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I hear exactly what you're saying mate. I'm only 35 but had alot of health issues prior to surgery. Did alot of parties and alcohol for years myself but gave that up for a new life and 8.5 months later with the bypass completely turned my life around as well.. In maintenance now Well done.

Me personally, I like not having coffee (or alcohol) any more. I even tried a little of both and don't see any reason to bother.

Don't throw in the towel.... pre-op is tough, but the de-carbing is, in my opinion, the most important so that your body will burn the fat around the liver so that the doctor can access your stomach. Here's my experience: I was banded March 20th. Post-op for two weeks, I was barely hungry because my stomach is still aggitated. By week three, i was eating pretty much normally again (despite the fact i should have still been on mushies.) with no restriction in the band, my consumption pretty much resumed to its normal rate. I wasn't worried and didn't feel guilty because i knew it would work eventually. First fill, yes, had some restriction but not enough. Second fill, which is where i am now - much much better. the band will FORCE you to slow down, take smaller bites, make different choices, stay satisfied longer. Otherwise you will feel ill. I may not be losing as fast as some (down 13 pounds) but my challenge is alcohol - i am very social, and that is part of my life. So even without having to take that away, i'm still losing weight.

It sounds like you have a few issues to address. Firstly, you seem to have doubts about how well your op was done - NO food restrictions! Wow. I would be getting an independent medical review that ends with confirming your sleeve was done appropriately - or not - in regard to size/volume. Once that is confirmed, get an endocrine system full check - I'm particularly thinking of your thyroid function. Underactive thyroid is very common, and should be excluded. Even "subclinical" results (normal, but only just) can cause many symptoms like full blown thyroid dysfunction, including weight gain. Finally (or perhaps first), are you recording your diet? Many, many people on this forum will tell you they need to eat less than 1000 cal per day, low fat, low carb and zero alcohol in order to lose weight. With such a limited outcome over a year (unless you didn't have much to lose in the first place) you need to be systematic - and diligent - to get to the bottom of this. Good luck.

It was a mixture of drinks, mostly shots, a jager bomb, a red headed ****, and crown and diet coke. At most it was probably 800-1000 calories as they are about 90-100 calories a drink. Look, it was my choice. I chose to have fun that night and I had a blast. However, it did not get me drunk but it did to my friends. I did not gain anything. In fact, I lost 4 lbs this past weekend, bringing me down to the weight I was in High School and officially making me only overweight and not in the obese category any longer. If you are going to b***h about me over something then chose the holidays. I gained 3 lbs over xmas but I turned around and lost that in about 4 days. It's okay to live a little! Alcohol makes me lose weight too. That's why this is double dangerous for you!! Have fun, enjoy... Just keep your head on a swivel!!

Dang! I wish I would have sat down with a drink tonight while reading these post. You guys are entertaining! I have a drink every once in awhile, well anytime I choose really seeing as how I'm over 3x7 so it's legal! Alcohol effects everyone differently. Period. I would assume everyone here is within drinking age sooooooo you'll figure out your limit. You should live a little. It doesn't matter if it's drinking or having a bite of cake. You still have to live and enjoy life. I haven't restricted my self from ANYTHING yet. Everything in moderation. If you do lose weight after drinking it's a good possibility that your dehydrated seeing as alcohol will do that, hints the reason why you're so thirsty in the morning! Drink lots of fluids. Don't drink yourself stupid everyday, take a Girlfriend to the bathroom with you when you're out. That's when all the good convo happens anyway. Duh!! And to some of the others on these threads getting all worked up..skip the alcohol and drink some smooth move tea to help loosen whatever it is you have stuck up your butt laughing!

