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Not that I am a heavy drinker by any means, but a couple times a year I like to get together with friends and tip back a few. I am wondering how everyone's experience has been with alcohol after the band and what types of drinks people are drinking when they do drink. That you for any advise.

I was told 6 months to a year but I had my first drink 3 months out and was fine. I tried it at 3 months because about half the people on this forum said their surgeon cleared them for alcohol at 3 months while the other half said 6 months to a year. I figured it was just a preference dependent on your surgeon and when i asked him why he said so long when other said 3 months, he said it was just empty calories and I didnt need that. So, if it wasn't going to kill me, I was ready at 3 months! Not saying that is right, just telling my story. I actually tried my first beer on vacation last week in Mexico and I am exactly 6 months out. Beer made me feel a little uncomfortable, crazy burping and tightness in the chest. But I drank it nonetheless because of limited availablity of mixed drinks. I think I am going to steer clear of the beer for the most part and stick to vodka /water or vodka cranberry. You just had surgery, so you should probablly cool it for a while and give it time to heal. Just a thought.

To answer a few of your questions, no one answer fits everybody as @Arabesque say. Will your hair fall out ?? who knows, Has mine? OMG yes but I can feel the new hair sprouting. Will you wrinkle ?? who knows, Have I ? OMG yes but I was a very overweight soon to be 63 years old. Do I care ? nope because I wear pants and 3/4 sleeve tops that hide it all. My face is fine yet. I might have plastics in a few years if it bothers me then. I am saving just in case. I only told my friend of 57 years, my husband and my son. I don't want judgement or other peoples opinion, its irrelevant. I was a weekend drinker in my early years but I like to be fairly sober these days as it messes with my medication. I have had a few drinks since surgery, I am quite partial to a Bloody Mary. I can probably count the drinks I have had in 6 months on one hand. I get a buzz off one. Will I become alcoholic ? No thanks Keep doing your research, keep asking questions because in the end you are the only one who knows if its for you

I told my mom because she was my ride home from the hospital. I asked her not to tell other family members except my dad. I don't think of my family as "haters" but they are definitely judgy and many are the "skinny all my life; fat people are lazy and gluttonous" types. Actually, the overweight ones are worse in that they know all the answers, they just haven't gotten around to applying them. My husband made me tell the kids and that was the right thing to do. I'm not telling any friends except 3 close ones. They have all been very supportive. I'm happy that I haven't told other friends, family or any coworkers. I just don't want to be judged or questioned about my choice. But I will share this one great conversation I had with my close friend (size 4 her whole life) about my concerns that some people would judge me that I'd taken "the easy way" out of my weight problem. Her response? "B*tch, please! You just told me that you've given up coffee, alcohol, smoking, and croissants! That sure doesn't sound like the easy way to me!" I love that chick.

For a long time, I avoided all complex carbs and sugar, which included alcohol. I am not a big drinker, so it was not a big deal for me not to have any. Technically you can have anything you want :-). Being mindful of the calories is important though, especially if you like to snack while drinking or like to drink a bottle of wine instead of a glass. I may have been overly cautious, but during my pre-surgery seminars, one of the nurses made a big deal about the fact that many people don't lose weight because they drink their calories. She told a story about a patient who was upset that she was not losing weight, but she refused to give up her multiple sugary coffees. I found little ways to reward myself, but I am now way more conscious about ingredients, Protein levels and carb levels than I ever was.

I saw an ad on facebook for Gummy Owls. They have no sugar and have yam Fiber and a little Protein and sugar alcohols. Check them out and see what you think? http://www.gummyowls.com

After 6 weeks in my program you are free to eat mostly anything. With the exception of fried foods, sweets (processed sugar), white bread, alcohol, caloric beverages, and pasta. I eat fruit in moderation. My nutritionist said that you can have either a starch or fruit per day. I usually choose fruit. I love fruit.

It goes down easily even when you are tight because it melts and slide through- for lots of us it can be hard to stop at a small taste- i think thats the only reason some of say its a no no, if you be satisfied with the occasonal small taste its probably a reasonable treat- for me it would be like a double whiskey to an alcoholic- tough to stop!!

