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I'm going to do something I've done during a fitness class a few years ago. "Nature's Sunshine" has an all natural Vitamin cleanse...called "ParaCleanse". It's a 10 day cleansing and elimination of the bowels. You must eat clean for those 10 days...no sugars..no alcohol...and...it comes in 10 individual packs which include licorice root, dandelion, etc..that you take everyday for 10days...on this alone...u shed 7lbs..in 10 days...at least I did.... I'm desperate guys....summer & my birthday is coming quickly...The surgeon lit a flame under my ass today...I'm on FIRE !!!....Run, Walk, Crawl...I'm in it for the long haul!...Let's kiss this weight GOODBYE! Sent from my SM-G935T using the BariatricPal App

@@Malin You are not alone..... I would have boxes stashed all over.... couple at work, in the top of my closet, on the top of the kitchen cabinets...But the best place... Laundry room, no one ever went in there but me... hehe It was bad... i was like an alcoholic stashing bottles.

It was hard in the beginning for me too. Alcohol wipes help with little bouts of nausea. Try Atkins Lift Protein Water, tastes like flavored water. Just keep trying and you'll get there. ---------- Surgery date- 11/8/16 HW- 249 SW- 235 CW-198

You mentioned AA working for you for your alcoholism. Have you considered OA for your food addiction? Since they are both based on the same 12 steps, it might be really helpful for you. I wish you and your wife the best of luck. Your kids need you. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I am 9 days pre op and have a horrible Cold. Body aches coughing etc etc Is there anything I can do? I was told no Tylenol, Ibuprofen etc. any home Remedies that don't involve alcohol or sugar/ syrup Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I have only vomited four times post-op (I'm well over 2 years out now). One was when my whole family had a stomach bug and ALL of us were throwing up, so nothing to do with my sleeve. The second time was my second Thanksgiving post-op. I ate too fast or didn't chew well enough and something got "stuck". I had tremendous pain in my chest and foamies until I finally threw up and felt a million times better. The third time I went on a pub crawl and drank WAY too much alcohol... definitely nothing to do with my sleeve and everything to do with me being an idiot. The last time was this past summer. I ate way too quickly again or didn't chew thoroughly again then proceeded to play Lasertron (fancy laser tag) for about two hours. By the end I was dying. Again with the "stuck" feeling and foamies until I was able to throw up and get out whatever was stuck.

I understand what you are saying. Alcohol was my go to in order to escape. I try to hit an AA meeting once a week. I am coming up on 9 years sober and I am not tempted to drink, however I feel as though I am abusing food like I would abuse alcohol or drugs. I am going to see the surgeon one week from today. We will see what he has to say. I am not sure I can pass the psyche evaluation in order to be clear for surgery. I just want to get some weight off so badly, my quality of life is suffering. I am tired all the time and my knees and lower back hurt constantly.

Sorry for the late update but I am now at 145.5 and officially only 15 pounds away from goal. I've started dating again this past week which has been interesting. Definitely need to watch my alcohol intake and make sure I'm getting enough Water. Protein is good, but I also started to see some hair shedding for the first time this week which has freaked me out more than I can even say. Hoping it doesn't get any more dramatic and goes away soon!! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

From what I can gather they are looking for a few red flags. They want to know you have support, that alcohol addiction is not an issue, that financially you can afford Protein shakes and Vitamins. They want to ensure that is you have depression that you are stable and on meds that are working. They also want to ensure you are mentally ready for change. Sent from my SM-G900W8 using the BariatricPal App

This is crazy because I'm not much of a drinker. A few times a year maybe. Maybe it's the football playoffs, but I can't wait to have a beer. How long are we supposed to wait? I don't see my doctor for a while and I'm too embarrassed to call and ask. Sent from my LG-H810 using the BariatricPal App

