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It burns a little all the way down. I haven't taken it in 2 days because I have an upset tummy and I shudder at the thought. So is this bad? I really wouldn't think That (stearyl? ) alcohol would be wise?

Hi all: This is my first post on these message boards. I am in my first month of my six-month long physician-monitored diet to receive approval from my insurer for gastric bypass surgery. I am hoping to complete the monitored diet by early August and then schedule my surgery for early October. One of my biggest concerns with this surgery is how my husband will also have to adjust to this change. I am the cook for all of our meals and we eat take-out a number of times a week. I had my psych evaluation this morning and they stressed how important it is to recognize that relationships will have to change once you have surgery. That, like an alcoholic, you can no longer have friends that "go out to the bar and drink," so to speak. My husband has never had to worry about his weight and eats anything he wants. He is incredibly supportive in my decision to have weight loss surgery but I would like to find some additional resources for him to read or watch if they exist. I think that sometimes it's easier for a spouse or family member to have some material to look at on their own rather than me talking at them all the time. Hopefully that makes sense. Does anyone who is pre-op already attend support meetings, and if so, has anyone taken his or her spouse or support person to the meetings? I am wondering if that is a good way for me to keep him involved. Anyway, that's all for now. I am sure I will be posting more on here in the future, so I look forward to talking to and getting to know some of you. Thanks! L

Ive suffered from anxiety and depression which is crazy because i havent felt this good in years!!!! I signed myself up for mental health and they said it is very common after weightloss surgery as well as divorce/breakups and alcoholism. advice/ heard of/ going thru ANYBODY?

I am in the same boat. I started March 1st - have to have 6 months of monthly NUT visits, sleep study, psych eval. Plus the program I am in requires attendance of 6 modules. I've finished everything except still have 2 more NUT visits. On Aug 19th I'll be officially done with what I need to do before they can submit to the insurance co. At first I was REALLY bummed. Now I am actually happy because I realize that I needed all this time to prepare. I have done so much research that I am now positive that the sleeve is the right decision for me (but the lap band or bypass might be the right decision for someone else) I also immediately gave up soda, caffeine, and alcohol....urhh...that was hard but I haven't had any since March 1st! The best think yet is that I have dropped over 38 pounds. Each pound will get me quicker to my goal and make my surgery a little safer. We are all so lucky to have this format to support each other. This will seem like such a short time when we look back on it. Good luck!

You are most likely fine but I hope you will stay away from alcohol for a while. It's wasted calories and just isn't worth the effort. Drinking 2 drinks is most likely over a third of what your calorie intake is for a whole day. That said if you experience any pain over the weekend I would call the dr right away.

It been a year so far and i had that moment in the first few weeks of what did I do when you realize all the things you have to keep up with and can't eat. I am really glad I had the surgery. I went from a 24 to a 10 and have lost 105lbs. My only regret is while losing I almost lost myself and became a lil vain. Honestly this has disrupted my life and I became someone I was not and did somethings i would never do. Now im paying for them. I'm not gonna get into the details but your eating habbits and addictions can transfer into alcohol or attention like they did for me. Message me if you want more details but I still wouldn't have changed my decision for surgery. I thought I did all my homework but forgot to look at the emotional after effects of the surgery. Good luck.

Thanks. I hesitated to ask the alcohol question as it seems to be a big no-no post surgery, and while Im not a boozer, I do enjoy my social drinking and would hate to give it up forever.

I'm 3 months out now, but I think I had my first post-op drink when I was 5 or 6 weeks out. I used to like to drink a glass or two of wine every night before the surgery, now I just drink when I go out, which has been 2-3 times a month lately. I try to stick to vodka instead of the sweet mixed drinks that I used to have. I definitely feel the alcohol a lot sooner, but the buzz doesn't last as long.

Sorry to hear that. I applaud you for going ahead and making yourself healthy regardless. On some level, your Mom has to know this isn't right. Any chance she would go to Al Anon and see a nutritionist to get back on track? If her alcohol issues were under control, her real self would show itself and, I imagine she would be supportive of you.