Would you like to be a part of research by sharing your experience after gastric bypass surgery? The survey is completely anonymous and asks questions about your body image perceptions and alcohol usage one year after having bariatric surgery. Just click on this link or copy into your browzer to complete the survey. http://nnu.us.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_aXzZzHDDZiajdC4 Thank you in advance for contributing to this all important research. Feel free to pass this survey opportunity along to anyone who has had the surgery. Warm Regards, Gina Baiamonte Northwest Nazarene University

First of all.. welcome.. I'm per op as well.. I went on vacation and you know how vacations do you.. Yummy food, different places, alcohol.. I did it all. And when I went to the nutritionalist the week after it showed! I gained 4.5 pounds in the week at I was gone.. When they told me my actions could prolong the process that I will have to come back the following week and weigh in again.. I knew I had to straighten up.. I came back did a food journal everyday.. Got all my water and protein in.. And the following week I had lost the 4.5 pounds I gained on vacation.. I was so happy with myself I have kept it up.. And lost 10 pounds total since my bad weigh in.. Keep your head up and know that it's ok to fall of the rocker sometimes.. Just gotta climb back on it.. You got this!,

Hey Mooncat! I also will be traveling soon with my little sleeve. By the time we go 'wheels up' for out scuba vacation I will be about nine weeks out from surgery. Since my first month is an all-liquid diet, I will be well into smooshies and soft foods by the time I leave. My sister did ask if I would consider hold off the surgery until after our vacation. My reply was - NEVER. I may not be able to eat everything my dive buddies eat, but I can participate in everything and enjoy a glass of Water while they have their cheeseburgers in paradise. I plan to take dry Protein power to mix with purchased bottled water for use on the plane and in my room. The Protein powder will be my fall-back when good meal choices are slim. We will have menu options such as Soups and and lots of fresh-caught ocean fish that I am really looking forward to eating. I will miss eating the cibatta bread, but that isn't on my list of edibles any more. Staying very hydrated will be my primary goal, so I will be bringing several of my favorite water bottles. Where we are going has the best-tasting pure water right out of the tap, so filling a bottle and keeping it handy will be easy. Then my next goal is to to maintain the right amount of protein. My dive buddies and I usually end up dropping a few pounds over the vacation, even with eating as much as we normally do - its an active vacation with lots of lifting, moving and swimming. I suppose I will miss the alcohol part of our vacation, but I don't often drink at home, so it shouldn't be too tough to bypass. I really don't feel 'deprived' any more like I did pre-surgery when I choose to not eat/drink something that isn't going to work for me. I guess I've turned a page on that, and it makes me happy. I anybody has some special tips that helped them during travel, please chime in!

Katierichie, don't be disappointed with yourself over a few cocktails since you only have your girls weekend once a year. We have a sleeve, but we are still human and we give in to temptation on occasion. Tell your friends you NEED to go shopping and walk as much as you can to offset the alcohol and a little extra food. Alcohol is not an issue for me as I have never really been one to drink. I think when traveling I do tend to eat more than what I need because I have no way to refrigerate the remainder.

Thanks to all who replied - update post vacation: Lost 3 pounds last week on the all-inclusive vacation! That is more than I usually lose per week at this stage. I ate what I wanted, but no rice, Pasta or fried foods - I did have a few bites of bread 2 or 3 times. I completely skipped all the free alcohol, but I had 1-2 bites of desert with dinner each day and my husband ate the rest. I took Protein powder packets with me and the staff was willing to blend them for me with a little juice or milk. I had them add a little fruit and ice. I also took some ready to drink chocolate shakes and kept them in the refrigerator in the room. I was also very careful to stay hydrated since it was about 85 degrees each day. I forgot to try Mio with crushed ice, which I was looking forward to. I took all my Vitamins and Calcium chews for the week in a zip lock bag in my checked luggage, but they disappeared. I forgot to take them the first day, and when I looked for the bag on the second day, it was gone. I can only assume that either someone working at the airport in Punta Cana or the maid took them, perhaps thinking they might be drugs? I hope going one week without them won't do me any lasting harm. One big change was the amount of exercise. My work is sedentary and it is a good day if my Fitbit records 3,500-4,000 steps. However, the resort we went to (Hard Rock hotel Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic) is so large that they run a golf cart shuttle to help you get around. I walked everywhere instead, so I was over 10,000 steps every day and went as high as 13,000! I have not exercised hardly at all since my surgery and now I see why others weight loss is much faster than mine. I know what I need to do...

