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I'm 3 weeks post-op, I have followed my diet as directed for the most part, but on average I get sick once a day. Last night my husband insisted on taking me out with his friends/co-workers. I was very hesitant but still went, it was at a brewery and my husband ordered me a beer, he said just hold it so that I looks like you are drinking. I couldn't contain my self and felt awkward and stupid for not drinking while everyone else was staring at me holding a full glass. I began taking little sips and my stomach began to grumble, I didn't feel drunk like I had heard from many people that had experienced very low alcohol tolerance after surgery. I finished my drink, didn't feel sick at all, but I didn't want to stay any longer as I felt awkward and out of place. I left while everyone else -Including my hubby- went to another bar. I cried the entire way home. I was angry at my self for putting my self in that situation and for possible jeopardizing my recovery. When I got home I ate some Soup and 5 minutes later I was in the bathroom throwing up. I'm so upset and worry that I may have done more damage than I know, but also for allowing myself to give in to peer pressure and for trying to fit in with a crowd of people that I really didn't care for -except my husband, with whom I'm upset now for making me go- At the end of the day I'm a grown woman and I should be able to make better choices. Has anyone had alcohol too soon? or had a bad experience to share?

It's been just about two years since my VSG and I thought I'd share an update. I've copied my post from one year out below so that you can have a point of reference. In sum, VSG was really the best thing I ever did. While it has only been two years, my life as a big fat dude is sort of a distant memory. Let me share some of the observations I find most interesting... Positives: I'm basically at peace with food. By that I mean that I enjoy and appreciate food, but it's just no longer a monkey on my back. I weight 186 pounds (5 pounds greater than last year and about 85 down from my peek of 272). There are just so many things that you can do at a lower weight that are either impossible or unpleasant at a higher weight. I played golf all summer (walking the course), do hot yoga twice a week, play squash, mountain bike, etc.. In the gym, I can do pull ups and dips. These things were out of the question before. I shop for clothes at regular stores and beyond being able to find my size anywhere (medium / large shirt, 34" waist), clothes just fit and feel better. Oddeties I see overweight people and think they're crazy for not doing something about. I was flying home from a business trip a few days ago and saw a woman that weighed about 300 pounds shove herself into a first class seat, ask for the extra belt and then eat huge sub sandwich and a bag of chips that she brought on the plane and wash it down with a few cocktails. I wanted to send her the WLS clinic immediately. This is obviously terribly judgmental, but it's true. I still sort of feel like a big guy in my head. I used to always make fun of myself as a defense mechanism when I was huge. I would say things like "not bad for a fat guy" and people would laugh. Every once in a while I say the same thing and people just look at me puzzled. I still feel like I perpetually need to lose 5 or 10 pounds. My lowest weight post opp was 175 and though people said I looked too thin, I felt great. I'm 186 now and would really like to be 180. That's crazy talk to someone that's 2, 3, or 4 hundred pounds, but there you go. Annoyances -- not much to report, but here are a couple. I still cannot eat and drink at the same time -- there is just no room. I'm used to it now, but it sure would be nice to wash down dinner with a glass of wine, Breakfast with a cup of coffee. Instead it's drink a cup of coffee, then eat breakfast. Ditto for other meals. I still take 20mg of omeprozole daily. With it, I'm fine. Without it, I have some heartburn. Since this hasn't changed in two years, I'm resigned to taking it perpetually. Advice -- Everyone is so different so take this for what it is... If you're into alcohol pre opp, you're in for a challenge post opp. While you can't eat tons of food after WLS, it's just as easy to drink and you don't have hundreds of extra pounds to absorb it. I get into trouble with this every once in a while. If you're pre-opp and thinking about the surgery, consider what kind of overeater you are. If you just have a huge appetite and eat portions that are too large at meals (a bottomless pit), then this surgery will help you a lot. I used to be like this and now a big meal is a piece of chicken and a half cup of veg or starch -- even at two years out. HOWEVER, if you eat reasonable meals but have a problem snacking on junk food all day long, I don't think VSG is very effective. I can eat whole bags of dorritos, large portions of ice cream and drink whatever, i.e. slider foods. VSG just doesn't help with this stuff and it's easy to snack all day long and pack on the pounds. I was on this site constantly leading up to and after my surgery and