How long after surgery did your Dr. Clear you to drink wine or any other alcoholic beverage? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G925A using the BariatricPal App

My sleeve was June 13th and I've had no real issues or problems, thankfully. But since Sunday morning I am struggling with getting my fluids in much worse than ever since my procedure. Every time I swallow it feels really weird in my throat like I've gulped a HUGE amount when I haven't and food made me nauseated when I would start eating. The nausea is better, but any swallowing (even little chunks of greek yogurt popsicle) is followed by that weird golf ball feeling in my throat/chest. Does anyone have any ideas what could be causing this? Hot vs. cold beverages feel the same. About the only food that doesn't feel awful is scrambled eggs. This all began Sunday morning and Saturday night I ate grapes for the first time at a party. I also drank some alcohol. Just trying to put it all out there to help figure out what this could be caused by... Can a stricture happen at this point? Could I have gotten a grape stuck in my sleeve? Starting to worry!

well I am having date night next weekend... my drink limit pre-op was 2...after that I got silly... I had one drink so far post-op...that was in early January... I was at the club for about 4 hours and it took that entire time to drink a few sips of it... it was too sweet ( Cosmo) and I kept letting my friend drink some so the ice could melt down.... if I get the one drink down next week, Im cool.... the 3 people I'll be with are HEAVY drinkers that I have never tried to keep up with before...no sense in trying now Im not anti-alcohol post-op.... I just know my limitations

@@csg WLS does not operate on our brains. None of them do. Head hunger is real and doesn't go away. Binge eating disorder, whether diagnosed or not (as in my case, but let's face it, I binged daily for decades) is about using food to comfort/entertain/numb/get high/all of the above. Until we find a different, healthy REPLACEMENT for food to do those things for us, you bet your sweet bippy we will return to the food. Don't take my word for it. These boards are filled with WLS unhappy endings from LapBand, sleeve and RNY patients who found a way around the physical limitations of their WLS and gained their weight back. I'm not accusing. I've read the confessionals here. And for every "help me I want to start again" confessional, there are probably twice as many who just dropped off the boards, never to be heard from again. I go to OA and CODA to work on the issues that led me to overeat in the first place. Because not only do I not want to fail at WLS and return to overeating, I don't want to replace my food addiction with alcohol or pain pills. And without working on my head, guess where I'd be next?

Ahhh, more sweet toothed folks out there! Good to meet ya! Everything suggested above looks yummy, but I would throw a word of caution out there (not to seem like a wet blanket) that I make a point of checking the calorie count of those Protein bars. 20 grams of protein sounds great, but some of those bars I've seen can pack over 300 calories! sugar-free doesn't necessarily mean "low calorie"- those things are sweetened with sugar alcohols, which can be just as high in carbs as some high octane sugary stuff. All depends on what you're trying to accomplish and watch, but for me, 300 calories isn't worth it. I can be happy with one sugar free Peppermint Pattie type candy from Weight Watchers for about 60 calories... I just eat it all slow and dramatic-like, like they do on the commercials & walk a little extra on the treadmill With that being said, sugar free pudding, Breyer's Carb Smart fudge bars & Hershey's Sugar Free baking chips are awesome!

I am 6 weeks out and just had a margarita last weekend and I've take 2 short trips. My docs main concern was counting the calories and carbs, not the "alcohol" itself. I think if you don't overdo it, you will be fine. The difference in how you feel between week 2 and week 6 is HUGE!

Thank you all so much for the encouragement. What a wonderful way to think. "Eating to live" instead of living to eat! I also appreciate that you mentioned that the diets failed me as Everyone feels like failures when they do no succeed in loosing weight and therefore you eat because you feel like a failure...at least I do. I am tired of living like that. I wish this surgery was available to my father when he was alive. He struggled and went on every diet you can imagine and finally lost weight but died a few months later at age 65. In my family food was given as comfort. As something that made you feel better and made you happy. As a reward and etc. so instead of drugs or alcohol I choose what comforted me in times of sadness and despair. The refrigerator became my best friend. I have lived in Louisiana only two years and came here from California under difficult circumstances. Because of that and my weight I rarely go anywhere and I do not have any friends. My only support is my husband of 42 years. But now the tides are turning and I have new friends.....all of you...I am so thankful to you all.

