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No no alcohol, I won't be drinking at the party either. The wedding is in Mexico at the end of August and I'll see if my nut n dr clear be for a small amount then. Right now I'm really trying to play my the rules with everything. How much water do u get? I'm averaging between 45-50 oz daily.

I agree with all the others that are telling you to stop drinking alcohol. Calories aside, alcohol is a system depressent (just like a pharmaceutical depressant)- and is probably the cause of your depression, or at least, makes it much worse. Also, your system is reacting to alcohol differently than prior to your sleeve surgery. For me - I tried alcohol twice since my surgery - as an experiment to see what happens. I got a buzz on <1/2 c of beer, and a buzz on 2 tablespoons of fine tequila (sipped, not done as a shot). Beleve me, prior to my surgery, I could at least have a couple of drinks (beer or spirits) before I got to the same point of feeling a buzz. So whatever alcohol did for/to you before the sleeve - it is doing it MAGNIFIED after the sleeve. If you are having trouble staying away from the alcohol - get it out of the house until you get things back under control. Good luck!

I know this may be a little soon to think about, but I have to ask. I know that once able, that alcohol effects you a lot quicker and with a much smaller amount than previous to being banded. However, how soon did you start to attempt even a sip of alcohol? If so, what kind? I know people who have had the lap and the gastric. Some of them are back to drinking beer (I already miss this!) like they were prior to surgery, and some still play it safe with wine and clear liqours. Please dont assume that I am an alcoholic, but I am curious because I have 3 weddings to attend within the coming months, including bachelorette parties and I was curious where I stand. I dont want to try anything too soon, but I dont want to be too conservative either.

My Doctor had put me on Cholestrol Meds. They check your liver function. Well, it seems my liver tests raised up - a lot. My Doc told me I had fatty liver and it could cause problems and that I needed to loose weight. I didn't of course. So we waited and he checked them again. Still elavated. I had to cut down on the Cholestrol Meds, but still bad liver tests. Finally he told me I might have to go off the Meds, I thought he said to so I did. Well when my next liver test came back crappy he said well I guess you will need to go off the meds. You should have seen his face when I told him I already had. This was right after I had spoken to him about the band. So now I checked out Fatty Liver and found out what the real name is and how bad it is. And yes, it can kill your liver, which you can't live without. So when the Surgeon spoke at the Seminar about shrinking the liver, I knew I was in deep do do. Anyway here is the defination. I don't drink so it freaks me out, I have seen an alcholic liver. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) refers to a wide spectrum of liver disease ranging from simple fatty liver (steatosis), to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), to cirrhosis (irreversible, advanced scarring of the liver). All of the stages of NAFLD have in common the accumulation of fat (fatty infiltration) in the liver cells (hepatocytes). In NASH, the fat accumulation is associated with varying degrees of inflammation (hepatitis) and scarring (fibrosis) of the liver. The term nonalcoholic is used because NAFLD and NASH occur in individuals who do not consume excessive amounts of alcohol. Yet, in many respects, the histological picture of NAFLD (when we look at a biopsy piece of liver under the microscope) is similar to what can be seen in liver disease that is due to excessive intake of alcohol. As we shall see, however, the clinical circumstances in NAFLD and NASH are very different from those in alcoholic liver disease (ALD).

Can you drink alcohol at all after the surgery or ever? I like to drink and fear that part of it?

I'm about 5 months post op... My 21st birthday is in 6 months which will make it 11 months post op & for my 21st birthday of course I want to go out & have a drink. What drinks settle good? & you haven't had problems with? Just need opinions on drinks.. To the ppl that have negative comments don't try it with me...

First off congratulations on your tremendous loss! It is wonderful. I think it is difficult when you establish a relationship that is based off of a situation and then you have to change. I am not saying that you two necessarily have always had a "fat" relationship, but when we get comfortable in a situation, and then there is a change it is really difficult to deal with. I pulled away from my best friend after she got married, for a long time I tried to remain as close as before but the reality was, as much as we needed each other, they were seeking couples to do things with and I never fit that mold. I grew tired of being the fifth wheel (because I always was invited, but I was always alone) We are still friends, but not as close as we were. My brother and sister in law met in a bad situation, they both dealt with substance abuse issues and the first year of their relationship was completely surrounded by drugs, alcohol and partying. When the haze lifted and they decided to get clean and do better they had to establish a new relationship, nothing was the same, their friends were different, their fun time was different, but they found new friends and new fun times and turned it around into a lot of outdoor activities and have managed to turn it into a 3 year court ship and 4 year marriage. It doesn't have to be over, it may take a big fight from you. Don't let her get you down, don't let her comments get you down either. My best friend has always been quite a bit thinner than me. I have never come close to her size, and I thought the other day how weird the day will be that I can share her clothes, or even potentially be smaller. I think it is important to let them know we are the same, and how important they are in our lives.

