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I dont know who you are but God does. He knows your struggle and pain and he loves you and wants a better life for you. You owe it to youself and your family and friends to be healthier you. It is hard, I know everyone that blogs on this thing knows. DONT GIVE UP. Just committ to one day at a time. get up in the morning and say "today, there will be no ice cream" and make a healthier choice, one day at a time. just like an alcoholic, all of us reach for food for our comfort, for pleasure, it has been like losing a true friend. I chose to make a change now before it is too late. obesity kills more people every year and its getting worse and worse. you dont have to be 125 pounds just tell yourself "one day at a time" Good luck and God bless.

Emily you are being too hard on yourself. Yes, you have a problem with food addiction - so do I, so do most overweight/obese people. I would be right back to my pre-banded weight if I did not have this tool - the band. I was banded 3 yrs. ago and it has changed the way I eat and what I eat. Food is a very complicated addiction to have - it is not something that you do not need everyday, like alcohol or drugs. Accept the fact that you have an addiction, keep going for help and if possible, consider rebanding, or some other form of interventional (surgical)treatment. I am twice your age - have fought the food devils for my adult life and now because of the band, I am happy. I will never be a size 8 or small in the clothing world - but I am so much happier, self-confident and forgiving of my "humanness" and all the trips, falls, failures, successes, wins, triumphs and challenges that the band makes easier for me to handle. Please do not give up on your health - you are still so young and have so far to go, I hope you keep on trying but also be gentle with yourself. My hopes and thoughts are with you.

That's how long I have been banded. I am at work right now. I am so tired I could throw a temper tantrum. I'm a little dizzy and in a little pain:crying:. I just took some liquid Tylenol - a single dose to help me get through this day. I get off work at 3:35. It's 11:40 right now. As soon as I can I'm putting my head on my desk and sneaking a nap. Think I may start taking my liquid vitamins twice a day until I get back on track. I think I'm supposed to be doing that anyway. The liquid diet is still ok. Of course I get those moments when I want to put something chewable in my mouth, but I just remind myself that I am not really hungry and more importantly, I did not put my body through this just to fail. I'd better succeed just to justify the scars on my once perfect stomach! I have lost one steri-strip. When I bath I do not face the shower head and I have tried to barely get my stomach wet. In fact I clean my stomach with an alcohol wipe or two. I like that because it also helps with the itchy skin that the steri-strips cause. Oh! - A co-worker asked me if I was losing weight!!!! YEA!!!!!!:biggrin: I have only lost 10 pounds since surgery and I'm sure that 's not really noticeable on a person my size, but I will take any kind of victory can get. I need all the motivation I can handle right now. Now if only I could figure out how to post my weight loss ticker and find a rarely used bathroom in this place - I'm gonna need a little privacy:embaressed_smile:...