really appreciated hearing everyone's story. I'm rarely here anymore, but thought I'd share some perspective especially for those considering surgery and needing some extra support or wondering what the future might be like. Feel free to comment or PM me. Family guy My Post From One Year Out November 25th is one year post opp for me and I wanted to share my observations for the year. Here you go.... Unwarranted Pre Opp Fears: I was super worried about complications and recovery and felt like I was seriously risking my life. In reality, surgery was a breeze. I had 2 or 3 uncomfortable days and then was quickly back on my feet. I dreaded pre and post opp diets. The pre-opp diet was harder for me, because I knew that my food days were coming to an end and I sort of had to mourn all the things I loved to eat. The post opp diet wasn't fun, but since I really couldn't eat anything (nor did I have any desire to), it wasn't all that difficult. Now that period is just sort of a distant memory. Standing out for eating like a mouse / not being able to dine socially -- I have a job that entails a lot of entertaining, business lunches and dinners and was really worried about this. In reality, it's been no big deal. After a while, I got used to ordering the right stuff and just picking away at my plate. When I'm done, I just put the silverware on the plate and the waiter whisks it away. This is actually what most people without eating issues do! It turns out the big eaters and the table are really focused on their plates and not yours. Every now and again, people will make a comment like "you barely ate" or "was the food not good", but they're very easy to dismiss away. Pleasant Surprises: I started the process at 255 (275 highest ever) and was hoping to get down to about 200. That goal seemed like a big stretch because the best I ever did on my own was 225 and that was by starving myself for months and working out like dog and I was only at that weight for about 5 minutes. About 9 months after surgery, I bottoming out at 175 and currently hover between 178 and 182. I didn't think my current weight was even possible, but it turns out I feel and look great at this weight. I wear a medium shirt and have a 33" waist, down from xxl and a 42" waist. This is just shocking to me. Everything is easier. sleeping, tying my shoes, clipping my toe nails, sitting in airplane seats, shopping for clothes, exercising, playing sports, etc. My joints feel better and my frequent head aches have gone away. I was pre diabetic, had high cholesterol, and elevated blood pressure. All gone. Not having food monkey on my back. I still think a lot about what and how much I'm eating and have some bad habits (see below) but the monkey is gone! For as long as I could remember prior to surgery, I woke up every morning hoping that I wouldn't overeat that day and went to bed every night feeling guilty about all the eating. Food just doesn't occupy my mind like it used to. Annoyances: Every once it a while, it would be fun to man down a big meal. I recently went to an amazing new BBQ joint in town and it would have been a great time to wolf down a huge plate of smoked meats and sides and wash it down with a few beers. That's just not possible. I had a glass of wine before the food came and ate about 20% of the plate of food I ordered and was absolutely stuffed. It would be nice to eat and drink at the same time. lunch with Iced Tea, Dinner with Wine -- I've been doing this for 40 years but again, that just doesn't work with VSG. Sometimes I eat and sip (small sips) but that's about it. I was prescribed omeprazole (prilosec) right after surgery to control heart burn. If I take it everyday, I have zero heart burn. If I stop taking it, I have a little (not horrible) heartburn. I was kind of hopping to not have to take a pill for ever, but I think that might be the case. Bad Habits / Struggles / Watch Areas: Slidder foods -- chips, ice cream, candy, etc. I can pretty much eat these foods in the same quantities as pre opp and will munch away if I'm not watching it. I've found that the best strategy is to eat the good stuff (proteins) first and then there's really no room for junk. Starting with the junk first is a bad idea. Alcohol -- I liked to drink pre opp and that hasn't gone away post opp. In fact, since food is much more effort, drinking sort of becomes easier. I now see why people caution about the dangers of substituting. Eating too quickly or too much. Food still tastes good and if I'm not concentrating, I can still eat too much and really regret it. This happens less and less now that I'm 12 months out, but it's still something I'm always watching for. In sum, VSG was the best decision I ever made. If I could go back in time, I would have done it 10 years sooner. Comments or personal messages / questions welcome.

@@Ashlegal I'm 100% sure she's right!! It's almost like being an alcoholic but our liquor of choice is food. It's an addiction. Same thing....only different.

Sugar alcohols made me EXTREMELY sick early on. At week 4, I was going on vacation and had 2 atkins bars....thought I was going to die. I try and stay away from them now.

