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Yes I would do it again. I'm three months post surgery and finding the satisfaction from eating a reasonable portion of food at 3 meals, chewing my food slowly with every bite, making conscious choices with my food and portions and losing weight as a result has been worth it. Yes, I could and have done these things before without the lapband, but I found I slipped and returned to bad habits and regained the weight. This was the core reason for me getting the band. The band is the reminder to definitely chew slowly and thoroughly and I've found with even only 1 fill, I'm more satisfied with smaller portions than I was ever before. i've had one stuck episode and between sheer embarrassment and feeling terrible for the rest of the day, it's reminder enough to follow the rules. I've also found given I spent both the time and money getting this surgery, telling myself my health and well being is really important has helped me focus on not just the eating, but exercise, reducing my alcohol intake and adequate sleep. I fortunately started a new job post this surgery and have a new persona as the fit healthier one in the office which is a nice change. Although all that said, I did really feel like crap for a week post surgery. I was uncomfortable, having to sit up or shift around to move some of the gas pains and as a side sleeper found it difficult to get some decent rest having to lie on my back. I was really lethargic and felt like a bit of a zombie, as well as nauseous from the anesthesia. Come week two just felt like I wanted to eat something and was on the hunt for food, despite being on liquids. Week 3 & 4 on mushies, was better, but just had to be smart planning ahead or limit the amount of going out and social interaction that involved food if I didn't think having something soft and mushy was possible. But come the end of week 4 I was happy and proud to go back to the doctors to show how well I did sticking to the rules, the weight loss achieved to date and ready to get on with the real deal living with the band day to day.

I did consult him and hes the one who told me that i should start getting some alcohol in my system bcos its loaded with cals

Like my sister said once, we are all addicted to something, be it food, alcohol, nicotine, drugs, and so forth. I am from a family of many alcoholics, so I have seen what alcohol can do to lives, then drugs affected my family. I never drank until I was almost 50, and I can tell you it was a great mind numbing drug for me when I was dealing with my son's drug addiction problems, and then he died, and I still numbed my pain and sorrow. . When I went for the sleeve, I was not so sure I could quit my nightly 3-4 drinks, but I wanted this sleeve so bad that I did it. I do not know how I did it. I am just thankful that I did. I often felt I could never stop the nightly drinks, that I was an alcoholic too. You have said I have a problem, and I know from things I have heard that that is the first step. Please call a local AA, or find a meeting. I believe they appoint mentors to talk to you. Or talk to a therapist. Or talk to me, to us. God Bless you. We will listen and we will not judge you. Here's a big hug!

Not sure what type of motivation we can give you. You've identified your issues: you're socializing and making poor food & drink choices, and you're okay with how you look. I've not heard of any plans to cut back on the alcohol. Perhaps nursing a drink or doing without or any plans to change eating habits or exercise more. You know by now that this is just a tool, you have to put in the work. What's you plan to do that?

Find some friends who go to the gym and spend your evenings with them instead of the drinkers. Then drink Water. Alcohol and socializing with people who have nothing better to do is not doing you any favors. You need better friends who care about your success, not aquaintances who bring you down. They will never come up to your level. They will always drag you down to theirs.

There is a calorie-free "social lubricant" that you could use in place of alcohol. Of course, it is not exactly legal in every state, but it isn't hard to find. I have probably said too much...

There are worse things than having an A1c of 10. 1. eating and drinking things like pizza, huge meals, drinking alcohol days after the weight loss surgery. 2. Binge eating and drinking right after surgery. These things can keep a person from healing properly too. We hear a lot about these things but not about A1c.

Hi, I have been reading every single post on this site. I am 50 yrs old, 270 pounds, 33 BMI, 6'4". I have been overweight my entire life - with the usual yoyo in weight. I am scheduled for a sleeve in July with Dr. Aceves, but I am very scared. I am not worried about the surgery itself, as I think I will be in good hands. I am worried about the aftermath. 1) The pain of liquid diet in the first month 2) How soon after surgery can i go to work. 3) but most importantly - does it mean that my social life will be over. We love going out to restaurants- does it mean that it's game over? will I ever be able to eat more than a spoon of yogurt? I would love to hear from other sleevers about their life after the surgery - months after the surgery, not the first few weeks. Can you go out, can you drink alcohol (one glass of wine is enough), what do you do in family BBQ events, etc? Thanks

Why would you be miserable and unable to go out to eat/drink with friends and family? I do it all the time. Perhaps you can't drink alcohol for six months or a year... perhaps WHAT you eat when you go out will be different, especially at first, but you can go out! And isn't that time to enjoy other people's company anyhow? You can do that no matter what you are eating.