@Tealael BajanSleeve's post intrigued me. If anyone has figured me out a little by now, you'll realize that I just gotta get to the bottom of anything medical or scientific. I was SHOCKED to find this: " Some people notice an increase in feelings of hunger after they start to take vitamins. Although some vitamins may affect hunger in certain situations, these increased feelings of hunger are more likely due to another cause. Although most vitamins won't cause you to feel hungry if you're healthy, people with certain conditions may experience this effect. One of the side effects of certain vitamin deficiencies is a loss of appetite. If you have such a vitamin deficiency and then begin taking vitamins to correct it, you might feel hungrier because you're no longer experiencing a loss of appetite because of the deficiency. Loss of appetite is a side effect of vitamin B-12 deficiency, which is more common among vegans, chronic alcoholics, people with digestive disorders and those who've had weight-loss surgery. A deficiency of folate can cause loss of appetite. Among the other B vitamins, thiamine, niacin and biotin deficiencies can also cause lack of appetite. Vitamin D's effect on appetite is interesting, as both vitamin D deficiency and vitamin D toxicity can cause appetite loss. A vitamin K deficiency, which is most common in people on certain medications or those who have difficulty absorbing fat, may also lead to loss of appetite." This vitamin deficiency alert scared the becheezits out of me. I need to be more vigilant about my vitamins, but it's almost a full-time job to organize. My multivitamin has to be spread out 6x/per day and my calcium 4x/per day, and then I can't mix the iron with the calcium... the sublingual B12 is the easiest to take. I'm also taking magnesium citrate now because of post-op cramping in my legs. As for vitamin D-2, I've been deficient in that for years, even though I take 50,000U 2x/per week. It's hard to keep up. And, of course, I have to incorporate my regular meds. I must be half-horse by now... considering all the horse pills I have to take!

ABSOLUTELY! I am an addict and I will admit it. When I am off carbs (when I do manage to get there) I don't crave or desire extra food. But once I cave, I'm back to my addiction. I have a glass a wine with my evening meal, but to be honest.. I could really drink another and enjoy it. After reading the OP it's scared me into not even wanting one glass now. I'm being sleeved Dec 14 and no alcohol for me until I reach my goal... And maybe not even then Traceyh... Please don't go this dangerous route of thinking surgery will help you at this point.

Hi Tracy: I'm about 2 and half years sober, meaning I dont drink any alcohol - not a drop. I will be sleeved in one week. Yes, as Cowgirl mentions above, there are cases of "transferrence" from overeating to problem drinking. I'm choosing words carefully here so as not to offend folks with the terms "food addict" and "alcoholic", but for me, that's the way I see it. Again, i am not saying that anyone here is an addict or otherwise. I happen to believe that I have a psychological compulsion to drink and once I start, I can't stop (when I was drinking). In many cases, its the same for me with food. For that reason, I believe that the are both issues/illnesses, however you want to call it are related and that they have to do with pleasure centers in my brain that look for any way to be "pleased", whether food or alcohohol or anything else. In eliminating the avenues available to seek pleasure, the brain still seeks them, thus the possible transferrence of addiction. Yes, this is dangerous stuff, and I'll soon be eliminating another possible avenue for my brain - but my brain will not turn off it's compulsivity just because my stomach is gone. Am I scared? Yes. But I know I need to do this for both my mental and physical health. I wish you the best!