I read in my NUT manual that sugar alcohol can cause the dump syndrome in some sleeved patients. But it went on to say to try to keep your sugar alcohol under 12 grams, if you're one of the few affected by sugar alcohols.

Of course everyone is different, but sugar alcohol normally won't cause dumping. They can cause diarrhea though, just be careful how much you consume.

I'm 7 weeks out from surgery but I have had complications so I am just now starting a clear liquid diet. My dad got me some sugar free hard candies but there are 14g of sugar alcohols. I was wondering if you can still get dumping syndrome from sugar alcohols?

@@LynnAlex My best friend had a band installed 5 years ago. He lost some weight, it was up and down, fills were common and he had a lot of problems finding foods he could eat. He lost about 40 pounds and sort of stayed there. Two years ago he deployed (as a civilian) to Afghanistan and having nothing to do, decided to get back into the military workout routine. He lost 50 pounds. Came home and had a fill. As it turns out they overfilled him. He figured he would just keep losing weight and grow into the fill. He gained weight back, 10-20 pounds up and down and has been in that range for the last two years. He had the fill reduced 2 weeks ago, and lost six pounds in his first week. The problem was the fill was so tight all he could eat were soft carbs, so in spite of walking 25K steps EVERY SINGLE DAY and being one of the most active people I know he was not losing any weight. Now that the fill set correctly, he can eat hard Protein again and had lost about 15 pounds. However, he still eats what he wants. If he wants a snickers bar, he eats one. So in spite of the band, he'll remain around his current weight just because he pushes his caloric intake everyday. Oh he is also a nighttime alcoholic, what was the odd beer or two at night is now, 8-10 oz of Jack seven days a week. I love him like a brother and would take a bullet for him (we enlisted together), but I cannot solve his drinking problem. He has to realize it's a problem, and given his past history he won't until it is too late and his wife leaves him. The point of all this was soft carbs versus hard protein, in 3 weeks I go to an unrestricted diet, and intend on eating solid foods as much as humanly possible, because with the exception of my beloved yogurt, I am a bit tired of soft food. This just gave me an idea for a chicken stir fry I could probably eat......

@@2goldengirl lol! I'm boring! My kids suck the life right out of me! I'm only 35 but each kid aged me 10 years + 10 more for the husband so I'm really 75! Yep that sounds about right. No more waking up smelling like alcohol and bad decisions lol!!!

my program says no caffeine, carbonation or alcohol ever... they had us quit on the day of orientation. I don't intend to cheat because i don't want the ulcers or diuretic effect.

OMG, I had such terrible gas pain after my VGS on 10/29/15. I took no narotics in the hospital or out. I walked and took lots of Gas X. I also realized all the things they tell you to drink are sugar free. My body had a really hard time with the sugar alcohols. Once I stopped, the pain improved. Just in case someone else is struggling

This is one of those questions, like alcohol and caffeine, etc., You ask 10 different people, you will get 10 different answers... Really comes down to what you can do, and what your Dr. says you should do. There are people here who cannot tolerate swallowing pills whole....myself, not only do I take a large multi-Vitamin whole, but other supplements as well....plus certain oral meds I need to take.... But just because I can tolerate it with no problems, does not make it Ok for the next person to do so. Again, a lot of these questions there is no right or wrong....

I know a person who had the sleeve a few years ago and has gained almost all of their weight back. This person did not stick to the plan and I believe consumes a lot of calories from alcohol.