Walter - I feel for you. I've suffered from clinical depression most of my life, and in addition to that, I've been a heavy drinker for at least the past 15 years, but never to the point of alcoholism (although pretty close to the edge I think). Being big has meant that I could always drink more than most everyone else. Plus, since I have few (non-alcoholic) drink choices here in Japan, it was always easy to end the day with a beer or two or six. It's like food for me - kind of either/or. If it's in the house, I'll eat/drink it - all of it. If it's not, I don't think about it. That said, I was mostly an everyday drinker. Over the years I've made a more concerted effort to be more healthy - stopping drinking completely for months at a time. I guess over the past 2 years I've gone a full year a without drinking, kind of 3 months off and 3 months on in a loop. Of course, I've completely stopped drinking in preparation for my surgery next month. I'm hoping that I never drink again afterwards - of course, because of issues with the sleeve, but also because I am afraid of addiction transference (not that I'm addicted to food - according to online tests) and I know once I start I may not be able to stop. I have no support here in Japan for it, so that is always at the back of my mind too. I guess I understand your family's fears for you, but I would like to think that, with help, you'll be able to conquer your addictions, or transfer them to something completely unrelated - like taking up judo, or fishing, or cycling, or photography, or....

We are both morbidly obese, she has been opposed to weight loss surgery for either of us. Recently she had to do a liver detox diet and she did great for like 15 days out of the 21 she was supposed to do. Then she fell off the wagon and ate really bad. That is when she decided she can't do it alone. She is now on board for both of us to get gastric sleeve. She already had her appointment, mine is about 3 weeks. Our insurance has a 6 month waiting period. I am a recovering alcoholic and have been sober for 9 years, but my addiction has manifested into food addiction. That is why my wife and other family members do not think it would work for me because I am an addict. Food is literally like a drug to me.

January 16, 2017 ============== 9 days until my next appointment. At my first appt way back in June, I was told I needed to be at 253.2 (about 250-251) by my home scale) and have all other requirements met before they would schedule my surgeon meeting. A few months ago (after meeting all requirements except the weight loss), they told me they if I could get to within 5 lbs of that goal, they'd schedule me. At my Dec appt, I was 6lbs over my goal. Yep. Grrr. As of this morning I was 254.8 on my scale, putting me within 4-5 lbs on my home scale!!! I am down over 3 since my Dec appt (again, based on my home scale). So I have 9 more days to drop another couple lbs and get safely into that 5 lb range. My diet since Christmas has been lots of Water, high protein/ low carb. No caffeine, no alcohol, no excess sugar, etc. Lots of sleep. I have lost 3 lbs since Jan 1st with this. Let's see how much more I can lose!! Fingers crossed my body cooperates on WI day I plan to bring a change of light clothes with me to put on before I weigh. Jeans can't be helping Sent from my Nexus 5X using the BariatricPal App

