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For people who really enjoy drinking you need to be careful because weight loss patients have significantly higher rates of alcoholism, especially if there is a family history of that. it puts you at a much greater risk. Almost every on line article about this came Rom the same small (and IMO flawed) study. The belief that WLS patients have a higher risk of alcoholism than anyone else is not so cut and dry. It's true that people who overcome one addiction, be it food, alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, shopping or even religion or exercise, are more at risk for a new addiction. However, the actual number of people who have WLS with no previous history of alcohol abuse is small. People who enjoy drinking alcohol are not always alcoholicc. And, like many obese people who don't enjoy eating, many alcoholics don't actually get much pleasure out of drinking.

Addiction is REAL!! Be it food, alcohol, sex, shopping whatever is real!! Cross addiction happens to many after WLS. For sure. My hubby was hoping and praying that I would have SEX as my cross-addiction!! NOPE didn't happen, now shopping watch out. LOL All joking aside, I had a very hard time justifying going out to eat!! I felt the same about cooking because when you can only eat a few bites it was hard!! Notice I said WAS. My hubby has said all along that I should look towards QUALITY, not QUANTITY!!! It was such a SMART thing to say!! I'm not saying that I'm like all cured of the examples above but it is much better. Now I am not a fancy foodie I was just raised on the OL SOUTH GOOD FOOD!! But, I can deal with having them ever once and awhile. Heck, one of y very favorite meals could more than likely cause most of you foodies to go into a swift HEART ATTACK!! LOL My old fav used to be fried potatoes, Mac and cheese, corn and a buttered piece of Wheat bread (the bread was more than likely the healthiest part of the meal) of course even if I fixed it I wouldn't be able to eat but a few bites. LOL Just a thought. Oh, BTW I always loved a cold beer before my WLS now I like wine. Does that make me more sophisticated? Just kiddin

I'm scheduled for 2/13/17. My first appointment was back on 10/13. After that appointment, I stopped snacking and drinking alcohol. I started using MyFitnessPal to track calories. I managed to lose a quick 30 pounds in two months. The first 30 lbs is always the easiest to lose and the quickest to regain. I figured that I'll lose the "easy" weight on my own and then get help from the sleeve to finish the job. I hope to have lost 50 lbs before the time of surgery.

i also forgot to talk about drinking. post surgery i don't drink. frankly after the band surgery i had reflux and the last thing i wanted to do to my burning stomach is add alcohol. I'm on prevacid post bypass and have no desired to test my tummy with alcohol. that I can live without. For people who really enjoy drinking you need to be careful because weight loss patients have significantly higher rates of alcoholism, especially if there is a family history of that. it puts you at a much greater risk.

I forgot to add- regarding drinking. Before surgery I loved wine. I still do, but less. I will have a good quality dry wine, maybe one glass every few days in the evening. I just don't want it like before. Also, your tolerance for alcohol goes way down so you will get intoxicated from a fraction of what you were used to. I echo the sentiments so many have said here: Quality over quantity post-op.

Use an alcohol pad before you apply if you moisturize so they stick well! Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using the BariatricPal App

I put on coconut oil after every shower (going with the Bahamas theme) ???? so would they still stick if I cleaned the area off with some rubbing alcohol. Sent from my Y538 using the BariatricPal App

I was a HUGE foodie (no pun intended!) pre-op, and I think the sleeved life lends itself to being a foodie, honestly. For me, I'm eating what I want (minus tons of carbs, but I hardly miss all of that) but just in a vastly reduced volume, which doesn't change my enjoyment of food. My surgical program is all about Protein, fats and eating satisfying food; before, when I would do Weight Watchers or whatever the diet du jour was, I'd have to cut out fats and basically anything with taste or staying power...then I'd fail because my diet was so boring and spartan. I think you'll find that you can still enjoy the things you enjoy now, but it won't be the drive for volume that it used to be...in a way that makes us REAL foodies, since it's all about the taste now. The alcohol is a different topic and one that brings about many different opinions. My team goes at this one as a moderation vs a removal from your life. Of course, if it's a problem for you, that's a whole other thing, but I was cleared for alcohol consumption when I was cleared to a full diet. I have a little wine or a few sips of beer, but I don't enjoy either as much as I used to and I do have to count them as carbs. Good luck, and I think it's great that you're looking at yourself and your food lifestyle this critically

The NUTS in m Bariatric Center say that foodies do very well after WLS. We foodies love food and know it, you'd be amazed at how many overweight people deny their love of food or actually consider food their enemy. As for me. I am 7 weeks post sleeve. Mostly solid food but red meat still doesn't go down well. About 600 calories, 25 grams of carbs. I am not hungry so that's plenty to get a taste of everything but desert when we go out and tasty small meals at home. We eat out 3 sometimes 4 times a week. My surgeon said I could try alcohol and I has a sip of wine last week but seem to have no taste for it right now. I get 8 oz coffee drinks (instead of 20 oz) and drink about 4 oz before I am done. I use heavy cream in coffee at home because it is lower in carbs and I don't have a restriction on fat. I expect that at some point I will allow myself some sweets but right now I want to loose weight more that I want chocolate. My hope is that I will be able to decide ahead of time that I will eat a certain food instead of impulsivity eating then regretted. I took a weekly, six month "lifestyle" class before surgery that has really helped my understand my eating issues and, so far, it has really helped me choose between short term pleasure and long term gain.