It took 2 weeks for my itching to go away, but mine was from the surgical glue the doc sewed me up with. If you take rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball and go over the places where the tape was it'll get the extra glue off. I'm also allergic to adhesive in tapes and bandaids.

As noted by others, stomach healing and irritation is an issue at your early stage, and the alcohol is just empty calories that impede your weight loss. The third major issue is indeed your liver - even though it hasn't been physically touched by the surgery (or maybe it was, but not cut...) the liver is usually not in the best of shape in obese patients to begin with, and the rapid weight loss further taxes the liver by virtue of its' role in metabolising the fat that we're losing so it doesn't need any extra aggravation from alcohol during the period of rapid weight loss. My doc is one of those who is out on the farther end of the scale on booze consumption - none during the 12-18 months of prime weight loss - and for good reason : his other specialty beyond bariatrics is liver tramsplants, and he doesn't want to see any of his bariatric patients coming back to him for a transplant. Take it for what you will.

I like several brands, I look for low sugar, low or no sugar alcohols, and high protein- this rules out a lot of "body builder" type of bars. Other than that, go for best taste. I second the Quest bar recommendation.

Had my bypass done in dec 16. I have done awesome! I quit everything I was supposed to. I take my vitamins and drink my protein. 130 is my ideal weight and I had stayed there for several months. I had an ulcer and didn't know it so I spent a week in the hospital in Feb. I left the hospital at 127. Took me March and April to get back to 130 (I wasn't trying to gain I was just ok with it). I have struggled a bit with alcohol so I cut it out completely. And gain 3 lbs in a week!!! I'm sad, what am I going to do now that I'm really healthy, no ulcer, no alcohol, I gain??!!! I know that foods gave snuck back in and my brain knows what I need to do but why does it have to be so damn hard??!? Sent from my SM-J700T using BariatricPal mobile app

I haven't been here in five years, but I thought I should share what I've learned on this journey... 1. My sleeve was a very minor surgery. Less than 30 minutes passed between being knocked out and the recovery room. Quite frankly, I think this option should be more widely available for marginally obese people. Unlike the other bariatric surgeries - which change your plumbing, this is simply the removal of the stretchy part of the stomach. 2. Think long and hard about who you tell. I told a handful of family members and I think that was a mistake. I suggest you either tell everyone, or just the absolute minimum (spouse or care giver). Within the first year I was sure everyone knew and I felt I was being dishonest. 3. The honeymoon is real. For 18 months it's virtually impossible to gain weight, but after that, you most certainly can. My smaller stomach can hold 8-10 ounces of food and get refilled after about an hour. If you fill it with sugar or fat and keep refilling it, you can certainly get back all your weight. I initially lost about 90 pounds and that was too much. People kept asking me if I had cancer. I've since put 25 pounds back on and while I wish it was 15, it's fine. My weight is what it was when I was an athlete in college. I have used my reduced weight and energy to excercise and I think that has helped. I generally do 100,000 steps a week. Again, eating/drinking the wrong stuff and not exercising would surely lead to more weight gain. 4. I no longer count calories, but I do have a few tricks to keep things in check. I have designed a menu with a lot of 200-500 calorie meals and I have 3-4 of these every day. I burn enough EXTRA calories a day exercising to offset the calories I drink (I only drink 100 calorie cocktails - nothing sugary). 5. There's a lot of good and bad information on alcohol on this site. I waited 6 weeks (the European guideline) and the eased in with weak cocktails and wine. I don't think it hits me harder, but since I'm likely to have less food in my stomach, the effect is to be hit harder. I can see no reason to wait 6 months or a year other than minimizing caloric intake. The Sleeve is a timeout from your bad lifestyle, but it's not a permanent timeout. At some point you'll create a new lifestyle that will include birthday cakes, pizza, French fries and booze. You need to manage around all of these risky consumables. You should think about it ll as you enter your journey, never stop reevaluating, and constantly adjust. I hope this helps someone...

