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I can no longer tolerate alcohol. Not a bad thing, I wasn't much a drinker to begin with but I realize it's not for me anymore - period. I hope you feel better soon.

Ok, so I will just type in my blog instead of munching. I wish I would have never found that easy peanut butter cookie recipe. Ugh, I mean really...my favorite cookie in the whole world and I can literally have a hot batch made, with prep time to consumption only kill about 20 minutes and that includes clean up! lol Last night dh really did not help matters. I kind of half heartedly laughed to myself....he asked what and I told him that my inner fat girl had something to say and was thinking evil thoughts.....long story short, we had a batch whipped up in no time! I like the little saying "I have a thin person inside me screaming to get out. But, I can normally shut her up with chocolate cake." So, can you tell yet that I am really fighting off the munchies? I mean EVERY night at this time I have a hard time. Thank God for sunflower seeds. I am glad I found out how many calories are in wine. Now there is no fear of becoming an alcoholic.:crying: The good news is I have lost 2 of the 7 pounds I gained during the evacuation. WOOT:w00t:! I wish weight came off as fast as it comes on. Pretty bad when you hope for a small stomach virus or something to get the weight loss kick started. Oh well, I will just keep on doing what I am doing. I know HOW for goodness sake! Done it before, now I will do it again.

I had the same thing. As soon as the redness arrived, I removed the steri-strips that were elsewhere, and I'm glad I did. I put Neosporin with pain treatment on them and tried to let them open to air as much as possible. I washed the area daily and also used rubbing alcohol to help dry things up. It lasted just over a week, but it did clear up before my three week check up. It started after my drain was removed at one week.

The transfer addiction that aviiva refers to is a real concern for many, and can turn a pre-op casual or occasional drinking relationship into full blown alcoholism, as it can turn a previous food addiction to another addictive behavior (shopping, gambling, etc.) - we have one gal in our support group who reported going to casinos where she never had any interest in them before, so it was something that she had to handle. So, finding another source of comfort should be high on your list of things to do (adopt a puppy or kitten!) The other concern with alcohol, which is a variable between different doctors, is the effect on our bodies post-op. Most docs have some restriction for a few weeks or months post-op for the benefit of allowing the stomach to heal; my doc is one who restricts its consumption during the entire weight loss period (and that's part of our psych eval - can you do without for the year or more that it takes to lose the weight?) His concern is liver health, since being obese or worse, our livers are rarely in good shape to begin with, and the liver has a major role in metabolising all the fat that we are losing during the loss phase, and it doesn't need to be taxed further by metabolising alcohol at the same time. My doc does liver transplants along with his bariatric practice, and doesn't want to see any of his bariatric patients coming back as transplant patients!

I am addicted to ice cream too. I lost 100 pounds initially... had some complications (gallbladder surgery, port leak, port replacement) and I let it all go to ****. I gained 50 back and have been hovering at the same weight now for a long time. Unlike you, I DID have an addiction to ice cream pre-band, but thought if that was the ONE thing I had to do myself, I could do it. Well... it is REALLY hard. I am back to eating a pint of Ben & Jerry's a night. Sometimes more. I easily eat 1000-1200 calories a day in ice cream. I just recommitted myself 2 days ago. I have been ice cream free for 2 days. Sounds silly... but seriously, that is huge for me!! I am relearning how to work with my band instead of around it. No more drinking when eating. No more slider foods. And no more ice cream!! For me, I have to completely ban ice cream from my life. When I lost the 100 pounds my first year... I was not eating ANY. I understand that skinny people eat ice cream, and chips, blah blah. Moderation blah blah. Well I am not, nor have I ever been a skinny person. I can't just have 1 scoop. I always want more. My brain never stops wanting more. I crave it. I obsess about it. The only way I could control it is to treat it like an alcoholic would alcohol. I cannot have any. Never. Not one scoop. Not one bite. Not one lick. Once I have it, it snowballs. I have been in pretty bad sugar withdrawals the last two days... but I am hanging in there. I did it before, I can do it again. Yesterday I was obsessing about a turtle sundae from Culvers. I wanted it. I was telling myself, just this one last time. Just once more. Start tomorrow. Well I have been telling myself that for over a year. And where has that gotten me? I went home and had a Protein shake instead. I was pissed. Unsatisfied. Angry. But after those initial feelings passed I was so proud of myself for hanging in there. Today was a little easier. Tomorrow will be a little easier. HANG IN THERE. You just have to keep reminding yourself of your goals. Why you had this surgery. Don't throw it all away for 10 minutes of pleasure. It is a wicked, awful, nasty cycle. You can do it. Drive a different route. Don't pass Sonic. Don't keep ice cream in your freezer. Treat it like an addict. You cannot have it. Period. Give it a shot. Best of luck to you. I am there with you. You are not alone.

