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Good warning. About 4months post op I had t the tiniest glass of wine at my sister's 40th wedding anniversary...oh it burned! Later, after getting to goal, I allowed alcohol as a social treat. I made a mistake one night, opened a nice red to have and essentially blacked out on 2 glasses. Yeah , I forgot to eat. I am 4 years post op and do drink socially but the key is food. Empty baby tummy plus booze is a bad idea!!

Thanks Danny, I like real stories. I have always restricted my alcohol intake and limited how many I have in any given week. My initial concern was damaging my sleeve, but I'm okayed for ibuprofen, so why not a weak Bloody Mary? After that, stalling my weight loss came second, but at this point, the sleeve won't let me eat enough to get close to the calories I'm burning. I still probably won't, but the fact that everyone says something different is bugging me!

Ok, I myself am two weeks from being sleeved, so this is secondhand knowledge. One of the gals in my support group is 4 weeks out and she was just telling us how she drinks 1 beer at bowling and a glass of wine after work on occasion. My first instinct was, is she nuts? However, she is a well educated, successful woman who has had great success with her sleeve, so who am I to judge? My doctor and physiologist said they recommend waiting a year to reintroduce alcohol, simply because they want you to reach goal and too many times, we waste calories on drinks. Also, you metabolize alcohol differently after surgery. I am a revision so I do know this from having the lap band. I would be drinking a glass of wine, it went down fine, so I had another and BAM!!! I was hammered, and throwing up... Not good!! I will probably get backlash, and I am NO expert, but I think if you can handle it, use in moderation, and are getting your water and protein first, then have a drink:) cheers????

It's a surprising, but common error for folks to read on message boards of one or two persons' WLS experiences and then extrapolate from that to "all WLS patients' experiences." As in ... "everybody who has WLS has complications / regains all their weight / becomes anorexic / loses their teeth / becomes an alcoholic / gets divorced / can't eat real food / whatever." FTR, at 15 months post-op (sleeve) I've never thrown up once. I average 90-100 grams of Protein a day. I still have a protein drink about 5 times a week. It's just food. Like milk. Like chicken, burgers, eggs and Beans. BTW, my sister who has never had WLS also has a protein drink for Breakfast during the week. She finds it convenient.

Yep, I get that too. I have changed Protein drink brands a few times, some are too thick. I am wondering if the sugar free things i am choosing to ingest have too much sugar alcohols. I am gassy all the time. Someone told me I maybe introducing too many different types of new food items. My doc is ok with eating pretty much anything - minus the sugar, butter and high carbs foods, he recommends to eat the Proteins first then if i want or have room for vegi. I have had this dumping for 2 days now. I am thinking it is related to this New whey Protein shake its no sugar- high protein but goes right through me. Anyway ---- food is becoming no fun right now.... I still feel tired as well. I keep thinking its the combonation of time change-diet change-no caffine/sugar - and the surgery are you taking your B12 and Vitamins?

I know how you feel, because I was scared at the idea of giving myself the shots too, but I've been doing it for 8 days now, and you know what? It's not that bad. Find the flabbiest part on your lower belly off the sides of your belly button, alcohol rub, pinch the chub, hold the pen over the area and just push the plunger! It really doesn't hurt that bad and it may save your life. We did our surgeries to make our lives better not end them with complications. You can do this! I am and I'm a big freaking whimp!

Great thread! Thanks to all for your transparency on this topic. I wasn't a great over-eater -- just enough of an over-eater to gradually gain more and more weight. And, believe me, when you move less and less (as you get older) and you keep eating just a little more than you need you can pile on the pounds plenty fast enough. But back to the OP topic .... I travel a lot on business, and my work is very stressful (fun, but stressful). I loved nights alone in hotel rooms -- eating comfort food AND dessert. Burgers AND chocolate cake. Salmon, potatoes AND carrot cake. Steak AND ice cream. There's a real common thread here I recognize about eating alone and unobserved. Breaking rules. Behaving as though there are no consequences. It could have been worse, I suppose. No drugs. No alcohol to excess. No unsafe sex. Just chocolate cake and carrot cake.