Tracey, I applaud your openness on this difficult topic. I don't know of any one who is an alcoholic that was sleeved, but I do have some scary tales of woe on this subject that makes me worried about you. Years ago, a co-worker had the gastric bypass. She lost weight great, actually got pretty dang skinny. I lost track of her but during the time I was researching the sleeve, I was invited to her funeral - she was in her early 40s. I was appalled and of course assumed that it was the "dangerous" gastric bypass that killed her. No, it was the alcoholism. She died in her sleep from organ failure. In her case, she it was complicated because she was also a diabetic. Anyway, when you eat so much less, and the changes to how your body handles alcohol, it seems to become more dangerous from a health perspective. To the best of my knowledge, she was the "addiction transference" case and became alcoholic after losing her excess weight, but of course I don't really know. Life post weight loss surgery is very wonderful (dropping a 100 pounds really makes your day!) but it is also stressful. Even if a person is abstaining, you need to really know that the stress might cause a relapse. i seldom drink, but when I do - one drink is plenty. The metabolism of alcohol seems a little different now. A small minority of people develop a new addiction to replace the way they used/abused food. Anyway, I hope you are able to discuss this with a professional and get all the facts about the additional risks you may be incurring. Only you can know if this surgery is a good idea with that underlying condition, but I am worried for you. Best of luck, and you have my support whatever you wind up doing. In spite of my words of caution, I know as well as anyone the overwhelming need to get the extra weight off and how impossible it is without the tool of WLS.

I wasn't cleared for any alcohol consumption until around 3.5-4 months. My surgeon warned me against red, dry wines. I didn't ask his reasoning, but I drink white Rieslings now without issue. Some surgeon stress no alcohol until close or at goal due to the wasted calories and dehydration factor of alcohol.

It has been thee weeks since I last wrote anything here on my Blog.....shame on me because I know that I will not remember the last few weeks if I do not write it down so here goes. The last two weeks have been interesting! I have not lost much only a few pounds. I am down 30 pounds since my surgery and I thought I would have been closer to 40 by now, I am not complaining I am just disappointed in myself and let me tell you why. I like a lot of bansters have tried going back to some of my old treats like the one in mind is Wine. I love to have a glass or two and it is a way of unwinding but those glasses or even at times a entire bottle is just so many empty calories and this makes me believe that I have been hindering my weight loss instead of helping! I am going to go on a no Alcohol regime for a while and see how that is. Also I have not been on my treadmill since last Sunday and that is also something that will help with the inches coming off. After my 2nd adjustment or fill I was hoping for more restriction which I did get for about 2 1/2 weeks but now I am ready again for adjustment number 3. I like so many other blogs that I read am not real sure what I am feeling at the time of the fill so I am not sure if I am getting the max fill or if I am just getting a so so fill after all it is Me who is letting the Doc know if it feels right or not. What or Where or When Is the Sweet Spot?:thumbup: Now for any of you who might be reading this, I want you to know that this is not a BooHoo note to myself this is just a reminder that I, Cheryl, Need to be working a lot harder and to stop goofing around. I know what I need to do and I better start doing it. Also just a side note......I am still having trouble with the Free Air since surgery. It has now settled down near my bladder and makes me feel uncomfortable, the sharp pains have subsided and I am thankful for that. All in All I am a very thankful girl for this procedure all the little weirdness are worth it in the long run. Heres to being down 40 pounds by my Birthday! :biggrin:

I can definitely relate. I've put on 40 lbs in the past few years, and I've always felt embarrassed about going out in public or seeing people who knew me when I was "smaller" (relative to the size I am now). I feel like a huge ungraceful elephant compared to the others who are much smaller. I go to the gym now, and I can feel the eyes on me for being the biggest person there. I am afraid that I'm sweaty and smelly at the gym (and think people don't want to be next to the fat girl huffing and puffing on the exercise machine), and that's so embarrassing. I didn't even want to go to my 5 year high school reunion last month (because of the college weight gain), but I went anyway and had a blast. Granted, there was alcohol involved that took away any self-consciousness and awkwardness, but I'm really glad I went! Now that I'm getting the band, I hope I will regain some confidence about going in public and being myself (sans alcohol) without being judged. BTW, 20 lbs lost is a great achievement. That definitely would be a noticeable physical change on you I hope you regain your confidence, because you deserve it!