Hi Walter, I haven't had my surgery yet, so you can take this with a grain of salt if you wish. The odds of you losing weight (and keeping it off) the so-called "natural" way is almost zero. A lot of people say you have a less than 5% chance of keeping the weight off non-surgically, but I've read other studies were the odds were worse than that - 0.015% for women, and for men it's closer to 0.001% (sorry, I can't find the study now, but I'll try to look for it). The human body, for whatever reason, will fight you tooth and nail to stay fat, if you are obese. The best book I've read so far about this is by Dr. Robert Lustig, called Fat Chance. If you prefer YouTube, my favourite videos about all things related to bariatric surgery are by Dr. Matthew Weiner. He explains things very well. You might also want to watch this HBO special, called The Weight of the Nation. If you want to see the effects of how bariatric surgery can help obese people, there's a great series out of the UK also on YouTube called Fat Doctor which focuses on real people struggling with obesity, and doesn't have the Jerry Springer-like feel of some of the U.S.-based shows. You say you are worried about the surgery, but honestly, for most people, the odds of anything happening to you are about the same as having gall bladder surgery or an appendectomy. And those are pretty routine surgeries. But remember - if you stay the weight that you are, any surgery will be a risk, as it is for all people who struggle with obesity. You listed quite a number of conditions that you suffer from -- two questions to ask yourself is, 1) do you want to keep suffering from them and know that they will only get worse with time? and 2) what odds are better for you, in terms of being around for your family - staying morbidly obese, or having the surgery and be given a real chance to not only lose weight, but to keep it off? Sorry to be blunt, but there it is. Is this a big decision? Of course it is. Could there be complications? Yes, but that's true of any surgery. However, I think most people who have had the surgery will say it was the best decision they ever made, and that they wish they had done it sooner. For whatever reason, sleeve or bypass (not lapband, which few surgeons do anymore do to low success rates and other problems) "resets" the body in many ways - within 24 hours to a few weeks to a few months after surgery, people may no longer be diabetic, get off high blood pressure or cholesterol meds, have no hunger to fight against (some forever, but most regain some sort of hunger pangs within a year and a half of surgery), and there can be major changes to your metabolism. Your taste buds will probably change, and you may find that certain foods that you used to like will no longer appeal to you after you've had surgery. Of course, there can be some negative side effects too, like food restrictions and gerd and dumping syndrome, needing gall bladder surgery, some depression (immediately after surgery, but I haven't come across any long-term stats about that), and sometimes addiction transfer (for example, changing your food addiction to something like alcohol addiction). I would really recommend to write down a list of all your concerns and talk about them with your surgeon. Finding a therapist would probably also help. I don't know where you are (I'm assuming the U.S.) so if you have insurance I'm sure you'll have to jump through a few hoops in order to qualify for the surgery, but that can be a good thing, as it gives you time to deal with your fears/concerns before having the surgery. Whenever I get worried about anything, my motto is: think of the solution, not the problem. I find it really helps to get my mind out of the self-defeating loop that will make the problem seem bigger than it is. In this case, I think educating yourself about the surgery, about anesthesia, etc. will help you feel better (or not) about having the surgery done. Good luck.

I have been thinking about all this too. I know my hubby loves me and he's all for it. I wonder if it is more about it or me. He has never had weight issues. I think he has been ashamed of me at times. He is a functioning alcoholic and could sometimes be very cruel. Not to take the blame away from myself, but a lot of this has stemmed from that. But after 37 yrs and me being 65, a little late, but guess what, I'm doing something for me. I will try to keep his life disrupted as much as possible, but if it is going to put a monkey wrench in what I need, not happening. Sometimes I think that they worry about just not being number one. It won't last long. They can be number 2 long enough for me to take care of my battle. I hope this doesn't sound bad, but I just think sometimes you have to be first to yourself. We all only have one life. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I'm two years post surgery and I tolerate wine very well. A little too well. :-( I can tolerate beer but it makes me feel bloated so I don't enjoy it. Hard liquor (which is >20% alcohol for me) I can't handle. I get very sloppy very quickly. My suggestion to the original poster is to take a sip rather than a full shot at once. If you tolerate a sip or two, then do what you're going to do. But if you can't tolerate a sip, you definitely can't tolerate a full shot at once. Be careful. Good luck to you!

