Search the Community

+1 i had like 4-5 partial drinks during entire weight loss phase. Now, i am what one would call a regular drinker (some may even, dare i say, call me an alcoholic). I was a drinker before surgery as well. (Though before surgery I would drink lots in a short amount of time, every few weeks, now i drink less at a time, but more often). My increased drinking frequency had a lot to do with Covid lockdowns starting in 2020 though. From a weight-loss perspective, what little i did drink during weight loss phase did not seem to affect ME in getting to goal. Nor does the amounts i drink now seem to affect my ability to maintain my current weight (note though that i simultaneously keep an eye on my total calories - alcohol or otherwise- , so there’s also that) I get tipsy quite fast post-wls (and on small amounts), but I also sober up in record speed. As others said above, if you really want to, try it out and observe how you react, and then decide if want to again. Or, don’t. Up to you…you know yourself best. Sincerely, An alcohol-drinking-DRINKER (from Canada). (i also smoke, drive above the speed limit, and am late paying my taxes this year…)

It could be the various sugar substitutes or alcohols being used, may try them one at a time and see if it's one specific kind that causes you problems.

I am going to Vegas next month and I will be about 2 1/2 months out from surgery by then. I would love to be able to have a drink socially here and there, but I don't want to harm my tummy. has anyone tried it that soon and if so was it ok? Thanks Sherri

Good advice riggins - also, what are you eating, are you drinking calories, are you tracking your food /water(or drink) intake, - this is the number one BEST way to be sure your remain on track - also do you drink alcohol - obviously all of these thing will vary your results - at the end of the day it's still about burning more than you consume... Lots of luck - keep your chin up, be active, make every bite count & be true to yourself ! - you can do this !

have you and your sister always had issues or is it new? and is she over weight or not? just curious, trying to figure her out a little bit...cause that's just terrible...and... that is the one thing i am trying to figure out....a hobby??? i can't sew, i can't draw, yada yada yada...i keep telling everybody at work i am going to have to turn to drugs or alcohol or shopping...just kidding though, but i am seriously wondering what i am going to do...i thought about starting a candle making project and sell them at work...but i don't know, maybe take a class or something...

I had my banding surgery on Sept 21 - 3 days ago. I feel pretty good. The pain/discomfort has subsided and I'm following the liquid intake recommendations pretty strictly. I'm hopeful I'll be able to go back to wotk in 4-5 days. My main challenge is going to be smoking. I gave up pre surgery but finally relented and have had 1 today. I have read that it can interfere/slow down healing, which makes sense. I just don't know if I can give up proper food, alcohol AND smoking without going totally insane this week. Anyhow, good luck to all considering it. So far it has been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster for me, but I am very relieved to have done it & now the banding is done the hardest part is over.

Calories can generally be somewhat higher than women, but there's still a lot of individualism to it. Some guys have more significant metabolic problems than others, such that they may have similar metabolic levels to many women - maintaining in the 1200 calorie range, etc, so they need lower calorie levels to lose. My guess is that at your starting point that your metabolism isn't that screwed up so you can lose like a "normal" guy. My doc didn't have a specific calorie level (they're a DS centric practice, which has fuzzy math in this regard) but I quickly settled in around 1100 calories. Protein target was 105g, based upon my lean body mass. Carbs and fats were "whatever" - not particularly important with our caloric deficits - but I simply endeavored to get the best overall nutrition for the remaining non-protein segment of the diet, which in retrospect worked out to be a rough caloric split between fats and carbohydrates. For the vast majority of us, it's the caloric deficit that drives the weight loss and not any magical macro splits Your missing watermelon may be an indication of some missing nutrients contained within - potassium perhaps, as our typical supplements don't make much of a dent in satisfying our requirements. Many sugar substitutes are known for having a laxative effect in many people, particularly some of the sugar alcohols and a few of the zero calorie sweeteners so you seem to be right on track with those.