Thank you Missy, thank you so much for your kind words. You know I will be divorced 2 yrs this coming June, wow, how time flies. The hardest part for me is, I still love him, dang him. He just up one day and decided he wasn't happy and left, later I found out it was another woman. Yes, I was at fault too, we hadn't been happy in the last few years but I also want to add that I had watched him become an alcoholic the last 4 yrs of our marriage, not violent, just out drinking every night till the wee hrs of the morning and watched him lose a high paying plant managing job and college education to alcohol. He is a good person and we had many wonderful years, he was good to me. Guess that's why I still love him. Don't know why I got off on this, guess I needed to get it off my chest tonight. When I can let go of him, and the good Lord knows in His time I can feel pretty. But for now, it's time to focus on my weight loss, my health, me time, and maybe someday remarrying, woohoo....heehee. Had to find humor in there somewhere didn't I? Thank you again Missy. Donna

Your liver sits on top of your stomach, and most doctors have you go on a special diet before your surgery to "shrink" your liver. This gets it out of the way as much as possible for your surgery. For my pre-surgery diet, I had to avoid carbs and sugars and alcohol. It was also high in Protein. Some surgeons have you do a completely liquid diet pre-op, but I was able to eat all the veggies I wanted, which was wonderful. It made the pre-op diet so much nicer.

your list of fears sounds LOT like mine, for the most part. I,personally, am not going to tell my mother. luckily, there is some distance between us, about 1,000 miles, so i won't have to see her or anything for months. unless i die, she won't know about it. that's my plan anyway. i have added some comments below to your original list. Anywho-things I am scared of: 1. Dying from WLS--i am scared of this too, but i have just decided that at the end of the day, i trust my surgeon. he has done over 7,000 of these surgeries and not one person has died from it on his table. that puts me at ease. ask your surgeon what his track record is if that will help you. 2. Being put under, deathly afraid of that.--Gawd, i'm scared of that too. but i have been doing tons of research on this site and everyone has said that one minute they are mid conversation and the next thing they know they are waking up on recovery. i am sure that it is most likely the same for the majority of people. i'm still scared, but i will just tell myself to breathe. 3. Becoming an alcoholic afterwards or some other addict.-no real words of comfort here as my only addiction is currently food! if you don't have a problem with alcohol now, you shouldn't have a problem afterward. you aren't going to be able to just drink and drink and drink because you will get dehydrated, and you have to put so many ounces of fluids in, there won't be room for bottle after bottle of Jack. just tell yourself that. try to get a hobby or find something you like to do and do more of that. 4. Telling people that I am doing this.- there is nothing that says you have to tell anyone about this. as difficult as it is, i am keeping this to myself until i am either ready or i feel that i can share with someone. this is something i am doing for myself and it's not for anyone else. i know others say it's nothing to be ashamed of, and it's not, but it's MY body and what i do with it is MY choice and I don't want anyone else's opinion unless i ask for it. make sure you are ready to tell before you tell. that's all. 5. Acquiring a shopping addiction after I lose weight.- yeah, i feel you here. i suppose if you spend the money on clothes instead of food, that's a good thing. i'm pretty frugal in my fat life, and i plan to continue that, so it just depends on your personality. 6. Excess skin, my mom had a tummy tuck and I don' want to go through that!-i'm gonna have lots of this...if i lose enough weight to have to deal with it, then i will deal with it. 7. What will happen to my marriage, because I hear all these rumors about people getting divorced.-if your marriage is strong and loving right now, then you will have nothing to worry about. if you married your husband because you love him and not just because you thought he was the only one who would ever be with someone fat like you, then your marriage will be ok. if your husband loves you just how you are, and doesn't see you as fat or thin, then your marriage will be ok. ask your husband how he feels about all of this, and ask him about how he will deal with things when you are thinner. keep the communication open and be honest with each other. if you can do this, your marriage will be ok. 8. Drinking alcohol afterwards and puking.-start off slowly. everything in moderation. try drinking a small amount and not the whole bottle. listen to your body and see what it can tolerate. 9. Having to exercise, although when I do it I like it.-find something to do that doesn't seem like exercise. maybe invest in a wii or something that feels more like a game. for me, it's riding my bike and swimming. it doesn't feel like exercise. i love to do it. you just have to find that one thing that gives you pleasure that doesn't seem like a chore and do it. as the weight comes off, maybe you will find other things that will become more fun for you. i wish you the best of luck in whatever you decide. but just know that there are others, myself included, who are still scared and unsure. regardless of my fear, i am going through with this (my surgery is May 4th) and i'm going to do my best to heed my own advice. whatever you decide, it will be the right decision for you. don't let anyone, your mother included, tell you that you are lazy or stupid.

