it was up to me whether I wanted to put in the work to stay out of jail or did I want to make the same mistakes that landed me there in the first place. I chose the former. And let me tell you, the psychological aspect far outweighs the physical aspect of surgery when it comes to long term success. But I knew that going into this so I was prepared. When life started slamming me with stress, I sought the help of a therapist rather than turning back to my old comfort buddies, food and alcohol. The statistics of how many people lost how much weight or regained X number of pounds has absolutely nothing to do with me.....or you. You can do whatever you want with your sleeve. The choices that determine success or failure are yours. But you have to commit to serious change....including giving up the carbs..... and if you aren't ready or mentally prepared to do that then no, surgery is not the answer for your weight problems.

Say what I miss Alcohol the most - Im going to get some of the Aloe Vero Gel - Thank you for the info need that does it come in Vodka flavor

Agree on alcohol. I can overdue it sometimes. Never did shots in my life now kind of regular when we go out. But I have been tempering that back. Not good in general but also a lot of empty calories. I'm living life but also need to remember the life I used to live and not get back to that place. Trying to hold a rule that if my size 32 jeans which I used to wear 52, ever get tight, I need to not buy a bigger size but watch my diet and work off a few lbs. That's my alert system for gaining back. Sent from my Z970 using the BariatricPal App

If they ask tel, them you think you might be pregnant. ☺ Just kidding. Volunteer to be the DD. Tell them it isn't on your current diet. You are watching your blood sugar. Whatever you are comfortable with. As for when you can drink, ask your surgeon. They are all different. Mine said 6 weeks. I have had wine and didn't have any ihealth mpacts. If you do a search for alcohol, you can read more than you probably wanted to know.

Today is Surgery Day for me. I have to be there at 2 pm for surgery at 4 pm. I miss my coffee and water. I am 100% packed and ready to go after I get dressed. I'm such a procrastinator. Here is the list of what I took for those who are having surgery later on: (I use x's to check off my list hahaha) sleep earphones x Cpap hose and mask x baby wipes x toothbrush and toothpaste x deoterant x shampoo and body soap x brush/comb x hair ties for hot flashes x alcohol pads for nausea x lotion x pads for underwear x PJ's x underwear x robe x slippers x pillow x biotene dry mouth spray x lip balm x gas x gaviscon x crystal light and mio x

I am two weeks post op and I am now starting to drink normally. I did have issues the first week +, but now it has pretty much evened out. ( No huge gulps though) I cannot drink alcohol. Not only because of the sleeve ( absorption issues & empty calories) but because I am blood thinners. Never a big drinker, I did enjoy it once in a while. But since earlier this year that has been cut from my life. Pre op I gave up soda because I knew post op they say no carbonation. I thought it would be harder than it really was. I have had one soda since August. Took a sip or two and thought "yuck". Now, if I had to give up ice tea I would be in trouble. (non sweetened) I also do not have a lot of caffeine. It messes with vitamin absorption so no-no. So far none of it has really bothered me nor have I missed it.

Well I'll jump in the pool for VSG. I am 2.5 years out and I've been at goal for over 1.5 years. With VSG, your stomach can stretch some but not all that much once it has finished healing ( somewhere between 6 months and a year most people reach their lifetime capacity. ) Weight regain generally occurs from eating too often and eating high calorie "slider foods". If your stomach stretches a lot, the surgery wasn't performed correctly (it happens). Rules about what to eat, when to eat it, and how much to eat vary widely, but it's generally no drinking 30 minutes after meals, Protein first, and never more than a cup at one time. Alcohol is allowed after 6 months in many programs. Many programs don't require lifetime Vitamins (mine does), but some people do develop Vitamin deficiencies. Most people can eventually return to eating anything they did before surgery, just less of it. For me, greasy foods, spaghetti with meat sauce, dairy, and tortillas still bother me and at 2.5 years out, I'm guessing they always will. I have my blood tested annually for a wide variety of vitamins. With VSG, you can take anti-inflammatory drugs, such as NSAIDs. Welcome everyone! I'm especially looking forward to meeting a few more long term vets. Lynda

I work with a bunch of jerks who come to work sick and use their sick days for vacation. Now I've got this terrible cough happening. Can anyone recommend cough syrup or cough drops or cold medicine that are ok for us bypassed folks? Everything I have at home seems to have alcohol of some sort in it :-/

Thank you to everyone who posted comments and shared their experiences. I have a better insight now and I really think that a 0 tolerance to alcohol while I heal is definitely the way to go! Thank peeps!