I have just read part of your blog and I related to your story. My husband was so very unhappy with my weight although he didn't harp on about it. My health was really beginning to suffer with my right hip being replaced this time last year. I reckoned that it was only a matter of time before my arthritic knees followed suit! My cholesterol was creeping up to dangerous levels, my blood pressure was doing the same and my doctor was concerned about my blood sugar levels. Mind you, his advice was to try 'portion control'. Yeh....... right......... I was polite enough not to verbally or physically hit him!!!! As I live in the UK our National Health Service deem that I am too light to merit surgery (92kgs, 5'3" pre op) so I took matters into my own hands. My rock bottom came in June when I went to a reunion for a ballet company that I joined in 1976 when I was 19. I looked at the pics that were taken at the event and I felt so dejected. Everyone else was still sylph like but I was the lump trying to hide at the back. I knew that my husband and I couldn't afford the surgery privately in this country so I started to search the web. I eventually found what I was looking for and at a small town in Belgium I was sleeved three weeks ago today. I have been told that I have an addictive personality and have so far managed to give up alcohol and cigarettes but no matter what I did food seemed to have a stronger hold over me. I just couldn't find the 'stop' button for my stomach. I used every excuse to overeat. I tried every diet, all sorts of 'diet' pills, and when I was still a working dancer I used to go (regularly) to a very accommodating doctor in London's Harley Street who would dish out speed to enable me to lose 14lbs in three weeks! However, over the years the yo-yo dieting has taken its toll and I've ended up as a blob. I love cooking and baking but I also enjoy eating the results. My husband, like yours, has the physique of a thoroughbred racehorse and can eat for Britain if he wishes. Not that he does. I cannot begin to describe just how happy I am to have made the decision to have surgery. I feel healthier already. I walk our dogs for at least an hour and a half every day and even managed two long walks a couple of days ago and clocked up a distance of six miles between the two. I intend starting to swim again soon as I hopefully won't be so embarrassed about the roll of blubber flopping around inside my swimsuit by my bikini line as it should have shrunk enough by then! I'm still on a liquid diet (amazing how inventive you can be with Soups and smoothies) and I'm really looking forward to going onto mushed up meals. I'm not missing the hungry gannet that I used to be one little bit. My only regret is that I didn't have surgery years ago and that I left it until now. Whoever said that life begins at 40 obviously didn't get to the age of 59 and got sleeved!!!!!????

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 was sleeved on the same day as you. First day was tough but every day since then has been wonderful. I'm so glad that I had the surgery. I now have a stomach 'stop' button. I used to hate myself for being so greedy but I couldn't help myself. I've got an addictive personality and have managed to give up alcohol and cigarettes but food......... - no. I tried everything. My doctor suggested 'portion control'! Yeh, right! As I live in the UK our National Health Service wouldn't even entertain the idea of letting me have the op as I wasn't heavy enough. I had a hip replaced this time last year and I reckoned that I was going to have to have my knees replaced sooner rather than later as I was in agony with the arthritis in them. My cholesterol is high, as is my blood pressure. My doctor was concerned about my blood sugar levels but the NHS saw no good reason for something that would ultimately save them a fortune to be performed on this fatty! I went off to Belgium and paid for the surgery myself-well my husband did-and it's the best money ever spent. I am a very happy sleever.

I would keep carbs to under 10% of total calories, and the way that is done is by aiming for nearly entirely protein, and just accepting the little bits of carbs that slip in (you probably need them anyway just to keep your brain running). Nobody completely avoids carbs even if they think they are. Alcohol is a similar bad idea, and for the same reason...your body can burn that first for quick energy and thus hold onto more stored fat. Have you been cleared for exercise yet? If so, by all means go for it! It felt really great to be able to get back on the trails again.

Generally most artificial sweeteners are O.K. unless you have an allergic reaction to them. So if you can tolerate sweet-n-low before surgery, you should be able to do so afterwards. Generally, I use Splenda and Stevia. I also use sugar alcohols, such as those found in Adkin's treats. But I am a 30 months post-op. I have diabetes type 2 that went into remission the day I left the hospital. And it has remained in remission the entire time. I periodically check my blood sugar levels to validate. This link may be of help. http://acsh.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Sugar-Substitutes-and-Your-Health.pdf

I can relate to all of the above. Drinking a bit too often, occasionally drinking too much and eating way to much and too often. The more I would eat, the hungrier I would get. Obviously and especially carbs which I was totally addicted to. Am and always will be a carb addict, but luckily at this point I cannot consume them in an adequate quantity to fuel that addiction. I also recently saw "End of the Tour", a movie about the great author David Foster Wallace. It was fabulous. It briefly touched on his alcoholism and potential drug addiction (tho in the movie his character claims that he was not on drugs). It also very briefly touched on what he called a tv addiction. He did not have a tv in his house, he said that he had to give that up. Then when they were on a road trip for a book signing, he overslept one morning because he had stayed up late watching tv the night before. When they went over to a friend's house, all the friends were falling asleep on the sofa but he was wide awake and his eyes glued to or fixated on the tv. I find myself also procrastinating on things I need to be doing so that I can watch tv or just finish this one episode that turns into another and another. Then its like 4 or 5pm on a Sunday afternoon and I still have to do my grocery shopping, house cleaning, laundry etc which I should have been working on all weekend. This bad habit got really bad when I was broke and unemployed on and off during 2008-2009. I could stay up till 2am (or 3, 4 or 5) watching endless movies, and since I didn't have to go to work the next day. But now I do. But I still like to lose myself and veg out in front of the tube. Don't know if I'd ever have the balls to give it up like David Foster Wallace. But sometimes I wonder if I did, how many other books I would read or walks would I take? As far as socializing, eating out, vacations etc...I can now enjoy all these things and the company without being a member of the clean plate club. And after eating less than half my meal everywhere now what do I notice? That the thin people I'm eating with don't even notice because they only ate about half of their food too. And they did not plow through a whole basket of bread like I used to. No wonder they are skinny. I used to eat like it was a contest that I had to win. But now, for the time being, and hopefully forever, I have broken free from the grip my addiction once held. While I know that I am still an addict, I'm not in an "active" addiction right now. And I am so grateful to my sleeve for giving me that freedom and giving me my life back:-)