I, like most of you, have been over weight my whole life. I battled with weight right next to a thin younger sister. She is now a stuck, materialistic kind of person who doesn’t care about other people. To tell you the truth, I hate being fat and hated the years I had to grow up fat but I wouldn't have traded it for the world. I wouldn’t be the person I am today had I not been. I feel I have confidence in my personality, my brain, and my work ethic. I strive so hard to be what people wish they could be or just be someone people want to be around. This could have something to do with having a father who was a productive alcoholic. He liked to work more than he liked being with his family. At a younger age, I prided myself off the fact that no one hated me. This, I feel, has caused me a lot of emotional and mental damage. I know I did things out of lack of self worth and as ashamed as I am to say it, lack of self respect. I mean I slept with people so they would like me more. I have matured since than, so I can see the errors in my ways. I just find it’s difficult for people to understand why I did it. All I can say was I wanted people to like me, I wanted to be that girl and if I gave people what they wanted, I thought I would be. You know it turns out life isn't that way. AAHH! I just blamed so many things on being fat. I mean I had girls be so mean to me in middle school who said they were my friends and had been for previous years. A girl who said she was my best friend dared her neighbor to see how far he could get with me. He did, but I was innocent than. He had me backed in a corner... I'm sure you can imagine the rest. My own friends. How sick. I never thought what crazy people. I thought wow something must be wrong with me. Honestly even today, telling that story out loud brings me to tears. I lived with my Grandparents at the age of 7 while my parents were building the house they live in today. My Grandpa was a heavy machinery mechanic so he worked nights. He taught me to read and watched me everyday after school. He was like my father since my real one was never home. We eventually moved out and had been over at their house visiting. My cousins were there and my mom said we had to go home. I threw a baby fit and went to sit in the car. My Grandpa was standing outside and lipped Olive juice to me (cause it looks like I love you). I just gave him a dirty look because I was so mad and than we left. My grandpa died that Friday; Father’s day weekend. I have never felt so guilty about anything in my life. My Grandpa’s death has haunted me since the day he died. Even typing this right now is making me sick to my stomach. Since I had been so confident to go to middle school, and the girls were so mean, I was dreading high school. I started smoking pot over the summer. I just had such a big fear of saying something wrong that I wanted to make sure I could have an excuse. Saying oh because I was high gave me the illusion of being cool. I started getting into heavier drugs and hanging out with people who only wanted to take advantage of me. I let them. Knowingly. I just wanted so bad to be a part of a group, I was dumb. Eventually I transferred schools and started living better and made real friends. One day I had missed the bus and my mom was really mad that she had to take me to school. We had been talking about a family friend of ours that my mom had always kept on a Pedi stool even though she’s stupid as shit. She had always compared my sister and me to her and her brother. My mom than started talking about me losing weight and here are her exact words, “I just don’t think you are the kind of girl that guys look at.” Today I know my mom didn’t mean that the way it sounded. I just felt like mentally I had grown up a lot and no longer had a surface hate for myself, had good grades and was off drugs. It just felt like it was never enough. It was never going to be enough. Let’s just say my high school cycle repeated itself with the self hate and the drugs. Today, my mom is so proud of me. My whole family is. My mom had called me one day and said you need to take a new picture because when you call I see one of this fat girl. I know it was supposed to be a compliment but it hurt. I felt like if I ever gained the weight back she wouldn’t love me as much. I mean I know it’s because she wants me to be all I can but my mind just won’t take it that way. I know I still have self hate in my body. It’s deep in there but I can feel it. When I have time to think, I don’t have very happy thoughts. After losing 90 pounds I should but just don’t. I go in for a screening for counseling on September 3rd but have nothing in the meantime. I have a guy who’s like my brother to confide in, but he has been away for the past year and doesn’t have much time to talk. Oh and I do have a boyfriend but don’t tell him anything about this because he takes it personally. Stupid I know but he’s been here since before I had the surgery and is now more insecure now that I am thin. I just wish I didn’t care about what other people think.

Yes I know someone who did. Although the volume of our tummys is drastically smaller, a person can still continue a high calori diet.the person i know drinks alcohol excessively and eats high fat/calorie foods Sent from my iPad using VST

I have had my second fill and am not in the green zone with 3cc fill appear to be stuck at this weight for 3 weeks now. I am trying not to get discouraged, continue to walk thinking about getting a personal trainer just to make the scale move. I had a large celebration this week with my only cheat being a 2oz sample of wine. First and only alcohol since going under the knife. No sweets at all and making healthy choices. Time to get back to my journal I guess to really see what's happening with my intake calorie wise. I have to remain focused, I can feel a difference in my clothes as I have shed an entire wardrobe! Another non scale victory under 100 to lose! I can do this....! Yes..I can!

Dec 2, 2013 - Pre-op appt - 208 Dec 16 - Surgery date - 202Dec 30 - 2 week post op - 194.5Jan 24 - at 6 week post op - 189 March 15 - 3 month post op - 175 So 27 lbs within 3 months. Now down to 170. I've somewhat hit a stall lately, but I've included more alcohol in my diet too so that's slowing me down. You might make it too. Some people lose quicker some lose slower. I have missed the gym more than gone, but I've definitely kept up my walking. Try your best to really limit portions. Stop when you've eaten the 4-6 oz even if you don't feel full. Hang up a swimsuit for motivation.