Title of YouTube video: Bariatric Surgery and Alcoholism This video shows the story of Lori, a 43 year old woman that had gastric bypass in 2003. She was never a heavy drinker and stayed away from alcohol for the first year after surgery. She noticed something different about her body's reaction to the alcohol after surgery. Her tolerance level had changed dramatically and it led her drinking to spin out of control. I think all pre and post op patients should watch this short interveiw to better understand why alcohol is dangerous after surgery. Please give your viewpoint after watching because the message is slightly against weight loss surgery. You may have to cut and paste the URL, otherwise type the title in the search bar at YouTube.com

I've been sleeved for 12 hours now. I'm skinny now! Well, not 100%, but I'm now officially on my way. I can't wait to buy clothes, go swimming with my shirt off, and fit on amusement park rides! I literally almost didn't go through with it, as my cold feet got pretty icy as the surgery day approached. I was worried about: A.Dying on the table B.Never eating again C.Missing my (unhealthy) receipt of drawer. D.Not being able to drink alcohol or handle myself in social situations. I kept thinking "yes, but I'm 331lbs now. I could be 400lbs in 2 years. I'm virtually guaranteed to get Diabetes. I've got 5 young kids, & DAMN IT, I'M GOING TO BE AROUND FOR THEM!" The positives WAY out-weighed the negatives. I just did it. I was only in surgery for a little less than an hour. When I woke up in recovery, the pain was SEVERE. I kept thinking "what have I done?" It got easier & easier? By 7:30PM (4 1/2 hours) I was up walking, AND IT FELT GREAT! I went for a longer walk around midnight. Feels great to get up & move. I know I've got some difficult days ahead of me, & I still hope & pray that I've done the right thing, but I feel that I have.

I'm 2 wks postop (gastric bypass) and am wondering if the constant painful bloating and burping will ever end? It doesn't feel like the gas from the surgery- it seems to be inside my digestive tract. I'm careful to avoid all dairy products so it can't be lactose intolerance. And I'm careful to avoid Splenda and sugar alcohols. I haven't been able to tolerate Protein drinks so am just trying to eat high protein foods (about 2 tbsp split pea Soup & 1 egg a day) plus drinking lots of Water. I am up and down all day (due to contracting pneumonia, I don't have the energy yet to "exercise" per se). I'm eating gas-X strips like they were Christmas candy. But both seems to alleviate the gas!

Besides meds, my nurse gave me alcohol swabs, had me put one on my nose and take deep breathes. I had an issue with dry heaving my first night. Don't get up too quickly or drink too quickly. *Post-op day 2 Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Tell the morons at the VA that they're "emotional eaters " too, it just might not show up on the scale. It might show up on the unseen scale, like high BP, heart problems, sleep issues, etc. I bet if you asked them if any of them had grabbed a chocolate when they were stressed, relaxed after a long day with a n alcoholic drink, or ever lit a cigarette ( or something else ?) to calm themselves, you'd get a resounding " yes ." Well I bet you money they would pay for AA, drug rehab, or wharever else the the medical addiction was. But God forbid anyone need a little help to with a food problem!!! Keep fighting , and if you cant get help from VA, consider a CareCredit Card for your surgery. I think you just make monthly payments, like a car payment. Good luck to you ! YOU DESERVE TO BE HEALTHY AND HAPPY !!!