If I can give you 1 piece of advice they don't talk about enough in the pre op or post op visits! I am telling you this because it will save you from misery possibly even death! DO NOT DRINK ALCOHOL OR TAKE ANY OPIOIDS! Not a drop! Not a single pill! I was not a drinker at all before surgery and I went through my second divorce and moved in with my recently divorced best friend. We started going out on weekends and all of a sudden I was getting hit on by gorgeous men and weekends turned into weekends n ladies night and then we started drinking at home first because it was cheaper and then go to the bar.... long story short I became an alcoholic and I mean the for real kind! I almost died so many time in a high rise I moved into I just know an ambulance had to come get me 57 times in 1 yr and I started having seizures from drinking and from withdrawals! 3 rehabs and finally I started begging god to do what ever it would take to save me and I went to a place here in Omaha Ne called Campus for Hope. I have been sober 2 1/2 yrs now I go to meetings 5 days a week and I am still repairing the wreckage I created with my drinking. I know your thinking oh that won't happen to me... I traded my addiction for food to alcohol and attention from others! It's called co addiction. I beg you all to google the statistics on this! One of my meetings I go to are all people who had gastric bypass surgery or some kind of weight loss surgery. It's real it's your worst enemy. Opioids are just as bad I had major surgery on my mouth and then had a near fatal car wreck and before I knew it I was withdrawing from them. I guess I had been a total wreck for months from all the meds they had me on. I don't remember months of my life from the meds they were pumping in me 9 out of 10 were addictive. When you ever go to the hospital or dr be sure to tell them you had gastric bypass surgery and are highly susceptible to addiction. It will help save you from a traumatic side effect of this surgery. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hey guys, It's now to late for me because I'm now an alcoholic. Just to let you know it's intoxicatingly easy to fall into it if you go that way. You really don't want to do this. I've read that a GBP patient can easily fall into it but I ignored it. Now I have to figure out how to fix it. No need to preach because I'm not ready for that. I just wanted to let you know for me it was way to easy to fall into this.

Darn, this depresses me. Water has made me nauseous and about the only liquid I can stand is OJ. I'll have to find something else!I was like that for a while. I can only drink artesian spring water (I know super specific) and for a while I was only drinking Bai or Vitamin water zero. I attached a list of what my Nutritionist approves. Anything with stevia is okay, nothing artificial including sugar alcohol (they can hinder weight loss and induce diarrhea). I hope this helps.

I haven't had my surgery yet. But I know I will absolutely not be having alcohol during the first 12 months after surgery. Have a bar tender put some water and sliced lime in a cocktail glass for you. That way you have the look and feel of a cocktail. I did get this tip from one of the vets here ????

I cut alcohol out of my diet at the end of the first month of my six month insurance-required pre-op diet program and abstained for a total of 9 months. I had a few drinks during a recent trip to Asia -- that was about 3 months post-op for me. I had no trouble from it, and I lost 13 pounds during our 3.5 week trip. (But I do need to point out that we walked about 10 miles per day on this trip, so all of that extra exercise offset any effects from the limited alcohol I did have...) At 10 days out, there is no way I would have consumed any alcohol. Your new stomach is still really raw and only in the beginning stages of healing. It isn't a good idea.

I am ten days out and going to Vegas, would it be okay to have a shot or two? How long did you guys wait? I hear people saying they had a shot or two very early on.. just want to see what other people experienced. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

There's a lot i stop doing like i quit drinking alcohol and pop i stop smoking but I just find it hard to stop over eating but i know its time to change my day is coming soon thanks for sharing . Sent from my LGMS330 using the BariatricPal App

Mine wasn't specific for this phase - just high Protein, low carb. I'm also phasing out caffeine, alcohol, fast food, and all excess sugar. I haven't had bread since Christmas day, that right there is huge for me . Also focusing on getting in all my Water. I'm using this as a time to learn what my body truly needs, so that after surgery when I get back to 'normal' eating I'm ready I'm hoping for a Feb/March surgery date. Sent from my Nexus 5X using the BariatricPal App

I am so impressed!!! alcohol, cigarettes and food. Every minute of every day, you should pat yourself on the back. I smoked for 25 years. Quitting is very hard. That advice about the first 2 weeks being the hardest is BS. It is hard for much longer so keep your guard up. It is not just the physical addiction but it was such a part of your life. It was a reason to take a break, it was something to do with your hands when you were bored, it was something to do with your mouth instead of eating. right? I promise it does get better. At first you will be preoccupied every minute of the day and think of nothing else. Gradually the time between will get further and further apart until one day you'll realize you went a whole day without thinking about a cigarette. It helps to remind yourself that never again will you have to go stand outside in the rain or snow to smoke, never again will you need to wake up on a Sunday morning and run out to the store because you ran out, never again will you have the awful smell on your breath and clothes, and best of all you will not develop those deep vertical lines on your lips as you get older. so proud of you!!!!