@@Dallas Powell I am glad to hear you went back and hopefully will make some progress. There are some things you can do and should do to help with your weight loss in the meantime. I hope you don't take this the wrong way but I am going to be straight with you. Obesity is a metabolic disease and as you know the surgery is only a tool to help you. Not eating all day completely screws with your metabolism. If I learned anything at all in the last year, you must, must, must eat 3 meals a day to keep your metabolism moving and balance your blood sugars. You also honestly have to change your thinking around "the diet". We don't diet at all, we actually learn to eat differently, healthy and it is for life. We cannot simply stop when we reach goal or the weight will simply pile back on. These steps are so important to getting past this disease and getting obesity into remission. The commitment is truly for life. There are basic rules that help each of us who have had bypass become successful, I am not sure if your doctor gave you these instructions but based on what you have said so far, I am guessing not. 1. Hitting your daily Protein goal is a must. 1 gram of protein for every inch you are tall 2. 48 to 64 ounces of sugar free liquids daily. This includes Water, Soups, etc. 3. No drinking 30 minutes before and after you eat 4. No alcohol for first year 5. No carbonated beverages 6. A food plan that is high in protein and focused on good carbs like fruits and vegetables. Stop eating processed foods, sweets, bread, Pasta, rice especially during the weight loss phase 7. Move your body as much as possible, every bit counts. 8. You must take your Vitamins. Usually Calcium citrate, Vitamin d, b12 and a daily multi vitamin. These are critical for bypass patients.

I feel like we had the exact same psych eval. I went home from my appointment so bummed out. I was told I need to seek outpatient therapy for coping with anxiety, and to abstain from alcohol for at 3 months before they will revisit my case. I honestly drink a few drinks a couple times per YEAR, like on holidays like New Years and 4th of July., but my mother is also an alcoholic so that pretty much means I am too. I've also been diagnosed with GAD (general anxiety disorder) and OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) well over 10 years ago, and have been medicated since. (Prozac only- no benzodiazepines)...now he tells me I'm bipolar according to my testing, and questions. So frustrating!! I totally understand what you are going through!

Update... 16 months since I first started this topic. I can say at this point that I can definitely tell the difference in my tolerance. I'm down around 125 lbs and sometimes after a few too many, I forget that my tolerance is not as good, and it can be a disaster lol. I have definitely been able to control it better as of late by learning to drink Water in between drinks. I still do not drink more than 1 or 2 beers in a night, mainly because the carbonation seems to fill me up. I think this might be part of the tolerance issue as well, hard alcohol vs beer.