Oh my word amazing words!! And so true. I stopped telling people after some huge negativity!! I was weak.. Cheating.. all I need is willpower!! And a good gym! Ha if only my eating habits were that easily controlled!! I was looking into amphetamine based appetite suppressants (with the risk of all the major side effects) and I was like "Rachel what are you doing?!!"" I encountered one person yesterday ( I told my 3 closest friends here) I felt I had to as we eat out so much and knew they would be suspicious. 2 of my friends said how brave I was.. Very encouraging. The other one said not one single word & tried to change the subject!! I am still shocked & upset by this. We sleevers are brave and committed to giving up something we had a relationship with all our lives! We have made a decision to break an unhealthy habit which would eventually give us heart disease... Diabetes.. High blood pressure etc! How can this be the easy way out?!! It's not. I was also a daily consumer of alcohol (2 glasses every night!!) I am not missing this & I have never gone 4 weeks without! So I agree whole heartily that we are very very brave & it's not the cheats way out!!

So here I am. I have decided to take a step towards the final frontier of my personal happiness. My health. I have been through a hell of a ride on my journey to today. I have struggled through a dysfunctional marriage to an abusive alcoholic, stood witness to the attack on New York City first hand, narrowly escaped death from sepsis blood poisoning, fought a ten year fertility battle, and buried a friend/lover taken far too young from brain cancer. Life as a human being is hard enough, no wonder I was unable to keep my weight under control – there was too much else to focus on. Today, I am the proud mother of a beautiful two year old boy, I am fulfilled in my 10+ year career with a fantastic company who value my efforts, I own my own home, have a functional car, and am in a relationship with a man whom I have known almost all my life in some capacity… its new… its fresh, but its good. He is kind, and patient and wonderful with my son. The song Good Mother by Jan Arden goes through my head on a daily basis these days – if you don’t know it, check it out on YouTube. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to truly believe that I am finally happy and at peace. There is only one concern left… and that is my weight and my health. I have tried over the years to lose weight and on a couple of occasions have been somewhat successful, most notably loosing 70ish lbs in 2001 on the Dr. Bernstein Diet. But, being predisposed to easily gain, it keeps coming back. Last year I topped my scales (having left my husband 3x in the same year my child was born) at 296! I knew I had to do something and quick. I started an exercise regiment and eating well, and managed to lose 26 lbs in about 4 months. 270 felt pretty good and I started to gain back some confidence in myself and hope for my future. Then suddenly, my guy (who was not my guy at the time) broke up with his girlfriend and landed on my couch!! We were not an item but decided to try and live as roommates until he either found something more permanent or the arrangement was too awkward. Riiiiiiiight. That clearly didn’t and wasn’t going to work. He came with a WHOLE lot of baggage and there were some serious growing pains – the to point where I threw him out of my house in January. That’s what we needed I guess to determine that our friendship (and the stuff that blossomed along with it) was in fact a love neither of us were looking for. But, all that confusion and activity made me put my weight loss on the back burner, yet again. So here I go again, at the start of this year, new diet, new exercise regiment –this is going to be it! I rejoined Weight Watchers (probably for the 18-20th time) and bought myself a treadmill. Starting the year off at 278 I went gang busters being perfectly well behaved with my eating and working out on my treadmill approx 5 times a week at 40 minutes a pop. I was on the move again and dropped to 265. Then suddenly I started suffering from sciatica. So, thinking that the exercise would sort it out, I pushed harder – increasing my efforts to every day and included some workouts on my vibration platform. By the end of February I could no longer sleep or stand for long periods of time without pain. Turns out I have something called Piriformis Syndrome. Apparently what is happening is a muscle that attaches somewhere in my butt and hip is clenching up when I exercise and pinching my sciatic nerve. Are you KIDDING ME? So through acupuncture, deep massage therapy and chiropractic, they are still trying to make the muscle ease up… and I have not been able to work out. I continued my diet plan for a while but then threw my hands in the air out of frustration and so here I am - and back up to 277.8. So much effort to lose it, so easily regained. What I do I know is that I have the will and determination to make this work… all I need is the rewarding results for my efforts. One thing that my fella said to me shortly after we started to cohabitate was, "I dont understand with all that you do, and how you eat, how you weight more than 98 pounds!" That sort of outside review is the justification I needed! :wub: This is a big step... and a bit scary... but I am worth this effort, and there is simply put, nothing I wouldn't do for my boy. He deserves a healthy mommy who will be with him a long long time. Let’s do this thing. May 10, 2013. Dr. Rodrigues at Star Medica in Juarez. I’m ready.