I agree that people should get a pass for making a mistake or three or ten. However the post operative diet is a prescription not a suggestion. If you had a friend who doubled up on their blood pressure medications or washing down a medication that has "DO NOT USE ALCOHOL WHILE TAKES NG THIS MEDICATION " written boldly that n the bottle what kind of friend would you be if you ignored it? Beautiful Diamond, one of the reasons that WLS has such a high "failure" rate is due to the behavior you described. Your friend needs counseling/treatment for her food issues. Instead of calling her out on her behavior can you meet up and talk while she isn't actively sabotaging herself. Tell her you are worried and talk to her about your concerns. And GOOD LUCK to you. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

How long did you leave it before you tried alcohol? I'd like a drink at Xmas, I'll only be 4 weeks post sleeve though... Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

@@SlimJill - talk to your doctor about this: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3697760/ Naltesone seems to help with compulsive behaviors. If you use it for a season to get on stable ground, when you get off of it, try to add in some positive things like sex, exercise etc. I also suggest this book: https://www.amazon.com/Emotional-First-Aid-Kit-Practical/dp/0976852659/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481661627&sr=8-1&keywords=the+emotional+first+aid. I worked through it before my surgery, but it still works on the other side. The danger is without a positive alternative, it is easy to transfer addictions to something negative. (drugs, alcohol, gambling) I'm not suggesting the struggle is easy, but the battle is one you can win.

Alcohol.. but after hitting rock bottom, I slapped myself around a bit then stopped. I wish I could have a drink every now and again but I cant. For me its better that it's never. Kate

I still grapple with food addiction. I was never one for alcohol or drugs (not even prescribed sleeping drugs). I have a hard time sleeping, but when I ate a big meal, I'd sleep like a baby, hence food became my comfort, my relaxer, my natural sleeping pill. Like any addiction, it is difficult to overcome. Since wls, like you said, it's better, but we just have to stay focused to be successful. Sent from my SM-N910V using the BariatricPal App

They are a treat. The "net carbs" crap in nonsense and will stall weight loss. Maybe best avoided till maintenance. Lots of people get diarrhea from alcohol sugar. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

They have sugar alcohols and too many make me go to much.... Just an occasional treat for me.

I don't know if they make people dump, but they're hard on a lot of people's stomachs. They're in my SF popsicles. I can't eat more than two SF popsicles because the sugar alcohols start doing a number on my stomach if I have more than that

I was told to watch out for the sugar alcohols as well Sent from my LGMS631 using the BariatricPal App

Hello all! I am curious as to how those sugar free Chocolates go down? Do you experience dumping syndrome even with sugar alcohols? Is there an acceptable amount of carbs in these types of treats? I appreciate the advice! Thanks Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I think this is my main struggle too. food addiction is hard to deal with bc it's like an alcoholic being told to have one drink a day. But I think exercise, writing, journaling, art, talking to friends. I think the main thing is recognizing your emotion when you're stressed or upset and want to eat and choosing to channel it. Just take a second when you're feeling the urge to eat and think about how ur body is feeling and how ur mind is feeling and parse out what the emotion is. If it's not actually hunger, think of alternative actions that u can take that aren't food. It takes a looong time to be able to do this consistently but keep at it Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hi! I was sleeved on 11/3 and I had the same question as there are quite a bit of holiday parties going on this time of year. My NUT said I can have alcohol in stage 3, so that would have been about 5 weeks post surgery, but to be mindful of sugary drinks and empty calories. I've had two glasses of wine on two different occasions, slow sips, seemed to take a while just to get through one. I didn't have any ill effects or anything. I also drank a lot of Water that night and the next day. Very helpful sleeved November 8th. 27yrs. HW 273 SW 233 CW 215. YOUTUBE. SC. MFP. IG @macon_me

Hi! I was sleeved on 11/3 and I had the same question as there are quite a bit of holiday parties going on this time of year. My NUT said I can have alcohol in stage 3, so that would have been about 5 weeks post surgery, but to be mindful of sugary drinks and empty calories. I've had two glasses of wine on two different occasions, slow sips, seemed to take a while just to get through one. I didn't have any ill effects or anything. I also drank a lot of Water that night and the next day.

