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Thanks for the comments. As I said, this was a very good learning experience. I knew that caloric beverages are the arch enemy of weight loss. I don't think I can pinpoint the flawed logic that enabled this behavior. It may have been "I'm on vacation" or "it's only once a year" type of logic, or it may have been that I've had drinks before on occasion (very limited and very occasionally) without much weight loss impact. Whatever it was, this was a very good eye-opening reinforcement that for me alcohol or any caloric beverage is not compatible with weight loss.

Here are me two cents... I have tried everything to lose wt and my family and friends have seen my modest successes and then dismal failures time and time again (wt loss, bigger wt gain...). Perhaps you fear the same thing that I do. Another failure that my loved ones get to witness. I think it is natural to not want to put this out there. It is not like there is much left to try after this step. WLS is it! That is the last rung on the latter. I feel like I cannot afford to fail this time. I cannot fail because the next step on the latter is off of the roof! I don't want to fall off but at the same time I am not confident enough in my ability to be successful even with this tool. I am hopeful but fearful. Scared but excited... I felt so conflicted about telling but I did tell. Thankfully I found myself surprisingly supported. I know I will need support and I know that I cannot do this by myself. Plus, As I have been reading all of these posts on "to tell or not to tell" I started thinking that the one way we can de-stigmatize WLS is to talk about it. I wonder if I would have done this earlier if I would have learned about it earlier. The more straight forward we are about wls the better people will understand it. And really, who are we fooling by not telling? It will come out as you start losing wt. Or, by witnessing the change in your eating habits. For a period of time an alcoholic can hide their disease but we literally carry our disease around with us all of the time. It is not like our loved ones didn't realize we needed to do something about our wt, right? My black outfits do not slim me down that much! I cannot answer your question, to tell or not to tell, but I believe as I go further down my own pre-op path that we can help others in our situation by sharing our stories. We can hopefully teach others that don't have wt issues that we are NOT lazy. It is not as easy as "just not eating crap all the time." We have a disease and we are doing all we know how to do to treat it. Sure, I could go it on my own again. Take off 20lbs and put on another 30lbs. As I get older I realize that I am wasting my life with this pattern. I have given the first 40 years of my life to this disease and I have failed treating it myself. I'm not giving it another 40 years. Best of luck as you find the path best for you! Dee

alcohol will do the trick!

Ok here was my experience today. I ordered a Bahama Mama. I drank about 1/4 of it before our food arrived and during the meal. I drank the rest after I ate my correct portion. No effect from the alcohol and still feel full 3 hours later. Which is how it should be so it was fine. Next time I may try 2 drinks...:thumbup:

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!!

Everyone will have a different experience with alcohol but I'm much more of a lightweight than I was.

PS: Also no need to get high and mighty with your response... alcohol is fattening, no matter what the calories!!

You're not alone - I'm right there with you on this one. It feels awesome when people notice I'm losing weight, and on the surface I don't want to be fat. But I, too, reach for a cookie or I'll go on a mini-binge and eat anything that'll go down easy. And I have those same dark thoughts that you do. And... part of me is scared that my addiction will turn to something else unhealthy. I remember seeing on ...sixty minutes or one of those shows - the story of a lady who had gastric bypass, kicked her addiction to food, but now is addicted to shopping and she spends way beyond her means. She's in deep debt. And the previous comment talked about a lady that's now an alcoholic. What will I turn into? And right now I can blame all my inadequacies on being fat. That's why I don't have a man. I say my boss can't see past it and that's why I am stuck in a dead-end job. It's why I can't do very many activities with my kids, because I get tired so easily. It's why I don't go out much, because I don't like to be the only fat girl in the group. But I think I'm just hiding. Well, I'm not trying to hijack your post or anything, but I just wanted to let you know you aren't alone. I'm gonna check out some of the reccommended books and try to work this out on my own. Counseling isn't an option for me, but I believe there are things we can do on our own that can be very therapeutic.

Wootsie 73: I've been banded for 18 months, and while I cheat and have not lost weight as fast as I should, I do know the lap band has been highly successful in keeping me from gaining weight! I wouldn't worry so much about gaining weight on the lapband once your third or fourth fill is complete. It really is a great behavior modification tool. I find I gain weight only if I really, really want to....which means I eat small amounts, all day long, and the small amounts are very bad foods. Soooo....again, if you keep yourself from being holed up all day and eating a pile of crap, swishing it down with alcohol and/or soft drinks, then my feeling is that the band is going to work, at least to keep you from gaining again.