I asked my surgeon this very thing because I LOVE beer and a Rum and Coke. He told me to give up the carbonated drinks, he said it can make the new stomach feel really uncomfortable, and to be ware that alcohol will greatly slow down the body's burning of fat. He recommended that I wait until I am at, or very near, my goal weight before I reintroduce alcohol. Good luck to you!

I found a listing of Low Carb Foods.... Proteins Most proteins come from animal sources and are extremely low in carbohydrates. It's important to exercise some care in choosing processed meats such as hot dogs and sausages. Try to select processed meats with no added sugar and less than two grams of carbohydrates per serving, and overall try to limit intake of processed meats. Instead select Protein sources like the following: Poultry Beef Lamb Pork products Seafood eggs Game meats Unsweetened whey protein Dairy Most full-fat dairy is low in carbohydrates; however, you should limit quantities to one to two ounces daily. Heavy cream Full-fat cheeses Butter Full-fat sour cream Cream cheese Vegetables You can eat most vegetables in relatively unlimited amounts on a low-carbohydrate diet plan. It's best to avoid or minimize starchier vegetables, such as carrots, turnips, beets, peas and corn. Limit quantities if indicated below: Leafy greens Cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower and broccoli (in moderate amounts) Summer squashes such as zucchini and yellow squash Artichokes Peppers Onions (1/2 small onion) Sprouts Celery Mushrooms Asparagus Green Beans Jicama Sea vegetables Leeks Eggplant Spaghetti squash pumpkin Fruits Limited amounts of fruit can be part of a healthy low-carb diet plan. Limit daily intake if indicated: Strawberries (one to two ounces) Blueberries (one to two ounces) Blackberries (one to two ounces) Cantaloupe (one to two ounces) Rhubarb Peaches (1/2 peach) Nectarines (1/2 nectarine) Avocado Tomatoes Squeeze of lemon or lime juice Olives (one to two ounces) Nuts and Seeds Nuts and seeds are great snack foods for low-carb diet plans; however, quantity matters. Limit daily intake to one to two ounces unless indicated otherwise. All nuts should be either raw or dry roasted, and beware of honey-roasted products or those that contain other added sugar. Flax seed (two tablespoons) Chia Sunflower seeds Cashews Peanuts Almonds Unsweetened coconut (or coconut milk) Macadamia nuts Walnuts Pecans Pine nuts Pistachios Nut butter (one tablespoon) Herbs and Spices Herbs and spices are generally low-carbohydrate foods. Limit to one or two tablespoons. Below is a partial list of low-carbohydrate herbs and spices: Basil Oregano Rosemary Thyme Garlic Pepper Cumin Chili powder Turmeric Tarragon Fats Pure fats contain no carbohydrates. Consider one of these options: Butter Olive oil Walnut oil Coconut oil Fish oil sauces and Condiments If you use them in limited amounts, a number of jarred sauces can be part of a low-carbohydrate diet. Limit quantities if indicated below. Check for added sugar and avoid those that have sugar in any form. Salsa (1/4 cup) Marinara sauce (1/4 cup) Hot sauce (two tablespoons) broth (two cups) Mayonnaise (two tablespoons) salad dressing (two tablespoons) Mustard (two teaspoons) Tartar sauce (two tablespoons) Vine gars Libations Limited amounts of alcoholic beverages can be part of a low-carbohydrate diet. It is important to note that the body processes alcohol differently than other nutrients, and this can cause blood sugar to be erratic. Limit alcohol intake to occasional drinks, and limit quantities as suggested below. Beware of mixers, which often contain high levels of sugar and carbohydrates. Dry white wine (three ounces) Dry red wine (three ounces) Low-carbohydrate beer such as Michelob Ultra (one beer) Hard liquor such as whiskey or vodka (one shot)