I'm a little over a year post op, and I was about 10 months when I tried my first drink. I've never been a big drinker, but I have always been curious. I drank one shot (2 oz) of fireball over the course of 10 minutes or so. Like @@Djmohr, it affected me quite strongly and quite quickly, and was gone very quickly (maybe half an hour). I did count the calories. I have not had any alcohol since then and I don't really have any desire to. Perhaps a little glass of wine at Thanksgiving, little glass of champagne at New Years, etc. It's just not really worth the calories without some kind of special occasion to me.

I'm 19 weeks post op. Some people in my monthly support group meetings have said they've started to drink alcohol about 6-10 months post op. I have absolutely no intensions of doing so but I don't have the guts to ask those people how they feel after drinking. Anyone here started drinking alcohol? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hi Carole, I say this without judgement: it sounds like you could really use some counseling, to help with the grief and the self-medicating use of alcohol. And I hear a lot of self-blame, when I think it's amazing you lost 130 lbs! We're not perfect but we do need to be accountable to ourselves. Counseling or therapy can help with that. I don't know quite what a behaviorist does, but changing behavior is easier when you address the underlying feelings that drive the behavior. Be well, Chris

Aaah, Melbourne has been in extreme shut down for ages so they’re not open for dining. Attica was listed as one of the top 50 restaurants in the world until last year & Vue de Monde’s been best restaurant in Aust a few times. Honestly, I can’t justify paying $250 -$300+ for a meal of which I’ll eat 1/3 now even if it’s fabulous. Though, at least I’d save on the alcohol part of the bill these days - lol. Last time we went to V de M, we left >$500 a head poorer. Was worth it though.

Jose Cuervo light margarita. Already has the alcohol in it. 4oz = 95 calories

Hi Everyone out there, What prompted me to write this was a wonderful lady named “Kathy”. She spurred some thoughts that I have going around in my head. First of all a big thank you to Kathy for what she said and the very nice compliment about my writing style and the things I have to say. She said they have helped her go forward to make some appointments to check out having WLS. For most of us we didn’t overeat because we were hungry. We ate for a thousand different reasons, and they were mostly emotional reasons. We have so many issues or problems in our life and have turned to food for comfort. The range is so wide, self-esteem, addictions, to food, drugs, alcohol. Our hearts and souls have deep emotional scares for various reason, we cared more for the food than we cared about ourselves. Food was or is our comfort and it was easy to hide behind being fat. For some they have been sexually or emotionally abused and the food was the one thing that we could control and NO one could stop us. Kathy said something that really stood out in my mind; and that was we were slowing killing ourselves with a “fork”. That is so true. So what will it take to motivate you to love and care for yourself enough to STOP this cycle? We do have a disease also called obesity. If we had any other disease we wouldn’t think twice about having surgery for it, we would do it because a doctor would tell us it will save your life. For some it will take some therapy, to heal enough to turn their life around. What you look like on the outside is usually not who you are on the inside where it really matters. There are so many people who love and care about you. I want you to take your power back and take the steps to move forward past the pain you feel. I never said it was easy, but you are worth all the efforts it will take. You are unique, and special. There is ONLY one of you, and you are here on earth for a purpose, and a reason. Take that giant leap forward and consider having the WLS to change your entire life forever. You have earned the right to be everything you could ever want to be. Shed the fat and let that inter person inside of you out. Look at all the possibilities and pick the right one for you. I will be the first one who will tell you, it will require work and effort on your part. WLS is your tool to use to achieve your healthy weight. Be proud of yourself for doing it. Only you can make this choice to change your life. The first time someone calls you “skinny” you will think are they talking about me? Yes, they are. If you have any questions please feel free to ask me. I had Weight Loss Surgery almost 4 years ago and Dr. Aceves in Mexicali was my doctor. I happen to think he is the very best doctor you could ever have for WLS. As a matter of fact Dr. Compos who is his partner has had VGS and so he knows all the things you have to go through to be healthy again. They are a terrific team, and when you have them, you have the BEST. Hugs, Suzanne Sleeved 10/21/2008 Lost 105 pounds