I learned the hard way to not pay attention to sugar content or sugar alcohol content. They are just "fancy" ways to tell you "eat this, I'm good for you" pay attention to the carb content. That is what will raise your sugar levels. My daughter was diagnosed w juvi diabetes when she was 3, she is now 20. Letting her eat diabetic candy back when I was ill informed, I couldn't understand why her sugar was high when I watched everything she ate. Not only that....she would get very bad cramps after about 2 or 3 pieces.

Have had lots of major cardiac problems so I was excited when my cardiologist said he would support me if I wanted to do the lap band. But I am confused. On the support forum everyone talks about how hard it is. And my question is - is it really any easier than regular Weight Watchers? Because I have failed at that for over 30 years, so if it isn't easier after the banding I don't know if this will work. I don't drink alcohol or wine or milkshakes, and I prefer low fat ice cream, but i do like to eat alot and often. I don't eat fried foods hardly ever- bread is a big problem- I can eat a half a loaf at a sitting. Will banding help with them?

I went to the beach last week for a conference and things went pretty well. I was able to work out 4 days last week and I did pretty well eating with only a few cheats. I did drink too much alcohol and I know those are empty calories but I had a good time and I even lost a little weight. Ok so here is the thing that happened that is kind of weird. I could be wrong....It has been a while.....but I think that one of the docs was flirting with me. Yeah, I know! WEIRD! He was a McCutey! I DID tell him I was married and talked about what a great guy DH is. Expecially after he asked me if I was staying over an extra night. I asked if he had family (I promise I was wondering if he had kids, you know small talk). He must have taken it wrong because he told me he was divorced. I asked "No kids?" He said yes and I asked him if he didn't consider them family. He said he thought maybe that wasn't the question. I know I have been married a long time (almost 16 years) but how many different reasons can a guy find to touch you. Geesh! My arm, shoulder, leg, back and that was sitting at a table with 8 other people having a nice....not too personal conversation. I have to admit (but not to my hubby) that it was very flattering,(probablly because he was so damn cute and well put together....give me a break I'm married not blind) but it was also a little strange to be back into that group of the population that has to worry about some random guy flirting with her. My general goal for quite some time has been simply to blend in and not be noticed as the "big lady walking my way" or "sitting next to me." I have wanted to feel invisible, or that I look like the average person walking down the street. I have just begun to feel that way. I don't have to use a "professional persona" as my shield at business trips, but I guess now I have to see what happens when my real personality is out there in front of everyone. That is kind of scarey. I don't even know if I can let anyone really get to know me the "real" me. I am starting to wonder who that is....