I've had a few cocktails here and there starting the second month after surgery. I know this is not recommended but I checked with my doctor and was told just to not over do it, and I didn't. The alcohol does affect me differently. One or two cocktails over the course of an entire evening is all I drink. My go to drink is vodka and Water (tap) then I add a flavor enhancer to it. There are tons on the market now and you can make yourself a great cocktail.. I also order it tall (twice the water same amount of vodka). This way I can track the calories and carbs without worrying about anything else in the drink. I don't drink often, maybe once a month or so, but I like to go out and have the occasional drink. I stopped drinking wine. I tried it several months ago and just couldn't take it. That makes me sad because I have wine racks in the basement with about 100 bottles of wine! Oh well, they will make excellent gifts!

I'm still post-op and the dr. asked I used drugs, etc... MJ is legal here, I said yes occasionally for migraines and cramps. Nothing has ever been more effective for me. They asked how I used it and I said by vaporizer. They said just not smoke or use edibles until well after the surgery and healing. Smoking because of the healing, even stress staying away from second hand cigarette smoke or weed smoke. Any smoke, I think. The edibles because if they have ingredients that could give us problems with sugar, sugar alcohols, high fat, chocolate, etc... Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I haven't had alcohol since three weeks before surgery. Too many calories!

Awesome, I get so tired of people doing #4, 7, & how soon can I have alcohol. I am like what? I never plan to let any of those things cross my lips again.

My ultrasound and CT scan showed that I had an enlarged liver and Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. I had to do a three month diet of 1200 low carb calories with 60 grams of lean Protein, 64 oz Water, unlimited non-starchy veggies, 1 serving of fruit per day. Then I had to do ten days of liquid diet with 5 small Protein shakes per day and unlimited water or non-caloric beverages. I lost 22 pounds pre-op.

Hi Guys! How's everyone doing? I'm on day 9 post op and feeling great! My port site is still pretty sore though...is this normal? I'm curious to know how you guys are doing mentally. I saw a group of friends yesterday and they all commented on how happy and energetic I seemed. I didn't even realize that I was feeling pretty damn good! I get up early now, never tired and have loads of energy. I'm even thinking clearer. Do any of you notice a change like this? I'm sure it has alot to do with not having fast food or pizza in almost 2 weeks lol but I didn't think it would hit me this quickly. I'm likin this! Another question...with all this warm weather rolling in I could use a cocktail! I'm curious if any of you that have been banded already have had any alcohol yet. It seems a bit early. I am tempted to have a glass of wine but I think I should wait till I'm on solid foods. Any thoughts?

i was told alcohol was not a no no just to be careful with it because it could absorb faster, I had to give up my drinking days due to diabetes long before the surgery was done. my problem is snacking, I like to snack and I feel I need to have something right before i sleep or I cant get to sleep right. bad bad habit. guess i need emotional eating therapy lol good luck

There are several issues with alcohol and WLS that will apply to varying degrees to different people. Healing time for the stomach is the first, which may not apply to those with the band which doesn't cut directly on the stomach, but will vary from a few weeks to several months or a year or more depending upon individual surgeons' perspectives. Transfer addiction, which BigUtahMan discussed, wherein an addiction to foods, to the degree one is afflicted, is transferred to another medium - alcohol, drugs, gambling, shopping, etc. This can affect anyone who is severely limiting their ability to indulge in an addictive behavior (i.e. any WLS patient irrespective procedure.) From this perspective, some will take a "never again" stand on it. The other alcohol biggie is liver condition; going into any WLS our livers aren't in the best of condition due to our obesity (witness the "liver shrinking" pre-op diets that many surgeons impose on their patients} and is further taxed by its role in metabolizing the fat that we are rapidly losing. The last thing that the liver needs is to be further stressed by metabolizing a known liver toxin - alcohol (that's not a moral judgement, just a physiological fact.) On this basis, some surgeons will suggest no alcohol during your weight loss phase. With my surgeon, this is part of the contract that we sign with him - that we will not drink as long as we are losing; it comes from his alter-ego as a biliopancreatic (liver/pancreas) transplant surgeon who doesn't want to see any of his bariatric patients coming back onto his transplant table.