Congratulations on getting a surgery date! What you are feeling sounds pretty normal. The mental part of of weight loss is a big part of bariatric surgery. Mixed emotions will surface as you go through stages of this process. Pre surgery: Is the unknown outcome of how surgery day will be. Some experience excitement, self doubt, buyer's remorse, fear, questioning your decision. It's ok to be nervous. Know that you will have plenty of pain medication. The staff will take great care of you before, during and after your surgery. First stages : The reality will hit after you wake up in the hospital. Concentrate on how much you deserve to get your health back. Know that you will be successful. Let yourself be excited about things to come. Getting sick You will get a new sensation of what full is. Follow your instructions from your surgeon's office. Chew slow, take your time eating, Wait 30 mins before you drink fluids. I have never vomited from overeating. Even though my stomach can tolerate any type of food. I still have to make the correct food choices. Going out for drinks and meals. Drinks..Once in awhile. Sometimes I'm just as happy ordering an iced tea. ( my friends love having a designated driver) Alcohol has high empty calories. I can get tipsy after one glass of wine. (I'm a cheap date) I really feel better without a drink. To each their own... Once you get to real food stage eating in restaurants is still enjoyable. I look up the restaurant menu online. I want to be sure they have Items that fit my program. (Protein and vegetables and I'm good.) You will be amazed that small meals are satisfying. You will need a takeout box for the rest of the meal..lol When wait staff look at you perplexed because you are not diving in and finishing your plate. When They feel the need to refill your glass when you are not drinking with your meal. When they continually ask if the food is ok. Just smile and say everything is great.....Enjoy the fact you feel full. This is how eating at restaurants is going to be. you get used to it.. Side note: It's strange to Look around at restaurants and reflect back at how much I used to eat. You are right, Surgery is only a tool for weight loss. You have to really want this. You have to be willing to fight for this. Without the struggle there is no change or progress in life. Whatever your decision is, I wish you the best. Jenn

Thanks hun. It's not quite that. I only have one friend who lives miles away so I don't really go on nights out. Only special occasions with my OH and the occasional random night with my cousins. It is honestly just the fact I don't want to get alcohol poisoning or get too drunk when I do go out. More concerned about my health and safety than that! Sent from my F5121 using BariatricPal mobile app

Mine was a joke. They didn’t even ask about my eating. Seemed like more of a formality than anything. They are supposed to pickup on any untreated issues like mental illness, drug or alcohol abuse or eating disorders.

