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It's probably just bloating. I gain a little every time I drink, and it goes away in a day or so. Alcohol affects our bodies weird because of the sugars.

Yep! Still drink it too, with few repercussions. Sometimes reds give me reflux but whites are almost always okay. As for it making me gain, I tried my first drink a few months in while I was still losing, but was also still tracking religiously. When I chose to indulge, I worked it onto my day and lost fine. I also had developed a regular exercise routine burning 400-500 calories 5x per week which helps my metabolism and gives me leeway for the occasional "indiscretion". Now 2 years out, I don't track anymore, but if I gain a few pounds, alcohol and other "treats" are the first to go until it comes off.

There is a lot of vulnerability and insecurity around here. That's fine, this is a weight loss forum with a lot of strangers telling other strangers how they must cut out most of their stomach in order to keep their eating habits from killing them. Given how being fat is stigmatized in a way many other addictions/behaviors aren't (there is a heck of a lot of support/compassion for people addicted to other things, especially in the medical community), bristling at bluntness isn't an unusual reaction. It's not that I think we need to be a hug box, echo chamber, or hippy drum circle in which everyone vomits sunshine and rainbows and walks on eggshells for fear of offending the too-easily-offended. But I do think the emotional rawness and fragility is something important to keep in mind. ...Although, if I read one more "I'M SIX DAYS POST OP AND JUST ATE A PLATE OF Pasta, DRANK ALCOHOL AND SMOKED WEED, IS THAT OKAY," I'm gonna punch myself in the throat.

Keeping in mind, on some topics there is no right or wrong answer....and as soon as someone says one thing, another will come along and say the opposite...with their Dr.'s knowledge and approval.... Things such as Caffeine and Alcohol come to mind. Not everyone does everything the same way, and what one person believes is essential, can be unimportant to another...and have the success and experience to back it up.... The most important advice anyone can ever give anybody is, "What does YOUR Dr. say YOU should be, or not be doing?" From first hand knowledge with over 30 years in the field, patients will not like the tough advice their Dr.'s tell them, and will try to find other people to give them the answer they are looking for to reinforce their bad behavior... And this forum is loaded with such people...they have been told 100 times, and yet they keep asking.... Because if you ask me, I can only share what I have found from my experiences, and others will share what they have found from their experiences....and I guarantee they will not all be the same. Personally, my biggest pet-peeve on this forum is when someone will tell another person what they should or should not do....REALLY?? Are You their Dr.? Are you liable for giving the wrong info? You don't know this person, their medical history, NOTHING! All anyone can do, if they can relate to the question, is share what happened to them...otherwise, keep quiet. I hope, by setting up this FAQ, you're not setting yourself up to be THEE Authority on EVERYTHING.... Sorry for the rant.

I was really bad this weekend???? I just started dating this guy and we joined our friends at a bar for some Halloween fun and I tried alcohol for the first time since my surgery and it went really good and so I had a few more drinks and a cocoanut shot and it was the most fun I've had since surgery!! I'm 4 months post op by the way.. I know it might have been too soon but I just wanted to try and it went so good! And I didn't get as drunk as I thought I would.. I sipped between the alcohol and ice water too so it helped.. And then today I had a piece of homemade deer jerky. It was delicious!!!! So now I'm getting back on the health wagon and working my butt off to take the calories and burn off the fat that I took in this weekend.. I had my fun and now it's back to what's most important.. My health..