Not sure what happened to my first reply but sounds like your mom wants the best for you but she is talking from her fears. You just stay focused on your own reasons for your decision and u will be fine. As for the alcohol addiction, here's a sidebar: my therapist told me that cross addictions are not uncommon in bariatric patients because they can transfer their food addiction to something else like shopping, alcohol or gambling. In other words, we all need to have stuff worked out before we get the surgery. Wish you the best! Keep your eye on the prize!

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

I very very rarely put alcohol or toners on my face, I have just broken out so much that I was trying to get rid of all the oil. My face seems a but better today. But thank you for the aupport. I wish I could be like my fiancé who doesn't even wash his face, just uses hit water and his face is always clear! Men....

That sounded so wonderful to do something nice for yourself. I don't want to be a spoiler but I was at the dermatologist a few weeks ago and he said never use alcohol, witch hazel or any toners on the face. I have used toner, Lancome, for about 30-40 years on mine and now have stopped all. Enjoy the rest of the weekend and new week.

@@Jennifer - I just realized that you were using chewables, not trying to swallow solid Vitamins. So your aversion is probably not a stricture. Most likely the chewables you are taking contain a sugar alcohol such as sorbitol, erythritol, xylitol, maltitol, etc; most do because it's a way to keep calories down while making the vitamins palatable. Surprisingly, even most brands of chewable bariatric vitamins contain sugar alcohols, although I do recall there were one or two brands that don't. A lot of RNY patients get super sensitive to sugar alcohols after the surgery (so read labels on "sugar free" products carefully!). For me, sugar alcohols upset my stomach even more than real sugar! Unfortunately this has meant an end to my favorite Mocha Soy Frappe because Starbucks' sugar-free syrups contain sugar alcohols Sucralose ("Splenda") also bothers some people, myself being one of them, but this seems to be fairly unusual. Also many RNY patients get lactose intolerant after the surgery, so check your vitamins for that (lactose is the sugar that naturally occurs in milk). My general dairy intolerance got much worse after the surgery, so I try to avoid anything with dairy components (lactose, whey, casein) in it unless it's near the very end of the ingredient list. (Hard cheeses work fine for me though, go figure!).

A real easy way is to have some diabetic candy. It is loaded with Sorbitol which provide a 'laxative' effect. You have to figure out how much you need. If your sensitive to sugar alcohols it won't take long. Mag Citrate.... Oh, I gag at the thought...... Also, I you like tea....Smooth Move or 'dieters Tea' has senna in it. Usually works over night. Be sure you're drinking water

Alcohol is a stomach irritant. Plus risking vomitting in the early stages isn't a good idea, and drinking alcohol would only increase the risk of vomitting. Many docs require you not drink for long periods of time (mine says 1 year).

The Big Train Chai Frappe mix is delicious, but it also has sugar alcohol in it - a real bummer on the digestive system....

"drink too much...six drinks a night"...as in, alcohol/liquor?

some people get that from eating too many carbs - or from eating things with sugar alcohols in them (sugar alcohols are in "sugar free" items and usually end in -itol. Like xylitol. Or sorbitol. I can tolerate them just fine, but some people get really gassy when they eat them.