I was allowed ice cream, but I wouldn't start eating it again until I was back eating a substantial amount of calories. You'll need to eat the most nutritious food you can get, at first, to recover and heal. And if you're eating sugar free ice cream, it is probably going to contain sugar alcohols, sugar alcohols were very hard on my new stomach.

I am worried about erosion. like what foods are not good to eat. I heard pineapple juice and alcohol are not good, im trying to read more online to get better educated, but sometimes you have to search through so much to find the topic u are looking for, my surgery is 4/7/08

Hi again, Tas and PerthGirl. What people can and can't eat differs widely but certainly not everyone can't eat red meat or rice/pasta. I can eat anything I want, in small portions, without any troubles at all. About the only thing I avoid completely is carbonated drinks, as they give me the burps really badly and it hurts. I still drink alcohol on occasion, but I am SUCH a cheap drunk these days that I have to be very careful. I had a VERY high tolerance before, so that's been quite a change - my drink of choice is scotch & Water with lots of ice, but wine would work for most people if they like it. In my opinion, the secret to success with the band is to NOT strive for total restriction. Keep the band loose and let it curb your appetite, don't try to make your hunger disappear entirely. We are meant to get a bit hungry around meal times, just not starving every minute of the day. When you do that, you can eat good solid healthy foods like lean steak and salad, which sit in your pouch and make you feel full for much longer. If you try to get too much restriction, you'll have problems with getting stuck and sliming all the time on solid foods, and will end up turning to soft, easy-to-eat high fat foods like icecream and chocolate. Those don't fill you up or stay in the pouch, so you end up still feeling hungry and snack more and more - it becomes a vicious cycle. Working with a looser band does require some will power. You still have to choose WHAT you put in your mouth. The band only limits how much of it you can eat, and it works best on limiting solid food, not soft foods or liquids. I have found that, because I am not feeling that "starving out of control" feeling all the time, I have enough will power left to make the right choices and say no to chips and cakes, etc. I never believed I'd hear myself say this but now it really doesn't bother me to turn these things down when offered. I don't turn them down every time, but I make it a very rare treat. I am even able to go to parties and not graze at the nibblies table all night - and that is a miracle!! Good luck for both of you! Try not to stress about it, take the sensible approach and let it happen. It might be slow but it does work!

Dumping syndrome for me comes in the form of heart palpitations, and as of last night fainting. So last night I cheated and ate a piece of candy, 3 pieces to be exact. I came up stairs laid down to watch tv. I didnt wait 30 minutes to drink, I waited like 30 seconds. flushing all the stupid sugar (candy) into my small intestine. An hour or 2 later my heart starts racing , once this subsided I got up to use the restroom, next thing I know I'm waking up on the bathroom floor with my face bouncing off the baseboard. First time fainting for me, and a lesson well learned. Oh, let me be totally honest here I also had been enjoying an alcoholic libation. ( I was not drunk, but I'm sure this alcohol combined with candy, along with not waiting to drink all combined to make a perfect storm. So yeah, I'm pretty sure I have a broken nose, my knee, hip, elbow and face are all nicely bruised. This could have been avoided had I not drank alcohol candy and paid closer attention to the rapid heart rate earlier.

Its probably not the worst thing you could have done... but I find when I give myself an inch, it leads to a mile... let your stomach rest. Soon enough you can have some treats. I had sugar free chocolate pudding with a spoon full of peanut butter, or PB2, or almond/flax butter to get my Reeses fix as soon as it was ok with the Doc.... probably around 3-4 weeks... I still try to stay away from sugar alcohols too... they can cause gas and stomach upset... who needs that!

I'm still pre-op, I had my endoscopy last month, it was fast quick and I was as absolutely fine that same day. I was diagnosed with duodenitis, inflammation of the beginning of my small intestines. They put me on prescription Prilosec now for at least 3 months after surgery- no alcohol, no tabacco, no NSAIDS, no caffeine. My biggest prob is no coffee and no Advil. I've had a hard month since. U ladies will do great!! Stay positive!!

I have not been banded yet, but I was wondering can you still drink alcohol occasionally? Or is that not really allowed, I'm not saying like all the time, but at a party is it ok to have one drink?