Hey all - it's a while since I posted (and I was a newbie anyway so I hadn't posted much). I told myself it was because my surgery was still so far away that it was better to step away from the board and obsessing too much... but in reality it's because I'm anxious because I haven't told my husband and I don't know how to start. The surgery is Feb 5th! We have a few friends who have had the surgery and he is very negative and judgemental, critical and mocking. My main reason for getting it is PCOS - which causes weight gain as well as some other nasty side effects. My hormone levels are getting further and further away from where they should be, and the medications I was on are no longer working and are having a negative impact on my health. Honestly, the weight loss will be a bonus for me - it's resetting my hormones and becoming healthy again that I am most looking forward to. My BMI is "low" for this surgery at 36 - but I know that it will just get worse and worse so I should deal with it now while I am still relatively young. And he knows this - he has seen my struggle with awful hormonal conditions for 17 years. But all he ever says is that I need to work out more and eat better. A few things come into play in our relationship: 1. He is 25 years older than me (which I didn't find out about until after we were engaged - he lied about his age). 2. He is an alcoholic (which I didn;t find out about until after we were married. He is a binge drinker and so was able to stay sober for the months we were engaged). 3. I have an Irish accent that people here in the US gravitate to, and he gets very jealous. 4. He is not overweight as such, but has a belly from drinking and being middle-aged that he has been trying to lose since I met him. He yo-yos a lot, and goes on extreme fasts and workouts to lose it, then gains it all back when he goes on a drinking binge. He always talks about this magical day in the future when he has lost his gut, and it never comes. It will irritate him beyond belief that this day will come for me. These things make him very insecure, and while he gives me a hard time about my weight sometimes - I think he is very comfortable with me being fat as it means I am not going to leave him or be attractive to other men. He will be jealous of me. He might try to stop me getting the surgery. I'm not being fanciful - back in 2013 I was due to have a breast reduction. My boobs were massive, always had been even when I was 112 lbs. He supported my decision, wanted me to get the surgery... then he wen on a drinking binge the week before and I caught him trying to get my insurance cancelled so I couldn't have the op. When that didn't work he tried to call the hospital and cancel it - of course they wouldn't let him. When he sobered up he was mortified and bent over backwards to be supportive when I had the op - but it happened, and I am wary. To that end I am not telling him until after this Friday, as that is the end date for open enrollment on our insurance plan. I have gotten more savvy as time goes on! Please don't be lecturing me or telling me to leave. I know what the situation is, I know what I can deal with, and I have a plan. The only place I would want to go if I left would be home to Ireland, and that can't happen until my daughter is 16 - so I have 4.5 years to squirrel away money and position myself. I have a comfortable lifestyle, and it suits me to stay. I gave up everything to move here and be with him, and I figure I'm owed and would rather be comfortable until I can leave. If we divorced some other woman would move in and get what I'm owed - there is a shortage of men around here, esp men with good jobs. And honestly (don't judge me) - he is a 67 year old chronic alcoholic. He could pass away in the next 4.5 years and me and the kids would be pretty set. He doesn't bother me, we live pretty independently, there is no animosity, I have my own bedroom, and I pretty much do my own thing (like going home to Ireland for 6 weeks every summer). I have gone to all my weigh ins and pre-op appts without him even being in the slightest bit aware - that's how separate our lives tend to be. How do I start this conversation? He is smart and educated, but very judgemental. He is a therapist (haha, I know) who has had clients who have had the surgery and not done well. But they were a lot heavier than me, smokers and substance abusers, with severe mental health problems. I have read a lot and plan to make a note of all the benefits. I have some articles to show him - but I know he won't read them (he has a very short attention span and I've never seen him read a whole article never mind a book). I plan to ask him why he doesn't want me to have it - I know that "you could die" will be the only real thing he'll have to say - but I have a medical report showing that the mortality rate for sleeve surgery is 0.08%. He can't really say "because I'm jealous" as that isn't a valid argument. If he says it is the easy way out or the lazy way out I can cite facts to show him how it isn't - but even if it was... so what? So what if it was the easy way out it gets my health back on track and me feeling better? I mean, when I was having kids it was all epidural vs. med free and breast milk vs. formula. We all made our own choices, but in hindsight it didn't matter as long as the outcome was the same: a healthy baby. I'm trying to anticipate other things he might say, or stuff I should have prepped in advance. Everyone else I have told has been very supportive - my mum, two daughters, close friends. I know 4 people in my immediate circle who have had it and have asked a lot of questions. I guess my fear is that he will try to stop it somehow - I don't expect any support, but I don't want to blindside him by telling him afterwards. I don't plan on telling him my Dr's name or the hospital I'll be at, just in case. I'm very averse to confrontation and hate having hard conversations. I'm not scared of him - he isn't physically or emotionally threatening in any way, but I am scared to bring it up. Can't put my finger on why exactly. Thanks for listening to my ramble - I guess I'm just anxious, and I really could do without it because I am a natural worrier as it is!

yes we can take most over the counter meds as long as we watch for aspirin content. however watch the items like nyquill as many contain alcohol and with our tiny tummys we can get drunk very quickly watch driving until you see how it effects you. I stay home and sleep which is what my body needs to heal anyway. hope you feel better soon

I just had my revision surgery on September 1st. GERD is Acid Reflux, and I got it pretty badly after the sleeve. It was my only complication, but in the end it was worth it to me to get the bypass. I had a very easy recovery and am very happy with my choice. Once I was far enough out from my sleeve surgery I was able to drink wine, low-calorie mixers with hard alcohol, and occasionally beer. I think you have to figure out what works for you, and stay diligent not to let it contribute to regain or become a habit. Even though we can live pretty normal food and drink lives, we have to be more diligent than others not to slip into old habits (for some of us, habits we have had our whole lives). It can feel like an uphill battle, but I can't tell you how good it feels to not feel panicked about your weight every day. Whatever you decide, good luck!

Just me, but I have spent enough time & money at McDonald's ( with 2 kids) to think I have earned a lifetime pass to use their bathrooms. LOL, BUT because I consider my association with food unhealthy, will be avoiding it like an alcoholic should be avoiding a bar!