Hi, your tolerance to alcohol will decrease; and as you know if you force anything you will throw up. Recently I had a legal issue regarding drinking and driving. So play it cool, and say that your good on the shots / drinks if you don't want anyone to know why. Better safe than sorry. Good luck

A little birthday cake, shrimp, a little alcohol, drinking less than 20-30 minutes after eating, on a rare occurence? Shame on you Mister! You need to turn in your BariatricPal card. In all seriousness, you did a great job. You are enjoying life post surgery, very mindfully and intelligently. Kudos to you. From the title of the post, I would have thought this involved hookers, cocaine and a bottle of Jack Daniels.

Well, maybe not all of them. And it was more like I bent the rules instead of trashing them and behaving like an unrestrained hedonist. Mrs. LittleBill and I were invited to the 60th birthday party of one of our neighbors. Today was the big event. This neighbor lives in the swanky development that was built on the rest of the farmland from which our little slice of heaven was parceled off. Any of the parties back there are guaranteed to be overflowing with all sorts of food and booze. This one promised to be no different. I knew I had a challenge in front of me, so I planned out my actions ahead of time, keeping in mind the 80/20 rule advocated by the people in my program. We started off with some good stuff. We can see their house from our back porch. It is about 250 yards away. Going straight there is out of the question though, as it involves negotiating some steep hills, and a fencerow with brambles, sticky burr bushes, an old wire fence designed to catch the unaware, and various wild animals that often don't take kindly to being disturbed. So we opted to walk the road, making the trip about 500 yards or so. It is not all that long, but any walking is good walking. I joked with Mrs. LittleBill that we could drink as much as we wanted since we weren't driving. The walk back might be longer, but the cops would not get us. Of course, we do not drink like that. It is too far for one of us to drag the other, and besides, it is not good for our livers. But going in, I knew I needed a plan ahead of time to be successful. As soon as we entered, we were offered drinks. We both opted for the punch bowl, which was some sort of sangria concoction. This had the advantage of being weak, and in this case it was not too sugary, so that was good. I filled my glass about halfway up and proceeded to nurse it very slowly. So Bad Thing No. 1 was drinking alcohol, but I had already tried it with the blessing of my CRNP, and I knew what I could do. I merely write "bad" because it is one of the favorite things for people to wag their fingers about. I reconnoitered the food tables to see what was there that would be relatively safe to eat. They had a big ole pot of meatballs in a very light juice that looked promising. There was also some sort of wraps that looked like mostly carbs, so they were off the list immediately. The ham and cheese sandwiches with the big fluffy rolls were out. Next to those, though, were some very tasty looking crab cakes. The breading looked to be very thin, so they went on the maybe list. In the other room there was a huge bowl of peeled shrimp and a bowl of cocktail sauce next to it. That went on the definite list. After taking some very small sips of my drink, I combined a couple of things into Bad Thing No. 2. I violated the do not eat within 30 minutes rule to sample some of the delicacies mentioned above. I probably went with 10 minutes. The shrimp went down very well with just the smallest taste of cocktail sauce. The meatballs were mostly meat, and the juice was indeed light, with just a hint of sweetness. I let most of that drip off. The crab was excellent, and as I surmised, the breading was very light indeed. I am sure there was some filler, but it was also minimal. Bad Thing No. 3 was a very small - and I mean minuscule - piece of birthday cake. This was the kind of party where there were about 60 people present, and one sheet cake. I simply asked for a teeny tiny piece that was not a corner. Sweet things have been something of a challenge for me since surgery. It is not that I crave them. In fact, I have not craved them at all, and I was a 2-3 pack junkie of Tastykakes every day before I started my program. Since I started this journey back in June, cake has been on the "Do not eat" list. The challenge for me since surgery is the sugar tends to upset my stomach. So I nibbled at my tiny piece very slowly, while talking with a group of neighbors. It is easy to eat slowly when you are telling stories. We spent about four hours there, and I was able to eat stuff that wasn't quite ideal, but not off the reservation. I sipped a bit of booze, and had a tiny bit of sugar. I am sitting here at home now, with no ill effects, and pounding down some Water to get myself back to my regular Spartan practice. It was an enjoyable time, and most satisfying was being able to camouflage myself in a way that no one suspected I had an odd eating pattern or requirement. One neighbor did notice I lost weight, and it was another guy. But he is happily married, so I don't have to worry about him hitting on me or anything. I was actually surprised he noticed. We wave at each other when he drives by, but we only come face to face about once a year. We had not seen each other up close and personal since October of '15. At the end, we made our way home in the near apocalypse snow flurries without incident. We'll see if we actually get the 1-3" they are forecasting.