Kindle, I think if you can stop and stay stopped at will, you were never an addict to begin with. Addictions do start with habits, so it's advisable to be careful as you know. VSGAnn2014, same boat. Sugar in the afternoon / morning will most assuredly land me making poor food choices into the evening. Same with alcohol, I always end up making food choices I regret when I have too much to drink or end up drinking later into the evening.

Ok, so my high school reunion is the last week of October and that will put me at 2 months post op. I have a large group of girlfriends from high school that I get together with annually for a girls trip and we always have lots of drinks and fun together. At our 10 and 15 year reunion, we partied until 3-4 am. They will all be attending our class reunion of course. With all that being said, my surgery is a secret. How should I handle this reunion? Is it ok for me to have a couple? (I drink either wine, margaritas or jack and Water with lemon.) has anyone drank so soon post op? What was your experience with it? My doctor didn't give me any direction on alcohol but I've seen posts that say you aren't really suppose to. I never know what to believe due to so many conflicting stories about post op habits, diets, etc. I really have no desire to drink anything at this point. (That may change when I see all my BFF's getting tipsy) So anyone have any good excuses they have used to keep from drinking and also keep the surgery hush hush? I've contemplated just staying home pretending to be sick but I have been looking forward to this since my 15 year reunion! Lol. I rarely rarely drink, in fact, our annual girls cruise is generally the only time I drink all year. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Its all a learning process. Don't feel bad. Another thing that may have made you tighter is the alcohol. It dehydrates and my band tends to be tighter when I'm dehydrated. So, as much as possible drink cold water. The other poster that says warm/hot liquids can worsen the swelling is right. I got too tight after a fill and drank warm broth thinking it would help and it pretty much closed me entirely up for a few hours. My doctor told me afterwards to only drink cold liquids if I ever feel that tight again.

I'm only 21+ months post-VSG, so understand I'm coming at this with that kind of WLS resume. Anyway, here's my take on your quarterly binge-drinking escapades. I will bet you aren't going to drink NEARLY as much as you used to drink at these events. You'll likely be more alcohol-sensitive, and I'm betting that your natural self-protective instincts will kick in and keep you from over-doing it, especially since you're not a regular drinker. However, and this is the good part, I don't think that drinking less would / could / should harsh your party buzz at all. More good news is you'll be with friends who won't be trying to harm you. Or I hope they won't. I think the important thing to ask yourself is -- could I still have a good time if I have 3 drinks over X hours instead of 12 drinks? Imma bet you could.

Look, food can't replace real freinds and lovers, you just want it that much and that's an addiction. Just like an alcoholic or drug user the addiction drives you and controls you and all you know is you need it. Fear of failing or succeeding? Probably more likely afraid to take the first step on the journey you know you need to make, and that you can't come back once you make that decision. I had a lot of the same fears, but now I'm about 5 months out and I couldn't be happier. Now I control my relationship with food and not the other way around. I still enjoy many of the foods I love, but I can't abuse them, my sleeve won't let me. I'm still in the early part of my journey, what I didn't realize until I got here, is that the path behind me is darker than the path ahead. Good Luck to you.

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 !