I agree with Foxbins, my appetite fluctuates from day to day. Some days I definitely overeat, other days I eat fine, and some days I eat less than I probably should. I dropped as low as 136, but I have a large frame, so that translated into as small as size 2 in some clothing, so I was actually kind of gaunt and bony yet with some fat and loose skin. I then found that maintaining 136 required a fair bit of effort - zero alcohol, zero desserts, that kind of thing - which to me wasn't worth it. I bounced back up to 140-142 and have been there consistently for like half a year now. I bounced all the way up to 145 at some point when I was out of town for 4 weeks and eating a lot of junk while exercising a lot less than I normally do - it required some focus to get back to my normal weight. So YES, you can still gain weight if you are consistently overeating and not active enough to compensate. I don't deprive myself or starve myself, I just make better choices, e.g. eggs for breakfast instead of a cinnamon bun at the coffee shop or blueberries for a snack instead of a protein bar. I actually just took some pix today in the same spot/clothes/lighting as a year ago, and while I've gained those 4-5 lbs from 136, I look better - I'm less "soft," my butt actually exists instead of just skin hanging down, and my stomach is actually leaner. My mom said I look much healthier now than when I was in the active weight loss phase.

This is what my surgeon told me. He said that it will likely affect me more quickly and to be careful when drinking. He by no means said, however, that I can't or shouldn't drink. I've also seen that some surgeons differ on when alcohol can be consumed after surgery. I only have to wait 6 weeks, but have seen that others say 3 or 6 months.

Does alcohol alone make you dump? So straight moonshine would be OK?😀 Is it just sugary mixers that's the problem?

Day 3 here. Definitely not getting enough protein. Only bought vanilla premiere protein and can barely get it down because of the aftertaste. I ordered protein powder online Thursday and because of the holiday, will not receive it until Mon/Tues. I'm waiting on my husband to get home so I can do some liquid food shopping. Took another test, negative and have cramps so that is the last I will be writing about that. Went out last night and brought my crystal light with me. Did not miss the alcohol; but had major food cravings. There were snacks all over the place. My toddler has been having tantrums all weekend. He's non verbal with limited vocabulary so that's how he shows me he's upset. Despite that I've been trying to give him as many hugs as I can besause I will not be able to hold him for a few weeks. Ive been having creamed soup for 1 meal each day and its the only thing that holds me if only for a couple of hours but I feel like I'm cheating, each can has 9g of carbs plus the 1% milk I use. So I'm looking for alternatives. Oh and I have had no BM in 2 days. But, I'm down to 281 Sent from my SM-G930T using BariatricPal mobile app

The issues regarding alcohol and WLS are the following: Healing - alcohol is corrosive to the raw stomach tissues that have been exposed during surgery, so we need to keep away from it while the stomach heals. Surgeons differ in their opinion as to how long that should be, from a few weeks to a few months. Liver health - starting out obese or worse, our livers are often in pretty poor shape (hence the "liver shrinking" pre-op diets that some surgeons impose). Further, our livers are further stressed by their role in metabolizing all that fat that we are losing, and doesn't need any further stress from ingesting a liver toxin like alcohol (that's not a moral judgement, just basic physiology.) Surgeons vary widely as to how much this bothers them depending upon their backgrounds and WLS philosophies (short term vs. long term.) In my doc's program, we are under contract to not drink as long as we are in a weight loss phase (call it a year, though ideally forever) - with his "sideline" as a liver transplant surgeon, he doesn't want any of his bariatric patients coming back onto his transplant table. Transfer addiction - to the extent that we are/have been addicted to food (a very individual thing) that we can no longer satisfy, courtesy of our WLS, we can be prone to transferring those addictive tendencies to something else - alcohol, drugs, gambling, shopping, etc. So, a casual drinking habit pre-op can (and often does) morph into full blown alcoholism.

If you're eating 700 calories and 300 of them are wine...and you don't see this as an issue...you might have an alcohol dependence problem. Just sayin.

Only an observation...but I think gastric sleeve vs gastric bypass is the answer to why some people seem to tolerate / handle alcohol and others get hit like a brick in the head. I have a friend who had a sleeve and he can sit and drink 5 vodka cranberry drinks and it seems to not phase him. (BTW, he is 2 years in and has not had any weight regain.) I on the other hand with a gastric bypass cannot finish 2 vodka drinks without passing out before finishing my 2nd drink. Go figure, I tell my wife I am a cheap date, but seriously I will never drink and drive (not that anyone should) not even after 1 drink. My experience at home has taught me that I cannot handle even a fraction of my pre OP alcohol consumption.

and my doctor said 3 months... big difference eh? The point is that everyone's program is different. The only consistent thing is eventually they do allow alcohol again.

I've experienced the blackout thing post-surgery, too, after 3 glasses of wine, so be careful. I think its because the alcohol enters you colon more quickly that before? Drinking contributed to my original weight gain, and I suspect it is slowing my weight loss, but I find complete abstinence difficult. That night where I had 3 glasses of wine was 3x6x20=360 calories!!!!!!