Hi Vets, I checked with Alex and he gave me the go-ahead to collect information that would go into a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Section that is easy to find on the Website (actually he asked if I could help coordinate it when I asked if we could do it)! That may help alleviate some of the concerns I've seen lately about re-answering questions over and over and give a resource to those that need it. I believe it would be easier than searching the forum because it is hard to figure out an exact topic to search at times and as a newbie, searching may not be the first thought of how to find information. The vets have been answering (or at least viewing) the questions over and over so I am posting this in the vets section because I feel you are the experts for this but am eager to also hear from people that are not vets as well. So three things I am asking for to collect the information for Alex to post: a) Topics for FAQs (see beginner list below) Information to put into the FAQs c) Helpful hints on how best to provide the information and set it up (any web experts out there that can help advise?) Do we need to separate out for sections for each type of procedure or is the information universal for all procedures? How best to collect the topics and information to go into the topics? (I know SharePoint would be good but I don't think we have that with this site.) I'm sure you long timers have a list of what should be there, but here is few to start: - Hormone changes after surgery and impact on mood - Alcohol when if at all? - What to bring to the hospital for surgery (I saw someone has started a list already so this one may be close to being done for content!) - Surgery in Mexico - Pre-Op diet - Post-op diet - Maintenance diet - How often should I weigh and pros and cons of different frequencies - Stalls and what to do - Plastic surgery - Surgery regret - Challenges pre-op - Challenges post-op - Challenges in maintenance - Insurance approval and what to do if not accepted - Helpful hints for each stage - What to drink to keep Water amounts to where they should be each day - What to eat to get in the Protein - What not to eat and why - What to expect day of surgery. - What exercise works best at each phase? - Thing I should definitely call my doctor right away about I know that we have many different inputs from our own doctors and NUTs and would need to preface the FAQs with the information that your doctor's and NUT's advice should be followed over what is posted here, but it is to give folks an idea of what we have been told by outs for our WLS. Any other ideas are welcome and appreciated! Thank you!

My stats are not impressive. I spent at least 8 months battling a cross addiction with alcohol. I'm better now and back on the proper path.

The food plans really differ. I was on clear liquids for the first 6 days and then we went to regular food. No juices, Pasta, potatoes, rice, crackers or bread recommended for the first six months. Protein first (60 to 80 grams a day is goal) then veggies or fruit. No coffee for 30 days, no alcohol ever. The recommended snack for first 60 days was a Protein shake and then you could switch to a Protein Bar. No salad or unpeeled fruit for the first 60 days. Two multi Vitamins a day, b12 once a week, 1500 mg Calcium citrate a day. No probiotic was recommended but I added one on my own.

#1 - I worked through this book: http://www.amazon.com/Emotional-First-Aid-Kit-Practical/dp/0976852659/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1436729032&sr=8-13&keywords=bariatric+book #2 - gave up alcohol (three day taper) #3 - Diet soda #4 - Caffeine (two week taper) #5 - Began pre-op diet two weeks before surgery. Did lunch as my slow eat practice meals for three weeks prior to surgery. Also discovered I liked Isopure green tea from GNC. RESULTS: No sudden no caffeine headaches post surgery. No soda cravings. Knew rote skills for slow eats. Was emotionally prepared. Extra Protein from Isopure kept my energy levels high.

Finally home! Things I've learned today 1) My staff love me a bit too much, if they could kill me with sugar I would be dead. 2) I'm almost positive one of them is on here spying on me, they secretly knew I was going to be on liquids so they spoke with my mother and made a list of all the things I love and brought them to me as "gifts". 3) Now that I've thought about it number 1 should be changed to they HATE me! 4) Drinking 32 oz's of water on the two hour drive to work was a big mistake....huge! Unless I want to get up 30 mins earlier to make up for all the "pit stops" along the way that just can't happen again. 5) freaking out on the HWY and cussing at the poor Honda Civic in front of me at 3am because I really need to "go" due to # 4 is neither cute or appropriate. I even flipped my badge around "just in case" they could read my lips or even see me in the dark. God was cringing, I could feel it. 6) I OBVIOUSLY didn't make it clear to my husband that I don't want to see, smell or hear about food. (Thank you Jesus for still loving a foul mouth) Oh but he gets it now. 7) Hiding the kids Halloween candy is a traumatic experience for a 6 year old. His life pretty much flashed before his eyes when it was "missing". 8) Teach said 6 year old to make his own PB sandwich, nobody needs to smell that nonsense! 9) Always have a alcoholic beverage on hand for the poor neglected, harassed husband so he can deal with my "crazy" (liquid diet) because "Sprite alone will end us up in divorce court". 10) I'm stronger than I though! Everyone else may be feeling the pain but I'm happy as can be over here! I don't know what their problem is? I haven't killed anyone yet so I would suggest they all just stop being so horrible to me!!!! I'm winning today! NOT ONE CHEAT!!!! Now on to this H2oooooooo!