I know this has been discused before, but this is more about kids consuming these products, this was passed to me in an e-mail and I thought I would share it here..... ARE SYNTHETIC SWEENENERS SAFE FOR KIDS? THE FEINGOLD ASSOCIATION WEIGHS IN According to a new Grocery Manufacturers Association survey, almost half of all grocery shoppers now look for product with reduced sugar, and last year, the food industry introduced 2,225 no-sugar or low-sugar food products, including diet sodas, cerealsfruit juices, Cookies, ice cream, bread, flavored milk, maple syrup and even bottled Water. With so many low-sugar foods available, the Feingold Association (www.feingold.org) has found that many parents are increasingly concerned about whether synthetic sweeteners are safe for their children. "I've never seen as much interest and confusion over sweeteners as I have recently," says Jane Hersey, the association's Director. "New sweeteners are coming on the market, manufacturers are slugging it out, and most parents are having a hard time keeping track of what their options are. We're offering the 'real skinny' on these sweeteners." *NutraSweet, Equal (Aspartame) According to Hersey, the Food & Drug Administration has received thousands of reports of adverse reactions to aspartame (NutraSweet) since its approval in 1981. (It stopped collecting these reports in early 1996.) The Feingold Association has also received many negative reports, leading it to add aspartame to the list of additives eliminated on the Feingold Program in 2004. Aspartame, which is 200 times as sweet as sugar, is the most profitable synthetic sweetener ever used. It is estimated that over 100 million people in the United States, including a large percentage of children and adolescents, drink aspartame-sweetened drinks on a regular basis. It is also used in low-calorie foods, pediatric medicine, and other products. "Unfortunately, some parents try to help their kids lose weight by giving them sugar-free foods and diet sodas that are sweetened with aspartame," says Hersey. "This is a huge mistake, because aspartame has been associated with hyperactivity, irritability, aggression, and concentration problems - not to mention brain tumors." Aspartame has a long list of critics, including government scientists. After investigating the industry-funded studies, FDA toxicologist Dr. M. Adrian Gross found that at least one of them "established beyond any reasonable doubt that aspartame is capable of inducing brain tumors in experimental animals." According to Dr. Russell Blaylock, a board-certified neurosurgeon, the first safety study of aspartame produced a rate of brain tumors in the aspartame-fed rats that was 25 times higher than would be expected to occur naturally. The studies on aspartame were so fraught with irregularities that the FDA Chief Counsel recommended a grand jury be convened to investigate them (the first such request in the agency's history), and a public board of inquiry found they were inadequate on the issue of brain tumors. Three FDA scientists called the studies into question just weeks before a new FDA commisioner approved NutraSweet in 1981. The irregularities included surgery to remove tumors from the test animals and failure to determine if they were cancerous. From 1973 to 1990, there was a 67 percent increase in brain tumors in people over 65, with a 10 percent increase in all age groups. (The greatest increase started four years after aspartame's approval - in 1985, 1986 and 1987.) Aspartame is made of the amino acids aspartic acid and phenylalanine, as well as methanol, also known as wood alcohol. Products that contain aspartame are required to include a caution for people who cannot tolerate phenylalanine. According to Hersey, some manufacturers hide aspartame in foods, supplements, and medicines by simply saying "contains phenylalanine." The most frequent complaint attributed to aspartame use is migraine headaches (see www.neurology.org/cgi/content/abstract/44/10/1787). *Neotame As its patent for aspartame was running out, the manufacturer developed a new, more potent version of the synthetic sweetener. By adding 3-dimethylbutl (a chemical the Environmental Protection Agency lists as hazardous) to aspartame, scientists drastically increased its sweetening power. Hersey also weighs in on the controversy surrounding the FDA's approval of neotame, including some critics' claims that some of the industry-funded studies had few subjects, flawed protocols, and were extremely short-term (as short as one day). Evidently, some subjects reported headaches after ingesting neotame, but the industry researchers concluded that they were not related to neotame ingestion. (The fact that migraine headaches are the most commonly reported negative reaction to aspartame in the FDA's files was not mentioned in their report.) Hersey points out that although the FDA approved neotame in 2002, Europe has still not accepted it. Neotame is not marketed directly to consumers as a tabletop sweetener but is used in several