3 months after surgery. The first drink burned like hell but every drink after that was fine. However, alcohol effects you differently after surgery. Some lose tolerance. Some gain it. For me, I gained too much tolerance. Before surgery just one drink would cause me to flush and be hot and buzzed. Now I can drink multiple drinks and not feel a thing.

Thanks!! I enjoy drinking. We mainly drink at home on the weekends ans grill etx. I live in a foreign country so entertainment is limited. It's going to be strange to figure out what do to now on the weekends. Sounds awful....I know. Good to know I can still be a social drinker if I want. Although I know my taste for it may change after surgery. Thanks for your honesty!!!! Sent from my GT-I9190 using the BariatricPal App As someone who is not a big drinker I would like to add my 2 cents. If the thought of my partner drinking or not drinking is enough to put a strain on my relationship, then it might be worth it to talk to a counselor about 1) the relationship, and 2) the alcohol. Any substance or activity (food, drug, behavior, etc.) that has that much power over either of you has too much control over your life in my opinion. I am not saying that you should or shouldn't drink, but if any change is enough to cause issues then you may need help dealing with that change.

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

My surgeon said that its never good to have a lot of alcohol because of the empty calories but if u r at a party or get together and u want to have a cocktail or two, it's fine. No beer tho cuz of the carbonation.

Yes, we are allowed limited amounts of alcohol, and always have to remember that alcohol are empty calories which need to be included in your tracking. The other important information is that it usually takes less alcohol for you to feel the effects of it. My surgeon warned us about this effect, and stressed that he would not be writing any letters in defense of his patients who might get DUI charges. I waited the advised 1 year, well almost an entire year, before having a glass of wine. I could only drink half of the glass...

Water, lots and lots of water! It'll flush the alcohol and help you feel better, once you stop feeling waterlogged anyway. I'm in preop diet too, and am finding I do better if I think of this as my "early surgery mode of eating," not a diet that is separate and "pre". Surgery. It's all a head thing, but then I never much ate because of stomache hunger - mostly head stuff; Family celebration, noshing/drinking with the girls, treating myself after hard day, etc. Also I'll bet that this won't affect your surgery at all--lots of people have less requirements. Just smile at the memory of a fun night out with friends and remind yourself no more imbibing like that until surgery is well past! If they know about it, do a spa evening together next time--mani-pedis, facials, moisturizers, and everyone brings their favorite mineral water! Party on!

December 18th here! I don't text or facebook tho, so I'll just post here. The time is FLYING now - seems like just last week I started thinking about doing this whole thing! Been researching my pre op diet today and making meal plans. My husband is joining me on it to be supportive and also to lose some weight too. So we start it next Friday (doc only wants a 7 day pre op diet) and I think it isn't going to be as bad as I thought since I get to have some "real" food in there. I can have three Protein (powder in water) drinks a day, and two meals consisting of 5 oz. of a meat or eggs, and 1 cup cooked (or 2 cups raw) of a list of approved veggies. No dairy, no breads, no fruit, no Pasta or carbs of any kind. And no alcohol either! Oh, and I'm allowed either a sugar free popsicles or Jello cups as Snacks. So I'm using the last of the thanksgiving turkey to make a broth to use for post op diet, I have a few ideas for my pre op diet and heading out to the story tomorrow to do the shopping. I have to track down some threads on things to take with to the hospital, but I'm only there one day (hopefully). So is everyone more excited than scared at this point? The more I read, the better I'm feeling about this decision and I'm really looking forward to getting control of food for the first time in like EVER instead of it controlling me!