Well, after the band, most people are light weights when it comes to drinking. There isn't much in the stomach to soak up the alcohol, so getting drunk a lot quicker happens. Also, beer is a no-no due to the carbonation. Same goes with soda as chasers. Most alcoholic beverages have a lot of calories. Empty calories at that. I only drink alcohol every once in a while, and only have a couple shots when I do drink now. I only drink at home, and have tea or some other non carbonated beverage as a chaser. Either that, or I will have a couple glasses of wine. As they say - everything in moderation.

If there's not someone in your immediate vicinity that you could give them to, I'd throw them away. I know that my addiction to food, especially things like Girl Scout Cookies would prevent me from acting responsible around them. It's not worth the money, the calories -- or what it does to us, mentally, when we fail in our attempt to avoid temptation -- to keep them around and see what happens. Maybe I'm taking this too seriously, but for me, it's a serious issue. I *can't* have stuff like that around. For me, it would be like an alcoholic keeping beer in the fridge.

What I recall about the "old vets forum" was that all members could see threads and posts in that forum, but only those who qualified as vets (per the then-rules -- although I don't recall exactly what those rules were) could post there. When I was pre-op and newly post-op I lurked my ass off there. It was so helpful. And trust me, even as a newbie I tired early on of the "How soon can I drink alcohol?" threads. Some topics I would love to get into with other veterans (but not with newbies who simply haven't "been there" yet, although they'll get there) are: * Advanced nutrition * Regain and re-loss * Recovering from exercise injuries * Dealing in healthy ways with life's ongoing stresses and changes * Late-stage complications * Dealing with WLS fatigue * Finding new life goals after conquering obesity * Dealing with transfer addictions * supplements three, four, five years down the road * Transitioning from food tracking to mindful eating * New career options for healthy, slim people * Long-term relationship changes after conquering obesity * Long-term challenges for WLS patients * Joint replacement surgery for long-time WLS patients * Discovering and living your Big Dreams when weight is no longer an issue * Dealing with death And that's after just a few minutes of thought.

"Can" is asking for permission. "Should" is for what is inevitable or likely to happen in the future. Can I eat tacos, drink alcohol, eat a 20oz steak when I am barely a week or two post? Sure...you SHOULD have never had the WLS eitherif you were NOT going follow your medical team plans concerning your post-op diet.

food anesthetised me. When I ate, nothing bothered me. But I paid big time for it...ballooning up to nearly 270 lbs. on a very small frame. I was morbidly obese and heading towards life in a wheelchair. I absolutely could not walk away from a half eaten meal. I could eat copious amounts of food and I felt entitled to finish all of it. I'm working on the core psychological issues with a therapist now because I fear gaining it back even though I've met and exceeded goal. I know that I have a problem that is both physical and psychological. Just today, I went into the fridge at work to portion out some eggplant parm and spaghetti that I had leftover from lunch yesterday. Even now, it was hard for me to throw away the extra spaghetti. I really wanted to eat it even though my life is 1,000% better than it was a year ago. I see it as an addiction same as any other addiction. If I was an alcoholic and found a bottle of booze in my fridge...I'd probably have the same issues with throwing it out as I did with the spaghetti. But I'm not an alcoholic and many a time, I've poured the lefover wine in a bottle down the sink because I didn't want to bother putting the bottle back in the fridge with only a glass or so remaining. Wish I could do that as easily with food. I see this as a lifelong battle and am just hoping that now that I have my life and mobility back, I never take it for granted again and use that as my incentive. Good thread! Thanks for letting me respond.

Hey everyone! I'm exactly two months post op and down 56lbs I haven't had any trouble with eating or drinking and have been slowly going at my own pace, but I can essentially eat anything with no side effects Anyway, considering my bounce back, I feel like I can easily manage a couple drinks and I'm absolutely dying to go out and relax. I thought it would take 6 months, but I honestly can't see how 4 months from now anything would be different. I'm healed and cleared for all foods, so if I feel ready isn't that enough of a reason to try? So, when did everyone have their first drink after their op? No negative comments please (: Sent from my LG-H850 using BariatricPal mobile app