Well, I am only 1.5 years out... but I concur with just about everything you said! Sleeve was definitely quick... but I think I was in the OR just a little bit longer... but not by much. And I concur... they should offer this as an option to lower BMI people more often. Benefits far outweigh the risks in my opinions. About telling people... yes yes yes! Before surgery especially! Before surgery I waited until mid-way through my pre-op appointments before even telling hubby, knowing he wouldn't like it. Good choice because it meant he had less time to talk me out of it. And by the time he knew my mind was made up. Told daughter a few days before because she lived with me and would know I didn't come home for a night and didn't go to work for several weeks lol. Beyond that... I had a COUPLE people at work who knew. After? I told my boys several weeks afterwards... just before one was coming home for a visit from college. I never did tell anyone else in my family. But when I returned to work I slowly started telling other people until my entire office knew. I like the way I did it. Still have no intention of EVER telling the rest of my family lol. Honeymoon phase... I believe this is true - though I am not as far out as you since I just had my 18 month appointment 2 weeks ago. I just recently started gaining weight in the last couple of months and am currently trying to nip it in the bud. I like my weight the way it had been for nearly a year, so I plan to try harder to maintain. Unsure about counting calories. Right now I am going back to it to make sure I get back on track... but I think once I remind myself what portion sizes look like at the right calories... then I will probably go back to measuring a bit better. I do avoid drinks with sugars at all costs. Alcohol... that is the only that I don't have much experience with. I haven't had more than a couple sips on rare occasions. Just don't feel I want or need it... but not going out of my way to avoid it on purpose.

thanks.. good luck to you to. Bunnydee.... Also, are you allowed to drink alcohol after everything is healed?

Yes, true -- diet change is the primary line of treatment for actually diagnosed non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. However, in terms of treatment: gradual weight loss may improve the process in obese patients; rapid loss may worsen NAFLD. And just as with any obesity-related issue, not all obese people will have the problem. We read of so many people on the boards who were otherwise completely healthy, just overweight to some degree. Presuming that all fat people have a fatty liver is inherently prejudicial and not based on ANY EVIDENCE. Makes my effing head spin it does. So this raises two questions for me: first, was the OPoster even diagnosed? Or just "presumed guilty" as it were, by the very crime of being obese? Did they run her liver enzymes and know she had NAFLD? Second: A two-week crash diet -- which is precisely what liquid diets or severely calorie/carb-restricted diets are -- is every bit as likely to worsen the problem, if it's present, or to have zero effect at all. It's more of a compliance hurdle IMO -- which is fine, but don't dress it up and call it something else. Using very thin (disingenuous) science as a rationale for kicking people who are already down (often, way down) is the worst kind of sadism IMO. I think there are some seriously sadistic assholes working in the bariatric field -- some real fat-phobes. No kidding. I had such an outraged reaction to the OPoster's situation that I seriously will have to wait until later to do my BP check. I about stroked out reading that. What an irrational, asshole thing to do. Man of science? Neutral, objective god/surgeon? I think not. Punitive, petty, power-hungry, sadistic bastard, more like. Humiliate and shame her for gaining a couple of pounds or eating a few carbs?!? Does that seem like a reasonable reaction to ANYONE?? I'm completely outraged. I respect the fact that you said you couldn't lie, Infernored -- but I have to say, given the circumstances and the utterly biased and unfair nature of the entire situation, I would have sat there and lied right through my teeth, with a smile on my face. What an asshole. I'm SO sorry you were treated like that. You didn't deserve it. Even if you ARE completely and intractably "addicted" to carbs (ie, like 90% of your fellow humans), you STILL don't deserve to be treated like that. Yes, now you'll have to play along and jump through a few more hoops, but I really hope you won't beat yourself up over this. Feeling shitty and down on yourself and like a failure is NOT the way to start this new journey. Hold your head up high, and stick to non-white carbs and Protein as long as it takes. And if you don't lose weight again the next time round? Please, just lie. You don't deserve this. Hugs and good luck to you. (I'm going for a nice vigourous walk now, to try and calm down.)

