Search the Community

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.

well you certainly MUST make changes - that is what this is all about. If you must have a plate of spaghetti once a week that will no longer happen. Your stomach goes from the size of a football to the size of an egg. My instructions from my surgeon and his team are: 2 months post surgery 2-4 oz of food per meal Protein first and it must account for at least half the meal then produce, then starch by 18 months post surgery- 8 - 10 oz per meal still at least half protein, then produce, then starch also check the food nutrition thread on here. I know I am done with sandwiches - there is no way I can handle the bread, Peanut Butter is completely out along with most nuts. I've been advised to never drink out of straw again. Absolutely no sodas, no carbonated drinks and no alcohol. I've seen others post diffeerently on this so you need to go by your surgeons advice. It was made clear to me that as little as two drinks of wine will register me over the drinking/driving limit. I was told to absolutely avoid alcohol for at least two years and be very careful there after (I rarely drink so its not a biggie) Tina

I'm learning so much more on the internet than I am from my physicians! I received instructions from the hospital on how to take care of my drain, but they weren't the entire instructions (as per the instructions I found on the internet). Nowhere in my verbal or handout instructions did it say I was allowed or required to change the dressing - just empty, alcohol wipe, bend and close. I know this is gross, but I did sniff the output before flushing it down to make that it actually wasn't the fluid. The output didn't have a smell, so I deduced that the smell was the dressing. I walked to Walgreens and bought saline, gauze pads, and tape. Removed the film (which had been loosening due to my showers anyway), cleaned my wound, and redressed it. I feel so much better now (no smell, and the pain has decreased significantly). When any of you had it, did you get specific instructions in terms of the dressing?

I was told 6 months, and that since there is so little stomach to absorb the alcohol it won't take very much for you to feel the effect.

I'm just about 6 months post sleeve, weight loss 70 lbs incl pre surgery diet. Yes I've eaten unhealthy at different times, including having alcohol. But I know myself and if I completely remove unhealthy things then I will end up binging at some point and it may take a long time to get back on plan so I just stay mindful of my choices and most days I do eat healthy. Best of luck on your journey.

I'm wondering if anyone went through or is going through this. My surgery date is July 17th, and so far just about everyone I'm close to is on board with me and being supportive, even the few who wish I'd given diets another attempt seem to be on board. Except for ONE person. This person is always pointing out to me anything that's wrong about weight loss. Always talking about someone they know who is miserable and regrets the surgery. Or mentions how a neighbor of mine died during gastric bypass (it was his own fault, the man ATE and drank ALCOHOL past 12am day of surgery). And today texts me about Steve Carelis who "supposedly" died of gastric bypass complications. Of course I'm well aware of my complications and I am still very much on board with my surgery. But it just makes me SO nervous because I really don't want to be that small percent that has horrible complications or death, I'm pretty sure none of us want that or wish that on any of us. But it freaks me out..And it maddens me that people think that by bringing up complications and situations (real or imaginary) that they will make us change our minds. Ugh! Like I need anymore nervousness added 3 days prior to surgery.

I was banded in 2006 and it was really great for about six months. That was when I had the first episode of the band closing itself up. They had to remove all the Fluid and it never worked right after that. Fast forward a few years and I've been to the ER twice to have fluid removed because it has closed up on me again. I haven't had any fluid in my band for the past three months and I'm still struggling with things getting stuck and vomiting and never knowing when I'll be able to eat food or only have liquids. So, I went to the doctor today, we reviewed my issues and he suggested removing the band and doing the sleeve. Now I'm freaking out a bit. I worry that if I failed at the band, the sleeve won't work either. And the sleeve is permanent. However the doc feels that I will lose what weight I need to within six months. I went ahead and did the first step of meeting with the nutritionist today (she had a last minute cancellation). Here's a list of things I was told...I'd love to know what the reality is, though. 1. I won't feel hungry again 2. I won't get thirsty again 3. Two months of liquids post-op 4. No alcohol or honey (what I use for a sweetener) for at least 8 weeks 5. No bread, Pasta, or rice for six months 6. Sweets will taste different after the surgery How do allergies and stress affect the sleeve? These seem to be the culprit to causing issues with my band. Do you get dumping syndrome like with Gastric Bypass? Any information at all would be greatly appreciated.

Has anyone noticed your band allowing you to eat more when you've had a drink or two? I don't drink much but i have noticed on the past 2 occasions i've had a beer or a glass of wine I semm to be able to eat more. I've got pretty good restriction, but after a glass of Chianti at dinner the other night I was able to eat my entire meal which never happens anymore!