... sort of? About 2 years ago I had what I and then ER people thought was a gallbladder attack. I had eaten terribly (chicken fajitas, the onions and peppers cooked in butter and oil =x on top of over eating) and started feeling sick. You know that, 'if I could only throw up I'd feel better' feeling. Well, I started throwing up and couldn't stop. So we went to the ER (which at the time was 20 miles away, before they finished building the one in my town, not that this is a necessary detail). They gave me morphine, IV fluids, contrast solution for a CT scan, and other exams. They told me my gallbladder looked "sludgy" and told me to have my PCP make me an ultra sound appointment. My PCP at the time (I have a different one now) said that a CT was more accurate than an ultra sound and wouldn't schedule me one. Fast forward to last week, Wednesday. The supposed GB attacks I had didn't last long (10/20 mins each), but we figured going to the ER couldn't hurt just in case, so we went. It was a surprisingly pleasant experience. The ER doc said it seemed like it's most likely my gallbladder. I told her that my old PCP wouldn't schedule me an ultra sound, so she scheduled me one for the next day. Since it's been a week since the ultra sound and I hadn't heard back from the dr, I called them this morning and my PCP called me with the results: my gallbladder is fine. My liver is huge. Over twice the size it should be. I can't remember what she said the size of a normal liver is, but I'm pretty sure she said mine is 21cm (I could be wrong, but I do remember then twice as big as it should be part). I fought off a panic attack and losing it at work. I saved that for when I got home. My PCP ordered blood tests, that I got then done after work today (apparently 4th times a charm). I should get an email with the results by Monday (hopefully). Once the results are in, we'll go from there. If the tests don't show anything, a biopsy may be necessary. Today I also called the dietitian at Kaiser for pre-op meal plan advice. This feels like my 'scared straight' moment. My PCP said I should eat healthy and exercise. That they are vitally important at this point. So maybe I'll dance around (and cry) a little before bed. Being the person I am, I googled 'enlarged liver.' And because I'm such a medical expert (I am so not!), I'd like to think a few of the pages I've read apply to me. And if they don't, that's fine. It just gives me peace of mind. Like, I've been feeling this way, liver problems can make a person feel this way. Oh, ok, I'm not going crazy, there's a reason for the way I've been feeling... for example. Plus I don't drink. There's non-alcohol alcohol like liver disease. Most likely cause from being fat. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Still, knowing that is relieving, though. Guess this means I can't get trashed on my birthday next month. Haha. Said the non drinker. When I do drink, if I do drink, it's an average of 4 times or less a year. Even if you double that in case I'm lying, I doubt that's enough for alcohol related liver problems. A fatty liver makes a whole lot more sense to me. I don't think people believe me when I say I could go the rest of my life without ever having another drink again. I just don't like drinking. Like how people don't believe me when I say that I don't watch tv. (which is different from watching shows I like on my computer.) Either way, though, it puts a damper in my surgery plans. Surgery or no surgery, I have to lose weight. Period. In all seriousness, they won't operate if you've got a fatty liver. It could break in half and that could end very badly. I'm not terribly concerned right now since I'm still processing what having surgery really means. I just wouldn't want to be on the table, cut into, my time off work all arranged, and no surgery b/c of my liver. That would be incredibly frustrating. I wonder if they can test for that to avoid this scenario. Really, I just need to stfu and wait for the results. I should go to the gym after work tomorrow. Uh... wat? 4th times a charm? When I was in the ER last week it took them 4 tries to get the IV in for blood tests and fluids. I still have a bruise on one failed spot. Apparently I have hard to get to veins. The first nurse couldn't find a vein to use, so they brought this other nurse in who stuck me 3 more times and did a super tight double wrap (makes you realize how hard it would really be to cut off your own arm; 127 hrs) and had to hit my hand pretty hard to get a vein to show. Today wasn't as bad, but the guy did try 4 spots before finding one, but at least he only stuck me once. Cry? It's like I can't handle happy. A couple hours ago when I was warming up my dinner I danced a little to a song I liked and I felt like crying because I was happy to be dancing to a song I like. Like the happy is too much to handle so tears come out. If that makes any sense. I tend to over-explain things. AND Isn't it kinda fucked up that I can be having a panic attack and no one can tell? I'm so good at looking fine when I'm not. That just seems so wrong. ... sort of? Like I said earlier, this was kind of like my come to Jesus moment. So even though this isn't necessarily good news, it's good that I now have a sense of urgency to take care of my health. Sooner rather than later.

As far as the "itchy"-ness, it could definitely be the new hairspray. Higher alcohol content does that. ALSO,this time of year, I tell several of my clients this as this is their #1 complaint right now. "My scalp itches....do I have dandruff?": it's normal this time of year. The weather is changing. We are in generated heat all day long. In our cars, our homes, and at work. The heat is blowing non-stop. It's just getting dry. We put lotion on our skin to counteract it. Our scalp suffers a little also. It gets itchy before it starts flaking. I use a dandruff/itchy scalp shampoo once a week and it helps quite a bit. I prefer the Matrix brand, but there are several others. I use it on my scalp then use my regular shampoo on the rest of my hair. I don't know if you are living in an area that is getting cooler right now so this may or may not help you at all! Glad your hair is coming back in. Cute cut!