Hello! I know I'm posting a lot of topics, but I am just so anxious about this procedure, and I want to make sure I am 100% prepared. I just have a few questions about what to expect and what to do. It's ok if you're unable to answer all of my questions. Any advice is very much appreciated. 1. How long should I expect to be off from work after surgery? I know that it is up to the doctor, but I just want an estimated idea. I work a very low physical job. So, there will be barely, if any, physical duties. 2. Will I have to avoid carbonated drinks for the rest of my life? I'm not a huge soda drinker, but I do drink it from time-to-time. I know that I'll have to avoid anything carbonated 6 months post-OP. But does that mean for the rest of my life, as well? It's ok if I have to. I'm just curious. 3. Are Protein drinks, like Muscle Milk, the type of Protein Drinks that I'll be able to drink, or will they have to be made? 4. Will I have to stop drinking alcohol completely? I rarely drink, but when I get around my childhood friends, they love to drink, and sometimes I'll drink a little. 5. Has anyone with PCOS had any improvement with their symptoms? If so, please explain. 6. What would you say is an emotional eater? I've noticed a few people get depressed after having the surgery because they aren't hungry enough to eat a lot of food like they used to be able to do. I don't necessarily know if I'm an emotional eater or not. I think I'm more of a 'boredom eater'. I'm mostly bored because I'm so overweight that I can't do the things I wish I could. My weight has caused me to become a hermit and very tired/lazy. But I hardly ever snack when I'm at home. I usually just eat big meals and then I'm done. When I do snack, I make it my meal. Strangely enough, when I'm depressed, I can't eat. My eating habits make people wonder why I am as big as I am, since I don't snack. I tell everyone it's my PCOS, which I'm sure is the truth. 7. Will I still be able to take Adderall after the surgery? Adderall helps my OCD. My OCD causes me to lose concentration on important things, so Adderall helps keep me focused. 8. Is there any long-term pain after the surgery? 9. Will I be able to have kids? I'm only 24 years old (25 in about 2 weeks) and I have no kids. I want kids in my future. 10. Will I really have to drink 6-8 cups of Water a day? I barely drink 3 cups a day because a lot of water makes me feel sick. 11. Is it true that laying down after eating should be avoided? So far, those are the only questions I can think of. I may have more later.

Congrats on your weight loss!!! Working out isn't my favorite thing to do- but it actually makes me feel better afterwards. Are you going to therapy for depression? Maybe the dr's need to change- up your meds. Have you gone to any bariatric support group meetings? Can you still go out with your friends and not have alcohol? Good luck!! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I had my 1 week post-op follow up yesterday & they told me that I'm ok to drink alcohol again. They even said an occasional beer here or there is ok, but did highly discourage it because of it being empty calories. So, I had a small glass of scotch last night instead! It was so nice!

I was told absolutely not for several reasons. Beer is not good because of the carbonation. Wine and hard liquor can easily irritate the staple line. Also it is very common to replace eating with alcohol consumption post op. It's a dangerous slippery slope.

My nutritionist was just talking about this yesterday... She said I'd probably never drink alcohol again because my stomach wouldn't break it down the same and it would be horrible for my liver with that being said- we're adults and if I must have a drink wait at least 6 months post op so the new stomach can heal. Sent from my SM-N900T using the BariatricPal App

@@Monet08 I too am worried about that. I haven't gained since my original assessment but I'm not down to the goal he originally set. Last Monday I cut out all carbs, alcohol, and really upped my Water intake. I'm having a small Protein rich Breakfast, half a Protein Drink as a morning snack, a really light lunch (sometimes just more protein drink), raw veggies for an afternoon snack (and for the fiber) and a super light dinner. Protein and cooked veggie only. I lost 2 pounds. That's something but this is really difficult. I just want to get to my last appointment before the surgery and weigh in. By the way, I'm also scheduled for September 14th.

I have a pretty bad intolerance for sugar alcohols (sorbitol, xylitol, mannitol, etc.). Can't handle aspartame either. Also lactose intolerant. It's possible you reacted to all those things as some people (from what i've read in here) can't after the surgery if not before (I haven't had surgery yet). You know the surgeon well - maybe he knows? :-) Is there a dietician on your team you can speak with?

Sugar alcohols are very common in "sugar free" sweets and they are extremely hard on the digestive system for anyone, let alone someone with a tiny, traumatized stomach. You learned a good lesson -- sweet food, even fake sweet food, should not be what you are trying to justify to yourself right now! Just put it off the menu of possibilities entirely for right now. To make yourself maybe feel a little better, read the critical reviews on Amazon for sugar free gummy bears (which contain sugar alcohols, like most sugar free yogurt). You are not alone in your suffering! https://www.amazon.com/Haribo-Sugar-Free-Gummy-Bears/product-reviews/B008JELLCA/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_viewpnt_rgt?filterByStar=critical&pageNumber=1

I drink coffee daily , no sign of an ulcer Some people on here drink wine often, search the threads specifically for alcohol use and ulcers. VSG2017 HW 249 SW 238 CW 167

@@cbonet I think therapy pre-op is so important. Obesity is a disease - there's no reason to beat yourself up. It's important to get emotionally ready for WLS. It's often more emotionally challenging than physically challenging. You won't have food to deal with your emotions and certainly don't want to turn to alcohol or prescription drugs as some family. Also - this is your journey - take care of yourself! We all have similar issues with food.