Hi there, I wouldn't get too worked up about this, you're body has been through allot recently and it needs time to settle into a routine. You do need to eat to loose weight though, if you starve the body, it will hold on to any reserves it can to survive. So keep your metablic rate up by eating small and often. Watch what you're drinking too, fruit juices are especially high in calories and alcohol.!! Keep your chin up, you're not alone in this, lots of people suffer the same as you. I have too!! Lynsay, Aberdeen, Scotland xx

@ Scentcy Girl-- Thank you!! I dont always work out in the gym, but I do get alot of activity in. I bought a house and have been remodeling the interior myself. I work on it almost everyday and seem to burn alot of calories. We also take care of and are adopting 2 boys that keep me active. Since the weight seemed to be flying off.. I dont do alot of cardio stuff. I really am just trying to rebuild and maintain muscle and get alot of protein in and lift weights. It seems like I reached my goal quickly, but I do not drink any sugar drinks or carbonation. If I drink alcohol I drink vodka and sugar free redbull. I eat almost anything I want but the difference is that I eat a small sample bite literally, and I am satisfied. I feel wonderful and have no regrets about this. I feel like I gave myself 20 more years of life!!

Originally posted on 3/30/2014 Link to original post http://www.bigfatloserblog.com/2014/03/back-to-drawing-board.html So, a big blow to the morale! Back in January I got call from Michael at AR Rehab congratulating me for being approved for the Gastric Sleeve through a state program that would pay for my surgery. This came after 2 years of work. Doctors appts, food journals, sleep studies, psych evals, and much much more. He explained that funds would be available in March, and that I should call him back then to discuss it further. I waited until about the middle of the month to call him, and tried for over a week. He was either out of the office "temporarily" or on the other line, or a myriad of other excuses. Finally last week I received a call back from him and he left me this voicemail. (The name was distorted on purpose) I was left scratching my head after this voicemail, because it was pretty unclear. "Is he saying that they aren't going to pay for it?" I was unhappy with the voicemail, and so I called him up. I could tell by his tone he was immediately on the defense. I asked him to elaborate what the VM meant. Michael: "You listened to it didn't you? I said everything in the voicemail" Me: "Well, yea, but what does it mean that you are re-evaluating spending? Are you saying you are cutting the program." Michael: "Look Ronnie, I could have just told you no back in January, but I went to bat for you. You are being ungrateful" Me: "No Sir, I was very grateful when you told me I was approved. I told my entire family, I blogged it, and I have been expecting this surgery ever since. I would have rather you told me no in January than to congratulate me on something that wasn't a done deal." Michael: "I feel like you are being rude." Me: "I feel like you lied to me, and my whole family." Michael: "I can see that this conversation isn't going anywhere, so I am going to let you go and get back to work." That was all she wrote. I stared at my phone for a minute. I literally felt like I was punched in the gut. My next call was to Blue Cross Blue Shield. I would have to be out of pocket 4 Grand, but I was confident that I would have support to help me get the surgery. I explained that I had a packet put together already with everything they would need to approve me. Doctor's notes, medical records, (about 60 pages of information). The rep said that they would not be able to accept that from me, but instead would have to receive it from each perspective doctor. I explained that it took over 2 years and thousands of dollars to gather this information and I can't afford to go back to the doctors and get the same paperwork I already had. They insisted.... So here I am, back at square one. 400 lbs, and no closer to surgery than I was 2 years ago. So unless I squat and lay a dozen golden eggs, and shell up $16k, I'm starting over. However, I am not going to be stagnant while waiting for this to come together (if it ever does) The fact is, ever since I learned I was getting the surgery I have let myself go. Red Bulls, fast food, alcohol. All because I thought, what the hell, I'm getting the surgery in 2 months anyhow. NOPE NOPE AND NOPE. I immediately regret that. Starting tomorrow, I am going to give the Keto Diet a shot. A real shot. It is a little controversial and defies common knowledge of how diets work, but I have seen a lot of success stories revolving around this diet. And, it's gaining popularity among medical community. However, it is expensive. Let face it. Meat, Cheese, and fresh veggies are high. My health is more important though and I need to make sacrifices elsewhere so I can afford it.

I had my first fill today. He told me to lay on the table felt for the port wiped it with alcohol and pop he was done. The whole thing took about 40 sec. I was very nervous going into it but getting a flu shot was worse than this.