Hi DylanThomas99. Not to be a party poop but remember that alcohol is really empty calories. Be VERY careful with how much and how often you drink alcohol. I would just have one drink that you drink very slowly on special occasions. Maxi

Very true Maxi, and if you are currently loosing weight it can stall weight loss as the simple sugars in alcohol actually will burn before body fat so it is a catch 22. Also watch you intake because of 2 reasons: A) You have less food in your stomach to help slow the alcohol's absorption and You are at a lower weight which causes the alcohol's effect to be increased.

Our center said no alcohol (ever) after surgery. It is crazy how different post-op messages are from do. to doc.! I am still pre-op, but I wanted to tell you that you are only human! I am glad you got the chance to enjoy your evening with a glass of wine! Have you ever tried peppermint tea? I even like it iced, and I find it helps when my stomach isn't feeling well. Also, "Gas-X" sells a product that disolves on thr tongue. They are minty and have always helped with an acid tummy for me. Best. Amy

In Iceland we are big on traditions, at least my family. Ok probably all countries have their traditions. On Christmas, we always have this special drink, it's Orange Soda (kinda like Fanta) mixed with a Malt drink (non alcoholic) Both are carbonated. I love this drink. I could drink liters of it every day for Christmas, and well yes Easter as well. But lap band doesn't allow carbonated drinks. I tried one glass of it last weekend and I didn't feel that good. I had nausea that didn't go away until I let out a huge burp 3-4 hours later! How am I going to survive without that drink??? But I will I know I will. I will just find something really good instead. I tried a hot apple cider the other day that I made myself. It was seriously good but full of calories. I'm going to make that drink for Christmas as a special occasion. Then we LOVE our smoked meat. I love it as well. My fave meat actually. Nope, can't eat it. Had it last weekend as well (dads bday) and I had problems with lunch all week. I could get some down and wasn't hungry but I had Productive Burping every day and I had to deliver some in the toilet. And I was at work! OMG but I eat by my desk so that I can eat at my own speed and not worry about other people. I think this week has mentally been the most difficult since I went off liquid diet at the beginning. The smoked meat gave be lots of edema and I can't follow food tradition anymore. But I saw the weight go down anyway! 0.4 pounds or 200 grams. Not a lot but with edema, it is something. It made me happy, yes that tiny weight loss did everything for me. I'm always learning, maybe a slow learner and I do the same mistake twice or ok three times haha, but I have to avoid smoked food and salt. If I do have those things, I have to suck it up and well feel bad for a week. Is it worth it? nope not worth it. I even thought while this was going on, if I regretted the lap band, but nope, still love it. I can survive the productive burping, the slime and the fluid. I already feel overall better in my body. My underwear is even too big now! gosh haha, what a lovely feeling. Ok very bad for my bank account but it feels so good that my panties are about to slide down by itself if you get what I mean And today I saw that I have a follower on my blog a woman who had the surgery at the same time I did and my blog is helping her. I saw her comment 1 month late. But wow that made me happy. I always thought I was just blogging for myself. Talking about my failures and how my mind works through all this. I'm glad someone like my blog For those who don't know what edema is, it is excessive fluid in our body. Your face is like a balloon when you wake up and your fingers are like sausages. When you touch your skin, it doesn't feel like your own body, feels like jelly in there. Then the longer you are awake, then the fluid goes from your upper body and to your feet. But that doesn't bother me as much as when it's in my face, fingers and around the band.

Hi everyone I'm doing well since my banding on Sept 21. I'm on pureed food now - I was bored to tears with liquids only towards the end. I'm never eating Soup again in my life. I've noticed that I'm just not as hungry as I used to be. I used to think about food a lot, but I find that because what I can eat now is limited I think about other things. I have been cooking pureeing and freezing food for myself. I have never cooked ahead/planned ahead for meals in my life. I feel very grown-up and domesticated. :-) To be honest there have been some times when I have eaten food that isn't pureed. I had some sushi the other day and just chewed everything very slowly & well, with no problems. The main thing I am guilty of right now is forgetting to eat. But when I do eat, I find that I'm full/satisfied with a third of what I used to eat. It's just marvellous. I am having my first fill tomorrow. the weight loss seems to have plateaued off this week - I'm still sitting at 12 kgs weight loss. The main victory for me is that I have not had any alcohol since Sept 20. I used to drink excessively, which was the main reason for my obesity. I will never drink again - not having gone through this surgery. It would be insanity. It's so great to have moved forward without alcohol. I don't even miss it. I associate alcohol with bad health now.