hundred different food products (including baked goods), often combined with other artificial sweeteners. Because this sweetener is 7000 to 13000 times as sweet as sugar (and 30 times sweeter than aspartame) only a tiny amount is needed. "Unfortunately, it's possible that neotame could be used in some foods without being listed, since the FDA doesn't require labels to include ingredients that make up less than one percent of a product" says Hersey. *Splenda (Sucralose) The no-calorie sweetener Splenda is made by treating sugar with chlorine, which appears to prevent the body from metabolizing it in the same way as sugar. The result is 600 times as sweet as sugar. Hersey points out that McNeil Nutritionals, the company that makes Splenda, is now embroiled in controversy over its slogan that it "is made from sugar, so it tastes like sugar." Both the Sugar Association and Merisant (which now makes Equal and NutraSweet) claim that McNeil's ad is misleading, giving consumers the impression that Splenda is natural. The Texas Consumer Association has asked the FTC to investigate McNeil's marketing campaign. Other critics claim that animal studies have shown that sucralose can cause shrunken thymus glands, as well as enlarged livers and kidneys, and call for long-term human studies on its safety. They also question the manufacturer's claim that it does not break down in the digestive system, saying that it decomposes into small amounts of 1,6-dichloofructose, a chemical that has not been adequately tested in humans. According to Hersey, although Splenda does not deteriorate in high temperatures, it can be difficult for home cooks to manage. She reports that when the San Francisco Chronicle challenged pastry chefs to use it in their creations, they were all disappointed with the results. *Shugr (Tagatose and Erythritol) Shugr, a brand new sugar substitute, may pose serious competition to the diet products now on the market, although its cost ($10.00 to $13.00 for a 3.4 ounce bottle) may be a drawback, according to Hersey. Marketed under the name Swiss Diet Shugr, this sweetener is made from erythritol and tagatose. Although Tagatose (also called Naturlose) is derived from milk, it is reportedly tolerated by people who are lactose intolerant. It looks and tastes like sugar, and can be used in the same ways. It is 92 percent as sweet as sugar but has just one-fourth of the calories. Like yogurt, it contains beneficial bacteria. In addition to being used in Shugr, Tagatose has been added to a few of Pepsi's and Kellogg's low calorie products. Erythritol is a sugar alcohol, but unlike some of the others, large amounts do not cause digestive upset. It has the appearance and texture of sugar, is 70 percent as sweet, does not promote tooth decay and has almost no calories. *Sugar Alcohols Sugar alcohols are also known as "sugar polyols" and "rare sugars." They include sorbitol, manitol, xylitol, and maltitol, lactitol, and isomalt, erythritol, and hydrogenated starch hydrolysates (a blend of several sugar alcohols). Hersey points out that there is a potential for adverse reactions from these sweeteners, including diarrhea, flatulence, and damage to various organs, if they are consumed in large amounts. "My advice would be, don't go out of your way to consume sugar alcohols, because they're probably in many of the foods you're already eating. They're often added to packaged foods like sugar-free candies and cookies to add bulk and moisture, as well as sweetness." *Sunett (Acesulfame-K) Sunett was first approved in 1988 as a tabletop sweetener and is now also used in baked goods, frozen Desserts, candies and beverages. This noncaloric sweetener, which is 200 times as sweet as sugar, is stable under high temperatures and is often combined with other sweeteners. "In order to hide acesulfame's unpleasant aftertaste, it is now being teamed up with aspartame in some products," says Hersey. "The scariest thing is that it's not clear if aspartame will need to be identified, because the small amount needed might allow it to get in under the radar. This is a common problem with synthetic sweeteners." Critics claim that the safety studies required for Sunett's approval were badly flawed and that there is evidence that this sweetener has cancer-causing properties. *Sweet'N Low, Sugar Twin (Saccharin) Saccharin, which was discovered in 1879, is 300 times sweeter than sugar. When a 1977 study showed that saccharin caused bladder cancer in rats, the FDA tried to ban the sweetener. But after a public outcry (fueled in part by media reports that the lab rats were fed the equivalent of about 800 diet sodas daily), Congress passed a law placing a moratorium on the ban while additional safety studies were conducted. The law also mandated that any foods containing the sweetener carry a label warning that it "has been determined to cause cancer in laboratory animals." While some scientists contend that animal studies don't always predict how a substance will affect humans, in the late 1970s, the Food & Drug Administration