Thanks for replies everyone! I'd love to hear more, thanks for all the info and ideas! Papoose, when I said lap band diet, I was referring to the diet a website I found online that said I should try. It was something along the lines of a high protein/low carb diet for the first few weeks, then the liquid diet, then the soft foods, as well as keep the portions down to a few ounces.I didn't know much about it so I thought I'd ask around. As far as the food and alcohol goes, I'd be lying to say there wasn't a part of me that didn't want to go out with their friends once or twice a month, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that as long as it's in moderation. I'll only be young once. I can deal with the smaller portions and giving up the alcohol the majority of the time, but not many people my age want to sit out on everything for the next few years. Maybe this means I'm truly not ready to commit. From what someone said above though, it does sound like there is some flexability if I do choose to have a lap band done where I could have my fun every once and a while. If this is true, maybe this is something I should look into more.

I think I know what she is saying. She wants to 'try' the pre-op diet we all are on before we get banded as a 'trial' to see if she can lose weight? Am I right? In anycase, we are on the pre-op for a reason: is to 'shrink' our liver before surgery. We will not be eatting like this for the rest of our lives. Once banded we will have what is called 'restriction' and will only be allowed to intake very small amount of foods in at a time. This is what gives ourselves the 'advantage' of loosing the weight and keeping it off. I know you said you are only 21 and still want to hang out and party. Understandably so, I know so many people banded and still continue with their daily lives. Yes, they go out and drink, party, eat, but its relatively in 'smaller' portions and when consuming alcohol you have to be super careful because drinks can easily add up to some pretty hefty calories and are loaded with sugar. Some of those yummy summer drinks can easily be over 800 calories for just one. Lastly, you really need to be ready to do this and have a good head on your shoulder when making this decision. Its not a miracle fix or cure, its a tool to help you lose the weight. My only advise to you because you are very young is to do more research on the lapband. go to youtube and watch the video about lapband surgery. Stay on this site and read read read. As said by Cazzy, I think some of the 'younger' bandsters could be of more help..... Best of luck to you in your decision -Patty

I LOVE chewing gum, (Haven't been sleeved yet, but went through Kaiser's options class). They said that gum has sugar alcohol in it and that could lead to ulcers in the stomach/sleeve. I don't know what I am gonna do ( I LOVE my GUM)

My surgeon trained with Dr. Paul O'Brien, so he provides his book (The Lapband Solution) as a guideline for how to eat and live with the band. I've been sticking to those guidelines depsite seeing so many variations of "the rules", and it's been working for me. I stay away from protein shakes and my guidelines on protein are 30-40g per day- which I think is easily doable considering I'm eating 1,000 calories or less. I try to eat the most whole, natural food possible that I can find. The only thing I drink with food is alcohol, per the guidelines I was given. Using liquids to get in nutrients or calories is a slippery slope- if you aren't able to eat REAL food, then something is wrong. You can't do a liquid diet forever. At the end of the day though, don't confuse yourself- if your doctor has given you guidelines, follow them- don't worry about what everyone else is doing! Reducing your calories will lead to weightloss and that is what the band will help you do! Hang in there!

Brandy, I'm sure you've heard all of this before but... You need to break your addiction to sugar, just like an alcoholic you can not just have the occassional sweet, artifical or not. Being PCOS just makes it all the harder. You need to eat only lean Proteins, veggies and occasional fresh fruit. Nothing processed. Cut back on your dairy and drink plenty of Water. Don't eat low fat products they are full of sugar. It doesn't matter if there are only a few WW points in a sugar free fudgecicle, you don't want to eat it. It's a real change in life style, but believe me it's a much better life to live!!

Girl, i can drink or sip @ least 5oz ( equivalent to 10-12 medium sips appx. the size of a Jim Bean whiskey glass) wit not much problem, as long as i pat my chest in the manor of a baby feeding, to get a burp up! Solids are different, i ate 4 bites if my friends chineese food yesterday & suffered greatly! But other softer food, i hv no problem with, for example, yesterday i went to a watch Party !!Go cowboys, i ate 1/3 slice pizza & brought my own non alcoholic beverage, no problem! Your body will let you know what your limits are. I think it depends on the individual, I was never one with a weak stomach b4 surgery, & I believe the people who are throwing up alot really aren't following their diet like they suspose to,because it requires you to be extremely hungry &everyone cant handle that , but I guarantee we have had the same quality of work as in tha us!!! What hospital were you in ? Who was your doc? Did you see me? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