We all know the BMI chart is not very accurate as a measurement of good weight (or perhaps even good health) if you are built any different then " average"; that is, you do not have big bones and have a fairly average muscle composition. I may be completely wrong in the statement I just made, but it is something I have learned over the years. Before surgery, the BMI chart told me I was morbidly obese at 360. I did not like the term, but came to accept it and could see I was in middle of dark red section of BMI chart. Clearly, this was not something I was proud of and knew it was time to do a 180 reverse direction on both my physical and mental qualities that define my daily existence. Purge the bad and embrace the good as well as develop solid new habits for living a life of personal strength in all things. Fast forward to today and I am 1 year post opinion a couple weeks. My weight is within healthy BMI for my height of 5' 11 " and has been for 4 months now. The question, after this long introduction, is what should I target my final weight as? I am at 180 lb today (leaned out 10 lb in last 6 weeks with good fiitness and nutrition) and have a muscular athletic build. I have been working on transforming my body into an athletic physique for the last 4 months with Paleo fitness and diet, staying roughly around the same weight of 180 (average of course, I have gone up to 195 and dropped again to 180). The difference now when compared to the first time I was at 180 a few months ago is that I have solid muscle definition and a low fat percentage of 15%. My goal is to hit 10 % body fat, have a nice six pack and have he strength to compete in cross fit regionals and make a name for myself. Working at it every week with my PT ( so much improvement in last 2 months) and I hope to be able to compete next year. It is not a terrible amount of work to lose weight and keep / build lean muscle, about 20-30 min a day of Paleo type fitness and consistent Paleo neutrino with supplementation. Should I try and keep my weight around 180 lb or should I lean out more and let it drop or build up bigger muscles and let it climb more? I do not feel I need bigger muscle just for appearances. I probable want to trade 5 lb of fat for 5lb of lean muscle. Looking for a lot of different opinions and perspectives to help me move towards a well informed decision on this. One thing is for certain is I will keep up the Paleo fitness and nutrition as I have a good thing going there. Another certainty is I like the way I look and feel. I like feeling strong and at the same time flexible with good mobility. One change I might make is to cut alcohol completely ( drink now about 2 x a month) because the cost / benefit analysis is tipping the scale towards a cost rather then a benefit. Please weigh in (ha!) with all your opinions and thoughts to my questions. Thank you!!

I'm 7 months and a week out, and I still am losing 4-5 lbs a month. I have 29 lbs to go to goal. I have not exercised, honestly. I'm kinda mushy around mid section b/c of that...thinking about taking up pilates. It has been a lot of years since I exercised so it is a big thought at this point. I focus on Protein, but I don't count so much like others. I know I could do more...but someone told me when I was thinking about the surgery that they just ate less of their normal diet and lost a lot. That has sort of worked for me as I'm not much of a counter. The big changes I've made is I rarely ever drink soda or even alcohol, I am a Kool-Aid junky and a sunflower seed freak...this came after surgery. I buy the Lance brand of seeds which is low salt. I now sip all day long on something or another I made at home with no artificial sweeteners, only Agave or just less sugar) and I really enjoy my drinks more now. I think I used to live in a dehydrated state, so this is so much better for my health. food wise, I eat less fried food, hardly eat junk food, can't stand french fries from McD's or really that type of food in general. But in many ways I just simply focus on grilled protein and eat less. I can eat more on somedays than on other days, for some reason. Pretty happy with the results, but also realizing the last 29 lbs are going to be slow and I may need to get moving. But heh, bought a pair of size 8Petitie Ann Taylor Slim Cut jeans yesterday to celebrate! Haven't seen a pair of 8's in like, at least 25 years. Probably one of the biggest problems is keeping enough clothes in my closet that fit. But it is a fun problem to have. For every special occasion I have to shop. For work I have to shop. For play I have to shop. haha That has been fun. But by losing slow and buying tight I can get them to last the season at least. I am one of those people who wouldn't have lost the weight otherwise. I never dieted, never yo yoed. So yes, I'm grateful.