I started March 1st. Having my surgery on November 24th. I immediately gave up soda, caffeine, and alcohol. I started logging all my food on the Fitbit app. I try to keep under 1200 calories. Concentrate on getting between 65-90 grams of Protein a day and keeping my carbs low. I am so thankful that I have almost lost 60 pounds. I feel like my sugar addiction is under control (of course, I know it can rear its ugly head at any time so I try to be diligent.) The two times when I thought I was going to crawl out of my skin for wanting sugar I allowed myself to have a prune. I know this sounds funny but it was nice and sweet but also has Fiber and other good things in it. I also got rid of everything in my cabinets that aren't good for me. (Because I can be really creative with putting ingredients together when I want to!) I also have changed my relationship with food. Before (I hate to say it) I would always secretly try to "cheat the system". I'd eat "diet products" that were treats and fat free things--etc. Now I am trying to give

Absolutely not irrelevant! I'm new to this journey, but as a 50 year veteran at dieting, I know that nothing is more irrelevant or annoying than hearing the opinion of someone who has just lost a bunch of weight and NOW think they know everything about the RIGHT WAY to lose weight! The truth is, they actually know next to nothing, what they claim as knowledge is simply a regurgitation of things they've read of heard from the so-called experts. Even before my orientation, I discovered how wrong the so-called experts were for the simple reason that they don't agree on most of the most important aspects of a typical WLS program... Like: Pre-opt diet liquid Diet Post-opt diet When to drink and when to eat Portion sizes When to add coffee When to add alcohol (if ever) Understand, I have seen inconsistencies in all of the topics just within my own hospital. Expand it to this forum or the whole frigging Internet and you quickly realize that THERE ARE NO RULES. Of course the typical true believer newbie will simply assume the lowest common denominator or exactly what their program told them. To me all of this is useless. While the results we're hearing about are incredible, this is ultimately still a diet (you can't just get the surgery and never worry about calories, carbs, and the scale again). Like all successful diets, we're mostly all very strict with ourselves in the beginning, but our conviction eventually wanes after we meet our goal AND THAT'S WHEN EVERYTHING GETS INTERESTING! So, to me, you vets are actually all I care about. The divergent expert opinions have already proved themselves irrelevant as are the newbie myna birds who mimic their advice. You are the most relevant participants in this board! PS: Although I have a VSG, I know there are many successful bands as well, so to me that's a distinction with no difference...

i just had surgery at kaiser richmond. We did a pre op diet of 3oz Protein with veggies and a carb (1/2 cup potato/ sweet potato/squash or slice toast whole grain bread less 80 cals) for lunch and dinner, or a fruit instead of veggies at Breakfast. Add to that 64 oz of Water, stop drinking 10 minutes before eating and don't drink until an hour after eating. Chew every bite 30 times. No caffeine, alcohol, carbonated drinks, no Protein Drinks or drinks with more than 20 cals/ cup, no straws, no gum, no Pasta, rice, fried foods, etc. It was hard at first, but i lost hella weight and after a couple of weeks started having a better connection with my hunger and more energy.

I'm taking the bariatric advantage 500mg calcium chews... they have 15 cals and 0 g sugar (2g sugar alcohols), very tasty and only have to take 3 a day.

Well done on your weight loss and your upbeat mood ! Totally agree about the target weight just go at your own speed and you will get there . It's 15 weeks today for me and I've lost over 4 stone and I feel great . The sleeve certainly lets me know if I am eating too much . If I am away from home I do my best to make a healthy choice and to date no alcohol has passed my lips !

Jeez Louise! That's nearly 1,000 calories -- of nothing but alcohol and sugar. I'll say it again ... Jeez Louise!

@Megdelyn I was a heavy drinker too before the surgery. We have drive-thru daiquirs bars here in New Orleans. I had a large (32 oz) daiquiri every night (with extra shots) for almost 30 years. I'm sure we all know how much sugar is in those things. I haven't had one sip of alcohol since the surgery. I'm leaving to go on vacation next week and will be having some margaritas, etc. I'm surprised you didn't get drunk fast. I like that slow buzz. It would take me aboutg 3 hours to nurse on my daiquiri. Did you try and drink anything other than wine? If so, did it give you heartburn?

The issue I had with those is the very high amounts of sugar alcohol. I can do 1-2 grams of sugar alcohol in a bar without the laxative effect hitting me, but 12 grams is just way too much for me to handle.