It's impossible to compare two individuals' acid reflux across the Internet. But I also had acid reflux pre-sleeve. I was prescribed Ranitadine (150 mg.) twice a day, but for some dumb reason (not typical of me at all) I thought I was only supposed to take it once a day. And as we all know (or I assume we do) too much acid in the stomach mimics hunger. So one winter not long ago, I swear I packed on an extra 20-25 pounds due solely to not taking my H2 blocker antacid meds as instructed. Anyway, post-sleeve my surgeon prescribed (for 3-4 months only!) a PPI (Protonix in my case). After that I went back to Ranitadine 150 mg. 2x/day. And now, my acid reflux is no worse than it was pre-sleeve. In the meantime, I've learned a lot about what increases reflux problems -- lots of alcohol, coffee, chocolate, eating late at night, lying down soon after eating, etc. And I avoid doing those things most of the time. Or at least piling them on all at one time. I hope your acid reflux would not be aggravated by a sleeve. Because the sleeve is an amazing tool for weight loss and healthier living. I'm 20.5 months post-op, have lost 100 pounds and maintaining at 135 pounds. (I keep repeating my WLS stats on comments to new posters' threads folks, because most people are on the mobile app and can't see our profiles -- apologies to the long-time posters.) As you probably know from your research, a gastric bypass is less likely to invite reflux problems. But bypasses have some other lifestyle requirements you may have to think hard about. Many people here have had bypass surgery and are happy with their choice. It just wasn't my choice. Best to you!

I drank alcohol 3 weeks after my surgery and felt like crap about it. Youll feel liike you messed up a lot of times during this journey you just have to accept the fact you did it, take responsibility, and move on. Thats what i have to do, im still very hard on myself with certain things but when i get back on track im good. ☺️

My doctor said to wait 6 months before any drinking. Be careful cause they say it doesn't take much for the alcohol to hit you Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using BariatricPal mobile app

yes, your appetite will be non-existent during the initial rapid weight loss phase. then, as you get to your goal weight, you will notice that you will experience normal hunger sensations again and can comfortably eat more food. this worries a lot of people because they think they are "stretching their pouch" (not a thing) and are on the road to regain. but that is not the case. rather, your body is saying "okay, i'm at the weight i should be at now, lets eat some more food so i don't waste away to nothing!" in short, as long as you eat healthy whole foods a good 90% of the time, you can let your new appetite be your guide. if your body is hungry, feed it healthy food until you are satisfied. no need to count calories or portion sizes. if you have no appetite/hunger, don't eat! it's pretty simple. the danger is if you go back to sugary/processed food. don't do that. fast food, junk food, processed food, alcohol, sweets... all of that should be part of your past. those foods distort your body's natural hunger signals (insulin rollercoaster, food reward balance) and you can very well gain weight in the long-term by doing so.

Kool aid I do ok. Also if I drink through a straw. I asked Dr. He said straw was ok. It's so hard to quench my thirst, Idk why. I drink like I'm a fish (no alcohol lol). New Life Started 07/24/12

ok so after last week i was really excited, but this week just hasn't been good for me.. so here are my stats 5'7" hw: 265 gw:250 dos: 238.1 cw: 203.6 so here goes, today is week 8 for me and i only lost 3 lbs from last week.. and i know thats not really terrible except for the fact that before i left for vegas on 2-2-12 i was down to 202.1 which means i gained weight! OK OK i know.. it is definitely my own damn fault cuz i partied like a rock star in vegas.. not really eatting things that i shouldn't, but because of the alcohol.. total empty calories.. it is officially the price that i pay! I guess tho it has been buggin me because even before i left i realized that i hit a miniature stall.. and normally i don't worry if the number on the scale doesn't change a bit, because i work out so much that im sure that i gain muscle which is much more dense than fat meaning at some point yes im going to stall on the weight loss i guess i just didnt figure it would come soooo soon. Now i really need to get back on the band wagon with my workouts and cardio, so that i can break this stall that i seem to be in. On a good note tho!!!! I HAD AN AMAZING TIME IN VEGAS bought clothes, went to go see a show (beatles love w. cirque du soleil) it was freaking amazing!!!!!!! and we got vip treatment the entire trip! so thats good.. i've included some pics..

My doc was extremely lenient in recommending waiting until two months out. I've seen people posting here who were told six months, a year, or NEVER. He also said to try to avoid alcohol. It's not good for weight loss and rotten for your liver, which, if you're very overweight, it probably not in the greatest of shape anyway. I went on vacation at exactly two months and had a couple bottles of white over a couple weeks, and it all went down fine, HOWEVER it took me much longer to recover because I got tipsy a lot faster. Also hydration becomes an issue when you're timing your fluids and working on getting *them* down too. Doc also recommended that if you're going to drink, take an extra ppi a couple hours beforehand to handle stomach irritation. I think basically as soon as your stomach is healed, you CAN do it. But stay hydrated, watch the calories, know your limits, and take an extra ppi. After a couple runins with too much alcohol and not enough Water, I order white wine spritzers with HALF non-carbonated water. Tastes fantastic and minimizes all the other types of damage.