I am just 34 days out and the only foods on my forbidden list are raw veggies, skins of fruits and veggies, corn, nuts, seeds and alcohol or carbonated beverages. I have eaten chicken, pork and beef and have tolerated all of them in small amounts. Most of my protein is still coming from protein drink. I can only eat 1-3 oz of solid food but can drink 8oz of liquid in a few minutes. It is still hard work and planning to get my minimums in everyday.

My nutritionist said no sugar alcohol or at least for the first couple weeks.

I cannot imagine drinking a shot of vodka now. I take a liquid supplement with 12% alcohol and 1/2 T dose gives me a buzz.

I spent some time last Halloween weekend with a friend of mine that absolutely loves Vodka. She made me a small drink that consisted of vodka and some kind of juice. I can tell you it hit me hard really, really fast...as in within about 5-10 minutes after drinking it. But I also came down from the buzz fairly quickly as well...maybe 30 minutes after the drink. I've always been a bit of a light weight though since I very rarely drink alcohol.

My band is 3 also. I had one taken out and I gained 10 pounds in a month! Scared me, so I had it put back in. I eat about 3 cups of food a day. I try to split it up of course and put my Protein in first. I have bad days and eat sweets and some alcohol once in a while but for the most part I follow the rules. I went through what I call the candy years. I didn't eat very healthy year 4 and 5, but luckily I managed to keep weight down. It took two years to reach my goal, and this has definately been a journey. I have to tell you when my band was too loose, I ate a big mac! I got really sick though lol. You can do it, and even though my band is the same as yours, I think that varies from person to person. I must say the option to loosen or tighten has been good for me! Sent from my SM-G925V using the BariatricPal App

Baby oil didn't work on mine I bought some special. I dabbed it on I let it sit I tried pouring it on I let it sit 15 minutes No joy. Alcohol pads didn't work either. Lighter fluid MIGHT have worked but I drew the line at that flammable stuff. I ordered "allkare" adhesive remover for $20 It didn't work either. BUT over time, it finally wore off.

Hmmm, that's a sneaky way to get free alcohol

An alcohol pad should work well too.

Also talk to your primary physician. Are you having any obesity related issues such as diabetes, high blood pressure, joint pain, etc? Insurance may not cover wls unless you have exhibited obesity related issues especially at only 20 years old. Ask your dr what he/she thinks of you having wls surgery, because you will need him/her in your corner to do it. Do you have a family history of obesity, diabetes, etc? My family is the poster child of obesity and heart disease. Research research research. I can't stress that enough. You need to research the different types of surgery, the short term and long term risks involved, what the day to day life is for post surgery patients both in losing mode and maintenance mode. Are you good about taking daily pills every single day? After surgery, Vitamins are not optional and are essential to keeping you healthy. This is a tool, not a solution. You can gain weight even after sleeved if you don't continue to follow the eating plan and make good choices. Drinking is almost prohibited due to how quickly alcohol enters the bloodstream post surgery. Losing weight rapidly will increase the likelihood of loose skin, even at your age. You can't expect to have a bikini body just because you lost weight. Basically, this is a serious decision you need to make and before you do so, you need to take the time to do your research.

Alcohol hits people very differently post-op, interestingly enough obviously not only depending on the kind of surgery a patient had. I understand bypass being a problem but tbh not really why a sleeve should propose problems, aside from being drunk on less alcohol because weight already has gone down significantly, that is. I can remember that we were advised to be cautious with alcohol because it hits differently (or can hit differently) than before. The dietitian told us to "try it at home first". Tbh, I can't remember the recommended time span that should be between surgery date and first alcoholic drink (I clearly remember though that the time span was four weeks for "real" coffee because I'm an addict. First coffee after four weeks of that chicory imitation stuff asted so damn good, rofl) - it might have been 12 weeks because alcohol is one of the bigger irritants to the stomach lining but I'm not really sure. I didn't pay much attention to this part of education because I was never much of a wine, beer or liquor consumer. Anyway, alcohol hits me like a hammer and is basically always involved when it comes to the rare occasions of late dumping and heartburn so I'm not too fond of this particular liquid drug. When I drink alcohol I always pair it with hearty food, not with sugary foods.