I had my psych eval a couple of weeks ago. It was not at ALL what I expected: I filled out literally 30 pages of background information on myself, then had to answer 338 true or false questions on a computer - one of which was: "Evil spirits sometimes possess my body"...then spent not quite an hour talking to the doctor. We barely spoke about food or my relationship with food - instead, she thinks I have the potential to become an alcoholic (because my mother is an alcoholic and I enjoy a glass of wine after dinner most nights) who also has a mild case of PTSD stemming from my sister being sexually abused when we were children. I left her office completely dumbfounded, like "WTF just happened?". I really thought the purpose of this evaluation was to see where my head was at as it pertained to the surgery and the permanent changes I will need to make afterwards, but like I said - we barely spoke about the surgery. Then I get a phone call from my surgeon's office. Apparently the psychiatrist presented my "case" to a board that included her peers, as well as a representative from my surgeon's office, and together they decided that I need to see a counselor for at least a couple of sessions and have that person put together some kind of treatment plan for me before I can be cleared for surgery. The counselor I have to see didn't have any open appts until Dec 2 and Dec 9, which I have already scheduled, but even if I get the clearance on Dec 9 and it's submitted to my insurance the same day that isn't enough time for them to review and approve (provided they approve it on the first try) and for me to then do the 2 week diet in order to have the surgery done in 2015. Because in 2016 my insurances changes to a high deductible plan - $3000 vs the $700 it currently is (which of course has already been met this year). Thankfully my employer will contribute $2200 in January to use towards the deductible and/or other medical expenses, but it's still another $800 I will need to cover. Not to mention the money I will need to spend if I also need to redo any of the tests or labwork I've had to do already. I don't deny that I would probably benefit from speaking to a professional about my issues, but this surgery is one thing in my life I feel completely in control of. I am ready for it. I'm ready for the changes. With the addition of these two newest appts..with all the appts I have already been to (tests, lab/blood work, follow-ups) I will have been to a total of 24 appts since August, including the first info session. I rearranged my schedule at work countless times to accommodate my appts, burned through nearly 50 hours of vacation time...I even cancelled a cruise for this! I will have spent nearly $1500 out of pocket, because although my insurance covers the surgery and the hospital stay it won't cover any of the pre- or post- op requirements...I've got journals and food plans and I've reorganized cabinets in my kitchen to make room for "my" food... I'm dedicated and determined and READY, and I feel like I got robbed because I never even had the opportunity to tell any of this to the psychiatrist. I realize this is just a delay, not a no, but I still can't help but feel completely defeated. I have done everything I have been asked to do, and all of my doctors have been wonderful as far as working me in and helping me to get this done before the end of the year...only to be derailed by a woman I literally talked to for just under an hour and other people who never met me, never spoke to me - but yet feel they know me well enough to know I'm "not ready" for this. Sorry for the length. I just needed to vent I'll be fine. I'm just mad at the world right now. And thinkin' that I shoulda just went to Mexico.

What I'm looking for is NO STEVIA! I'll be starting a 10-day pre-op liquid only, high-Protein, low-carb diet soon. I've tried every vegan protein powder that I can find in sample packs. All of them make me gag. They are way too sweet and sweetened with stevia, which I just can't stand. All of them are pretty grainy, too, though I can actually handle that better than the flavor. My ideal flavored vegan protein supplement would contain: - Minimal ingredients (most have all kinds of veg & fruit additives, which affects flavor and increase the chances of allergies). - Sweetened with a mixture of fructose, xylitol or ertythritol, and monk fruit to get a natural low-glycemic sweetness without too much sugar alcohols. No stevia. - Not overly sweet! You can always add sweetener if desired, but once it's in there you can't take it out! - Available in chocolate, vanilla, & berry favors. - Dissolves well without a heavy grainy texture. - Has at least 15 g protein and no more than 8 carbs per serving

Sorry to hear you experience this but then again it was your choice to drink it or not. Next time just get water and it's way to early to drink alcohol. Hopefully you are not feeling sick anymore.

I still haven't gotten sick or anything. Sugar doesn't bother me. .neither does alcohol sugar. Will be careful though still avoiding sugary foods so it doesn't effect my weight loss. I was approved for Insure Nutrition shakes through insurance. .then found out they scam insurance companies by charging $5000 a month for Protein Shakes and supplements. Before my order was processed I called them to cancel it. They said ok it's canceled. .then the next day I checked my insurance and saw they processed it even though they said they canceled it. Insure Nutrition is a scam.

Or just say you choose not to drink. Nobodies business. I have had to take blood thinners for 4 years due to a random episode of PE which almost killed me. I cannot drink alcohol, as it thins my blood. Sometimes people ask, most of the time not. If they do, if I know them, I'll usually remind them I'm on blood thinners. If not, sometimes I'll tell them, sometimes I'll just say I prefer water or whatever. I've found its no big deal. Why would people look at you oddly for not drinking? I've never had anyone care.

Me personally, I like not having coffee (or alcohol) any more. I even tried a little of both and don't see any reason to bother.

Order iced tea, order Water, order whatever you want. Who cares if you are drinking alcohol or not? That is absolutely nobody's business but your own.

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......