I have lost 61lbs since surgery Sept 28th,2010. I'm happy with that. What I'm not happy about is I have been 219 since Feb 19th. I went to very high Protein and very low carbs even good carbs(Beans ect) for a week and still nothing. I think to be honest the last 5 months have spoiled me. I have honestly lost 61lbs without trying to hard. I have also had a lot more happy hours in the month of Feb so I'm thinking alcohol might be contributing to my stall. I know I need to start an exercise program, I always have an excuse being a single mom commuting 60 miles one way to work at a job I am losing next month. I love reading these posts they are helping me to motivate mysefl, so thank you. Wish me luck!!

I went today to see my surgeon for our 2nd consultation. I absolutely love everyone at Dr. Cardwell's office. They are the greatest team. We discussed any concerns that I might have and went over what he expected post op. I didn't realize this, but he is putting a lift restriction on me for about 6 weeks post op to promote the best healing. I can't lift anything over 10 pounds for 2 weeks and then nothing over 20 pounds for 4 weeks after. He said he wanted the stitches and stomach to heal completely before I tried anything overly strenuous. After talking to him, I saw the financial advisor and paid my co-pay for the surgery. Then, I went to see the nurse to discuss pre-op diet and then some rules for post op. So, here it is, the completely liquid diet...Optifast. I am to drink 6 Optifast shakes a day...Breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, evening snack. Along with the shakes I can have sugar free jello, sugar free popsicles, coffee, tea, broth, Crystal light, and ice tea (unsweetened). If I can see through it, I can have it (except alcohol of course) as long as it is also sugar free. After talking about everything at the surgeon's office, I went over to see the dietician, Jenny. She is fantastic. We went over the pre-op diet again, but then we focused on what could be eaten post op. I will be 3 days post op on Christmas day. She said that I should be on full liquids/soft diet by then. She told me for Christmas I could have a few tablespoons of mashed potato or potato soup. She also told me, and I really love this, that I could scrape off 1-2 tablespoons of pumpkin pie off of the crust and mix it with a teaspoon of Cool Whip and mix it up and have it for desert. Yum. So, I don't have to feel completely deprived. I was also told that if you really just have to have cream in your coffee, you can use a little vanilla Optifast to substitute. I drink mine black, but still it is a nice tip. The other ideas for Christmas (or anytime for that matter) that I thought was cool was pouring the vanilla Optifast in a glass, add a little nutmeg and cinnamon and voila, a substitute egg nog. Cool huh? The other thing, pour the Optifast in a freezer safe bowl, put it in the freezer and make an ice cream of sorts to change the consistency and make it feel like you are having a treat. I love how people get creative when faced with just a few things that are okay to eat/drink. So, bright and early in the morning, I get to start the countdown to my surgery day. December 22nd at 6am I will be changing my life. Take care, Jen

Just beginning to explore lap band surgery. I enjoy a couple of glasses of wine in the evening. What type of restrictions on wine and alcohol are placed on you when you are banded? Thanks!

Robin, There is no absolute restriction against alcohol with the band, but it is a liquid calorie (liquid calories are one of the biggest reasons for band failure) so just keep it on the light side! Dr. Trace Curry Cincinnati, Ohio Got a question? Ask the doctor at Trace W. Curry, M.D. Lap Band Surgeon :: Home 513.559.1222 / 877.442.BAND DISCLAIMER: If am not your surgeon, any comments made by me are not meant to be taken as medical advice, just general guidelines. Contact your surgeon about your specific problem!

One week of bad eating has ruined an entire month of good eating and excerise for me. The first month after surgery I was going to the gym 5 to 6 days a weeks, eating right, small portions, I was doing well. Then "summer" hit and I got caught up in barbeques and party after party and night outs with friends and I gained 5 lbs. I just had my second fill (2.5 cc for a total of 5.5 cc's in a 10 cc band) and the nurse told me I had only lost 4 oz this month. I wanted to cry. I am so angry with myself. And I think the alcohol had a big part to play in me gaining weight back. It seems every other day for the past week I'm at some party and having a few drinks which makes me eat so I'm not stumbling after 1 drink. I just wasn't being calorie conscience or health wise at all this past week and I blew it. Still staying away from major fast food, but I did visit KFC twice and Olive garden once, then buying lunch at work everyday. I've even been skipping on the gym too, I'm down to 3 days a weeks now and I don't even work that hard when I'm there. It's so sad and frustrating. I know this is a lifestyle change so I'm going to brush myself off, stand up and start all over again. I had no resriction at all before, hopefully this 2.5 cc's he put in today will make some kind of change. I just needed to vent, I was literally on the brink of tears when I left the doctors today.