Hey everyone, I went to my PCP on 2/18/19. I weighed 298 lbs at 6 tall. I was huge. Depressed, sleep deprived, eating disordered etc. My Dr. recommended me to the options program at Kaiser. 12 weeks of weekly classes to see if I was ready for the surgery. During those 12 weeks I researched weight loss drugs, and went on Metformin every morning and Bupropion x2 a day. I immediately lost interest in food and over the 12 weeks lost 45 lbs. I'm not diabetic but very hypertensive and sleep apnea severe. They approved me with no out of pocket costs for the surgery tomorrow at 7 am PST. The reason I'm doing the surgery is that I have a 3 year old daughter, and I want to be around for her. I'm late 40's and sick and tired of being sick and tired. My Dr. requires a liquid diet for 2 days before the surgery. I had five fast food dreams last night and dreams about chocolate candy bars and dreams about triscuits and cheese plates, etc. I cant believe I didn't struggle for 12 weeks of losing 45 lbs but 2 days of no solid food and its a huge struggle. Clear liquid protein, broth and lots of caffeine. I got really irritable at dinner time tonight and was frustrated. Even after losing 45 lbs I still ate unhealthy and had trouble controlling my appetite and had serious unhealthy disordered food cravings etc. The frustrating part was after losing 45lbs the teachers in my weight classes and my pcp and my specialists were all like why are you doing this? You are now on the border of obese and look really good. They all tried to talk me out of it! My Bariatric surgeon was very supportive and immediately scheduled my surgery. I'm excited and nervous. The really hard part is that not eating solid food for the last 2 days has been difficult and made me want to regress and go back to junk food! I didnt and I'm ready for the surgery but I hope my taste buds change and I become much healthier and practice mindful present eating habits. I know the Metformin and Bupropion were temporary battles won but not the war - which is why I signed up and I'm ready for surgery. I have my sugar free popsicles, and Premiere protein clear gatorade looking bottles and my vitamins and crystal light sugar free. I'm ready to win the war and this is a battle I knowingly go into with open eyes and a clear heart. I hope the surgery really helps the anger and depression and manipulative hormones that emanate from my stomach when it doesnt get its fast food or junk food fix. I want to enjoy not having an appetite and eating small healthy portions of healthy food. I want to be the 190 lbs guy from my college days. I have broad shoulders and a football players body and played in college but really just get healthy again. Two things I enjoy in moderation is 1 cup of coffee a day and once a month having a drink of alcohol or two socially. I hope I can regain both of those in the year after the surgery. I don't care about the junk food, fast food, and sugary or fried food. I hope I don't ever want those again. (My stomach is talking now) literally 8 hours before the surgery! Mark PS I hope losing weight helps the sleep apnea and lessens it, since the cpap doesnt work very well. I also hope to stop the 4 blood pressure drugs I'm on as well.

I was asked how much I drank on a pre=psych form and then in the Psych's office. He asked a couple different times and ways. I drink a couple times a year and he had a hard time understanding that. Makes me sweat, makes me go to sleep...not as much fun as it was in college. About your friend. She will have to run into a wall before she will change. All this fuss over her telling her doc is pointless, though I know you care much for her. Alcoholics and other addicts are fabulous at diverting attention away from their problems and slipping out of your questions. She will stop when she has to or wants to. Then you can offer your kind words of encouragement and hugs. Hopping over to youtube to watch the surgeries.

How has it backfired? Making the thread go away does not remove the moral imperative to let her surgeon know that he is about to operate on someone who is likely to suffer severe consequences on his watch. You don't like the answers you received. You wanted to be told, "You're right! She shouldn't have the surgery!" And you were. All of us know that you can't do a thing to influence your friend. She will drink---it's what she does. You are not expected to cure her alcoholism. But when you are in possession of important information that jeopardizes not only her, but those caring for her---and the hospital---you are morally obligated to let the appropriate people know. Having a thread deleted will not remove that responsibility.

Alcoholism is such a sad and destructive disease. Being an adult child of an alcoholic I can understand your frustration and concern for your friend. Unfortunately, without knowing who her surgeon is there is little you can do other than what you are doing. Keep talking to her and remind her that lap band surgery will not save her life if she is determined to destroy herself with the booze. You are a good friend for trying to help her, but I will tell you what I told my father; We can protect our loved ones from anyone and anything in this world.... except themselves. Sadly, if your friend is determined to destroy herself with drink there is little you can do to save her. I wish you both peace and good health.