That word "just" really gets me. If you would just stick to WW, if you would just not eat after 8PM, if you would just walk more, if you would just eat protein for breakfast, if you would just stop eating out, if you would just not have alcohol, go off wheat and dairy, just, just.......well if they would just shut up and deal with their own lives, their own bodies. I've dealt with mine and I'm so grateful I did because I did just everything and got nowhere. Now I'm just living and happy, happy.

So since today is New Year's Eve I was thinking about having a glass of wine or two. I am about 5 weeks post op from my sleeve surgery, do you think this would be ok?

I generally see the world through vulgar colored glasses. How low-key, or how too much, just depends on the location and alcohol consumption.

I like alcohol my intentions are not to drink everyday! Just special occasion I'm.celebrating my 25th bday and ofcoyrse I'm not looking to get wasted and drunk just a drink without the all the empty calories that won't do too much to my sleeve and alternate with water don't like being dehydrated .....thank u tho for ur opinions they are appreciated tho....

I'm 17 months out and have been maintaining below goal for over 8 months. There is nothing complicated about my meal plan.....I simply eat a healthy, balanced diet of protein, fruits, veggies and whole grains. I don't measure, count track or buy special ingredients (except my protein powders). I'm single and don't really like to cook, so I do a lot of simple meals or whatever looks good in the grocery store deli. I eat a lot of soups and chili in the winter. I do still drink a large protein smoothie most days to make sure I'm getting enough protein. Yesterday.... Slice of turkey ham and 1 fried egg 2 large travel mugs of decaf coffee with 1/2 and 1/2 Carl's Jr. Single cheeseburger with tomato and onion wrapped in lettuce, no bun 20oz bottle Vitamin Water Seafood cocktail (fake crab meat with cocktail sauce) Mixed veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, zucchini) with Italian seasoning and parm cheese 1/4 apple with Peter Pan peanut butter Large cup of Sleepytime tea Chobani Greek Yogurt with Kashi Go Lean cereal Normal work day (I don't get a lunch break so there's lot of snacking all day)..... Decaf coffee with 1/2 and 1/2 Quest Bar or Kind whole grain bar Mixed nuts with craisins Homemade elk jerky 32 oz bottle of water Large Protein smoothie with fruit (banana, peaches or berries) and insoluble fiber supplement Protein for dinner (ham, beef, turkey, seafood, fish, whatever) Either a V8 or a couple servings of veggies, depending on how much room I have Greek yogurt Cup of tea And as for me, it's not necessarily about eating healthy 100% of the time, either. I have an alcoholic drink, candy, dessert, junk food, etc. several times a month. I pigged out over the holidays and then got back to basics afterwards. Just everything in moderation, like any "normal" thin person I know.

I had to have diagnosis of morbid obesity for 2 years prior to surgery, do 3 month supervised diet with dietitian visits ( it was actually 4 visits since first visit didn't count as a month), psych eval, prove that I complied with post op diet and exercise from previous surgery, prove that I have not been treated for controlled substance abuse within a year and that I don't consume alcohol in excess, I think that's about it. Now I have bunch of appointments to go to In the next 4 weeks for surgery clearances. Have to do nutrition class to learn how to eat post op, then abdominal ultra sound, meet with pulmonologist and see if they need anymore tests, then blood work, ekg at the hospital 2 weeks before surgery, get surgery clearance after the results are available from my primary care dr and then pre op apt with surgeon... Lots to get done, I am nervous if I will have enough time to get blood work and labs sent to my primary care dr for him to give me clearance ( which has to be before I see surgeon) ugh... I am really trying to keep the date as I am already planning around it.