For me, I have eliminated: carbonation, alcohol, anything fried, sugary things like cake, most starches most of the time, pasta, and anything sugary like fruit juice.

My dr cleared me for alcohol at 1 month post op.

Jersey Girl, One suggestion, give up the beer. It will stretch your pouch. Any carbonated beverage no matter how slow we drink it over time will stretch the pouch. You could let it go flat but who wants a flat beet. Yuck, I was a guiness drinker and had to give it up. Try some SF drink mixes and switch to something else or maybe wine. Most of the reading says we should not drink alcohol for a year after surgery, well I fluncked that the first 2 months. The other think I noticed, is I used to be able to tolerate alcohol and now because we eat so little at meals and have to drink on an empty stomach that I am a cheap date. Two martini's and I am done! I love a good dirty martini and I have decided the olives are my fruit, veggies and fat. Two olives and one drink and I am full. I would love to find some of the CL Mojito mix, afraid I would be tempted to add a little rum and mint to that. Back to losing, some bandsters do not lose until after there first fill, it takes some of our bodies a while to adjust to decrease in activity and as you said the weight loss is slow and steady. Good luck, keep blogging and reading and you will be successful.

This is really happening! I saw my surgeon yesterday and scheduled my surgery for May 31. That is 2 weeks from today! I didn't expect it to be that soon, but I was hoping. That week will be perfect for me since I have a long weekend coming up to recover. I have a holiday the day before surgery to get my house clean and get ready. Then I have the following Monday off also. I start the pre-op low carb diet on Saturday. At least I don't have to do a liquid diet until after surgery. The doctor asked me if I was ready. I first replied that I thought so. I guess because I have a few fears left, but I know that I have to do this. I am all in now! My surgeon told me that he would ask me if I was ready before I went into surgery, and if I wasn't ready, we wouldn't do it. But I know I am ready. I guess if I didn't have some fears, I wouldn't be normal. I have researched and prayed about this for a while now. It seems like God has really opened up doors for me to have this this time. I know it is right. I have also been preparing my mind for the changes that are to come. I know my previous relationship with food is about to come to an end. But while I will those my friend of food, I will gain my heatlh and confidence. I even paid my copay to the doctor, so no turning back now. I am slowly beginning to tell people that this is happening. At first, I didn't want to tell anyone. I had to tell my parents because I will need help with my daughter, and they would never forgive me for not telling them. Of course, my husband knows. He helped me make this decision. I have told some friends at work and was surprised at how supportive they were. I know some never tell, but I am a member of Celebrate Recovery. There we learn to be transparent as a pathway to healing. I feel like I have to tell them, but as of now I have only told my accountability partners. I could find some great support there if I only share this. My fear is they will think I should be able to do this without surgery. We help alcohol and drug addicts to recover through a relationship with Jesus Christ and our support. However, I need the Lapband as additional support. I hope they understand this. But if they don't now maybe they will when they see the results. I have to do this for me!

Mine said not until I hit my goal weight but I started having a drink here and there at about 3 to 4 weeks out. I love margaritas and can't drink them anymore because they make me nauseous as well as any sweet drinks. I can drink wine with diet 7 up and I drink bud chiladas or bloody mary's a lot. I've always had a high tolerance for alcohol and find that I still do just not as high as before. It probably wasn't smart to drink that close to surgery but I am 3 months out and am fine.

I was cleared at 4ish months out, I think. My surgeon warned me to avoid red wines (there's actually a member here that explained the tannic acid/pH in red wine can irritate a newer sleeve), and to drink at home first to see how it would affect me. The first time I drank I was passed goal, and I had one glass of a light Riesling. It hit me hard and fast, then I sobered up pretty fast. Now that I'm almost 17 months out, I drink on a more than social occasion, I have a few drinks a month, one to two a week sometimes, in my social circle I'm known as the "afternoon cocktail girl". I lost my taste for red wine completely, drink rum/cokes when I go out to the bars, and for my afternoon cocktails, I prefer strawberry or raspberry mojitos or bellinis. Some people choose to drink sooner, but try to remember, it's just wasted calories for the day. If you're calorie/protein/carb focused, then make sure you track those calories and drink plenty of Water to avoid dehydration. One thing I can say is that my alcohol tolerance has returned to what it was pre-op. I'm not sure that's a great thing, but alcohol no longer hits me hard and fast, I'm able to catch and maintain a decent buzz, and have tied a few one on special occasions. Plus, I haven't had a real hangover since surgery which is a HUGE plus ! ! !