After struggling with my weight since middle school, I attended a seminar on weight loss surgery in January of 2015, fairly certain that I would have the lap-band procedure if I decided to go through with it at all. My weight has always been a sensitive subject for me, so I told no one that I was going, not even my husband. I listened to everything the surgeon said, including the issues that people with lap band were having, and that many people who had opted for lap band ended up getting a revision to the sleeve eventually. I left the seminar, impressed with the surgeon and his knowledge, but very embarrassed that I was even considering surgery. After all, I had known a few people that had surgery and gained all their weight back, and for me surgery meant that I was weak, and couldn't do it on my own. I immediately hid all the materials from the seminar in one of my dresser drawers and decided I would give losing weight on my own another shot. I decided to do a Whole 30 (for those not familiar, it's essentially an elimination diet where you get rid of all processed food, sugar, wheat, soy, alcohol, etc.) and I just knew that this time it would stick. I adhered to the Whole 30 program for the full 30 days, lost 18 pounds, and felt great about myself. Then, as is what always happens, I slowly reverted back to my old ways, and ended up gaining 25 pounds back. Just as I had every year, every diet, every resolution, every demonstration of will and determination, I had failed. Flash forward to January of this year, when the time came to consider making a change again, I gave another thought to bariatric surgery. This time, I had examples of a couple of people that had surgery and were successful. I researched more on the sleeve, and began to see where it could work for me. I had a tough conversation with my husband about my decision, who wanted to support me, but was very apprehensive. The man, whom I adore but who has never struggled with his weight a day in his life asked "Can't you just try to diet and exercise? This surgery seems very extreme." I explained all that I knew about the surgery, and, for the first time with anyone, I was completely honest about my weight and my struggles with weight loss since I was a child. While still apprehensive, he agreed to support my decision and be there for me. I attended another seminar with a different hospital in March, met with the surgeon and made the final decision to have gastric sleeve surgery. Everything was going well. My surgery was looking like it would take place in August. My insurance only required 3 months of supervised diet, I quit smoking as the surgeon required, had an endoscopy, sleep study (where I was diagnosed with sleep apnea), visited a cardiologist, was trying to do everything I was supposed to do. Then I called my surgeon's office at the end of June to check in and make sure I was still on track for an August surgery. The program coordinator got on the phone and told me that she was going to contact me, as the surgeon had made the decision to stop performing bariatric surgery, and I would need to find another surgeon. I was devastated. After everything I had done so far, I was going to have to start over. What was the point? I allowed myself to wallow for a bit, then decided that I was going to get right back on track. After all, the worst that could happen was that I may need to start from the beginning again, but if I did, what was a few more months delay compared to decades of struggle with my weight. I wound up contacting the surgeon whose seminar I attended back in 2015 and made an appointment to see him. Fortunately, they were able to get all of my records and fast track me through. After an initial denial, my insurance approved on the second request, and I was able to schedule my surgery date for August 24th. So, here I am, 5 days post op. The gas pain in the hospital was unbearable for the first 2 days, but that subsided. Right now I have pain in my upper right abdomen that is exacerbated depending on how I move or sit. Hopefully that will go away soon. I joked with my husband that this is probably how I would feel if I had stab wounds in my abdomen. I have only lost 1.5 lbs since my surgery, but I'm guessing that may be due to Fluid retention and lack of nutrients, as I am only now starting to drink my Protein and take my Vitamins. I am excited for what the rest of this journey will bring, and love reading about everyone else's stories. Sorry for the long post, this is the first time I have ever sat down and wrote about what led me to this. I hope to have some positive updates in the near future!

I became an alcoholic after the sleeve. Started with wine occ. at 4 months out and by 11 months I was up to 2 1/2 bottles a day. One half box worth. Occ. got drunk ratherwise just loved the feeling drinking. Took a nap on the couch in the evening. I was a mess. Had enough stopped cold turkey Feb. 5th 2013. I occ. will take L-glutamine if I have cravings, works well. You can become a drunk quickly, never thought I would.