Good questions! How long did I wait? About 3-4 weeks. Wanted to make sure I was getting my full 64 oz of liquids first before any alcohol. For fear of dehydration! Any complications? I'm a big wine drinker and most of the time the acidity gives me major reflux or heart burn. Liquor I haven't noticed a problem. Don't mix with sugary stuff, high sugar can cause some "dumping" effects. Still can't handle carbonation, champagne, or beer, one sip can be painful. Weight gain? None, still loosing and I'm 6 months out. Drink much less than prior to surgery. Sip much slower. Addiction? I can stop whenever. It doesn't go down as fast and easy as it use too.

I'm sleeved since this past February and I have this issue as well mostly the running to the bathroom part with an occasional plugged up incident can't seem to find a normal I have noticed that I cannot tolerate sugar free foods as they make me so sick and they don't taste bad but my insides revolt my nutritionist said I likely cannot tolerate the sugar alcohols also noticed nuts and peanut butter can't have either even tried a lower fat type nope not happening however the upside is I'm healthier can buy clothes in regular stores and have to keep getting new pants as they keep getting too big

I feel like such an idiot, but the allure of hitting the scale proved too much for me this morning...... Down 4 pounds. And that is after pee number one, I don't know about all of you, but I get so much liquid in me that my "floor weight" cannot be determined until after pee number two in the am. At least the scale did not go up! I have two more days this week to lose weight before my official weight in on Friday morning. I'd go for my am walk, but it's 03:15 and fargin cold outside, oh and dark. The park system where I walk is great, however, it's massive and reclusive, and a number of homeless setup tents in the woods and sleep there overnight. Between 0500 and 0600 when the local corner stores open, they start drinking, I've had to put down several, let me restate, I was forced to take aggressive action to subdue drunken idiots on several occasions. No police, I was also kind enough not to break any bones or do any serious damage, just make my point "Don't F with me" and move along. My fear, is the duo, one or two of which is armed, I can drop one quick, but if the second pulls a (insert weapon here) I don't know how casually I would take it. And honestly the last thing I need is to be on the news for killing an armed homeless alcoholic. Thusly the end of an overly long paragraph is I try to avoid the park before the sun comes up, as the homeless take down their tents and move out before the police begin patrols. I guess tomorrow will be the real testing point. If I continue to lose weight, the stall lasted nearly a week, if not it's still going on, and today was just a 'teaser'. BTW my NUT indicated that "The Dreaded Three Week Stall" happens for a reason. She said, "You ever notice how it's always right after a dietary change?" then she went on to describe a variety of different dietary reasons that could cause a stall, but her logic was sound. This did not happen until the day I began eating pureed foods instead of liquids. I am not saying it's not real, obviously it is, nor am I saying that anyone is doing anything wrong, it may just be, the body reacting to a new diet component or something. Anyway, Thanks for those who posted.

yeah.... my program has us off of caffeine, alcohol, carbonated beverages, using straws, chewing gum, specific veggies (like corn and celery), yogurt, rice/pasta/oatmeal and discourages specific fruits (like watermelon, grapes and pineapple). They also highly discourage drinking calories, including Protein shakes... something that lots of programs highly suggest. Thats from orientation day out. After surgery we are supposed to do protein first, followed by veggies and, if there is room we can add a whole grain complex carb from a specific list and then fruit (suggested start with apples for lower sugar content). Every program is different...

Thanks so much for your quick reply. I took a look at the string you started earlier as well. I am interested to see if there are people who feel like they have overcome their eating disorder. Or is eating disorder recovery similar to alcohol recovery… Something we have to do for the rest of our lives. Just curious. I am doing DBT therapy as well. Trying to get as much in on the front end, prior to surgery, so that post surgery. I am really starting to think that I will never be able to stop seeking outside resources.

Thank you! I'm celebrating with some new gym clothes lol. My old ones are so baggy, and I love the cute spandex and top combos lol. I didn't have any issues, it's been relatively smooth sailing. I had to figure out when I was really full and had a couple times when I pushed it too far, but my sleeve has tolerated everything so far (starches, alcohol, sugar) albeit in limited quantities. The worst issue was constipation despite drinking 75+ ounces/day, but my nutritionist gave me a probiotic to try so I'm ordering that tomorrow!

Protein bars have a warning saying that eating too much will have a laxative effect because of the sugar alcohols they use. If you are having the monster 30g protein bars, no more than 1 a day. If you are having the 10g ones, 3 max.