Hi, I am getting ready for my Plication next Wednesday with Doctor Corvala in Tijuana and I am very excited. I read through all these posts to get ideas and help and I have noticed several people mention drinking wine or cocktails. I would have thought with your stomach being so much smaller that you'd be unable to drink much? Is this correct? I am just wondering if it's even worthwhile having a drink once you've had this done since you have such a small capacity. Anyway any comments would be appreciated.

Well I do intend to still enjoy the occasional drink but I have a whole new respect for how vulnerable I am to alcohol. The no food overtired combo was lethal. Family came home, set off dogs and general chaos that should have woken me but Didnt. i was passed out.

It took 2 weeks for my itching to go away, but mine was from the surgical glue the doc sewed me up with. If you take rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball and go over the places where the tape was it'll get the extra glue off. I'm also allergic to adhesive in tapes and bandaids.

My surgery was on May 9th as well. I just got home from hospital I started running fever as well as having major naseau. Now that I am home these gas pains are horrible but I am drinking my protein as well as sugar free popsicles. Be careful I have found with sugar alcohols cause it will cause gas pains as well. I pray for each of you! And pray that each of you as well as myself reach the goals we have always wanted to be at.

It's no biggie, other than the calories. Beer could be problematic, since it can stretch your pouch... But non-carbonated alcohol is no problem as far as the band goes. Just limit yourself so as not to put too many calories.

Aw come on Pride of the Badgers, you know better than this. It is no longer your job to eat food just so it doesn't get away from you. You are not the world's trashcan, that was one of my failings, I'm a mommy, rather than refrigerating the end of the cassarole after casserole, i ate it. Now I have a rump that won't fit through the rabbit hole, shoot it barely fits through a metal drainpipe. I wouldn't say it's head hunger you aren't even using your head to think. You are suffering from terminal boredom and unconscious engorgement. You are abusing your new tool, it's like putting it in a vise grip and pounding it with a sledge hammer. You know you know better, there isn't anyone stuffing things in your crumb cruncher but you. Put the Reese cups down, no not down your throat, child. If you were in Texas Fluffy Chix would administer a b***h slapping and I might just let her.Now up off of your rump, drink some Water or chrystal lite, you are a foodaholic and just like an alcoholic trying to reform you need to stay on that wagon, even if it's an uncomfortable haywagon.Yeah food is all around you, it's trying to seduce you back into its clutches. I live 30 miles from Dublin Ohio, the home of Wendy's. You think I don't have a barrage of commercials headed my way? Buck up Buckaroo, don't sit and feel sorry for yourself, yeah you made a mistake, wonder you didn't get sick, but you can And should vow to nor do it again. Think you want a fry? A moment on the lips, forever on your hips. Think how greasy slimy cold frenchfry grease is.Get up and clean but do some knee bends, March in place, sing Go you chicken Fat Go. You can do it, take some of that resolve that got you past your surgery, nothing to it but to do it. You're having a pity party and catering it yourself. Besides I'm wise but I haven't had my surgery yet, you've got to get mentally stable so you can mentor me! Your Buckeye friend ME Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app

Oh yes, MJ....I most definitely had a cocktail!!!! My beverage of choice has always been Crown Royal with water......nothing exciting or exotic. And on Wednesday of last week.......it was Crown and Ice! and it took a good hour to drink it, which was fine by me. I've always had an unusual tolerance for alcohol, so the effect was minimal - other than it just took the edge off my nerve. Not really sure if it was the alcohol that did that, the setting, the company (I really do like my hubby), or just the fact I sat there, breathing in and out, sipping on my beverage. But if your question regarding effects of alcohol were more tolerance directed....it doesn't hurt my stomach, cause nausea or anything like that. And if your question is more of how does it effect my weight loss, couldn't tell ya cause I quit weighing daily weeks ago. I discovered that was bad for me. Leslie - go for it girl! And, ain't it lovely to cherish all 4 delicious bites of whatever it is that you're eating (cottage cheese and tuna are a favorite of mine)? I don't remember really enjoying eating pre surgery like I do post surgery.