Decaf coffee is on my week one list and alcohol is 3 months. Discuss it with your Doctor. If you are taking your B-12 fatigue shouldn't be an issue.

My Surgeon said no coffee for 3 months no alcoholic beverages for a year.

I think I share pitfalls posted by everyone so far. Junk food, volume of junk food, timing of junk food and then float it all on gallons of beer and you pretty much have the recipe for disaster that I was following. Crazy lifestyle. I work long rotating shifts in a fast paced and stressful job. I let this single aspect of my life just about wreck my health. I didn't prepare meals like I should have. I almost never carried meals & Snacks in to work with me. Fast food on the way to & from work.......junk food from vending machines and the crapateria while there. Lots of diet sodas during the shift. Now.....I don't even take in cash with me. I bring in 100% of what I'll eat and it's much healthier and much more economical. I am blessed in that my job will allow me to walk for hours on end if I choose to. I'll be able to burn a ton of calories on the job. I also drank a lot of calories in beer. I'd work like crazy and then get a day off. That day would find me firing up the grill around mid day and popping a top. If one beer is good.....then an endless supply until bedtime is even better. Great music, relaxing and conjuring up a great meal. Son would get home from school and chow down and my wife would eat with him. I'd usually skip it and keep enjoying my brews. Late evenings......just before bedtime.....I'd want to eat leftovers and crash. So much bad with all this. Now...I'll be able to enjoy my days off so much different. Get up....have some coffee and then go hit the gym. Enjoy my tunes then while getting my elliptical and treadmill sessions in. I can still fire up the grill and cook up some tasty Protein......and break out the foodsaver on the leftovers for work lunches. I don't have and answer for the beer. I've avoided alcohol since last April while losing weight. I'll see what the future holds. I've seen some skinny margaritas that were low calorie.....basically a zero calorie mix + tequila or vodka. I'm not in any hurry to toss this back into the mix just yet, though.

There are people who become addicted to alcohol after the first sip. I think that was me with food. I just loved it. I have eight brothers and sisters, and even though we all played sports and were extremely active, I was the only fat one because I could never, ever get enough. It was all I wanted, and I spent all my money on it from babysitting cash at 13 to a good portion of my salary in my thirties. I can't believe how much extra money I have now simply because I'm not heading to a local restaurant, buying 3-4 meals and eating it in the car. Now, when I go to the grocery store, I walk up and down to the aisles and still look longingly over all the delicious things I can't eat. I flip them over, look at the nutritional info, and sometimes I put them in my cart and then dump them right before the checkout line. I really miss food. Most of it makes me ill so I couldn't eat it if I wanted to, but that doesn't change how badly I still want it. I still throw away most of what I buy because I can't eat it, but it makes me feel secure to have it around for awhile. My vice was binging though. I usually only ate once or twice a day, but I could eat enough for 3-4 people in that time. And soda? Oh boy, I lived on mountain dew for 20 years.

1. How about you? YES - no coffee/caffeine EVER, no alcohol EVER. 2. Why do you think your advice differed? No idea - some belong to "centers of excellence", some don't. Each surgeon / nutritionist has a method to their madness

I agree with @BLERDgirl. My guidelines were no alcohol or caffeine for 6 months. (alcohol may be a year, I forget) but I'm waiting as long as I can before I eat/drink the bad things, I actually dont plan to go back to most of them