and the National Cancer Institute conducted a study finding "suggestive evidence" that heavy saccharin users (those using six or more servings a day) may have an increased risk of bladder cancer. The requirement for warning labels was lifted in 2000 and saccharin continues to be widely used in soft drinks, baked goods, jams, canned fruit, candy, and dessert toppings, as well as a tabletop sweetener in restaurants. *High Fructose Corn Syrup "Although high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has become the major sweetener used in soft drinks and is commonly found in 'Fruit Drinks,' most people know little about its side effects," says Hersey. These side effects can include loss of Iron, magnesium, and zinc, as well as interference with the heart's use of magnesium, copper and chromium. Critics contend that HFCS may also contribute to childhood diabetes. In addition, HFCS has been linked to obesity, according to the April 2004 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition article entitled "Consumption of high-fructose corn syrup in beverages may play a role in the epidemic of obesity." The authors note, "The increased use of HFCS in the United States mirrors the rapid increase in obesity ... The digestion, absorption and metabolism of fructose differs from those of glucose." *Traditional Sweeteners Hersey encourages people who are nervous about the risks of synthetic sweeteners to use traditional sweeteners, such as granulated and confectioner's sugar, brown sugar, honey, molasses, and pure maple syrup. Those looking for a no-calorie choice can use stevia. Some health-conscious consumers prefer to use less processed forms of sugar, including evaporated cane juice, cane sugar crystals, and raw sugars such as Turbinado. Other natural sweeteners include barley malt and rice syrup. "The Feingold Association is not anti-sugar," says Hersey. "Some people have vilified sugar so much that it has backfired to the point where parents are giving their kids foods loaded with synthetic sweeteners like aspartame, assuming that 'sugar-free' means 'healthy.' We recognize that most people eat too much sugar, which can lead to cavities and other health problems. But that's the point -- we know what sugar does. We don't know enough about these synthetic sweeteners, and what we do know is very disturbing." "Any new chemical that is added to our food should first have to pass rigorous testing by independent laboratories (not by the manufacturer) to ensure that it is safe. Much of the 'testing' now taking place is being conducted on millions of unwary consumers, including our children." The Feingold Association The Riverhead, New York-based Feingold Association (www.feingold.org) was founded in 1976 by parent volunteers to help families of children with learning and behavioral problems, as well as chemically sensitive adults. The charity's advisory board includes medical professionals from a variety of institutions, such as Johns Hopkins University, the University of Rochester, Stony Brook University, and Sinai Hospital in Baltimore. The Feingold Association offers a dietary program developed by the late Benjamin Feingold, M.D., Chief of Allergy at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in San Francisco. The Feingold Program eliminates certain synthetic food additives and foods that have been shown to trigger hyperactivity, attention deficits, and other problems. Many studies back the link between diet and behavior/learning problems (www.diet-studies.com/adhd.html). The Feingold Association researches brand name foods and provides members with information about which foods are free of harmful additives. Its Foodlists contain thousands of acceptable brand name products and its newsletter, Pure Facts, provides monthly updates. Members of the association also receive a book on the Feingold Program (which includes recipes and a menu plan), a Fast Food Guide, Mail Order Guide, e-newsletter and product alerts, as well as access to telephone and email help-lines. An online message board, recipe board and chat room are also available. Jane Hersey A former teacher and Head Start consultant, Jane Hersey has been Director of the Feingold Association since 1985. She is the editor of the Association's newsletter, Pure Facts , and author of Why Can't My Child Behave? and Healthier Food for Busy People , both of which have been recommended by The Washington Post. Hersey has frequently lectured at educational associations, universities, hospitals, medical groups, and other organizations and has testified before the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In the 1980s, she helped initiate a low-additive school food program that lasted for several years in Fairfax County, Virginia, which has one of the largest school districts in the country. She has been interviewed by Woman's World, Baltimore's Child, the Des Moines Register , Cincinnati Enquirer, Fort Myers News-Press, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Charleston Post and Courier, ABC's Nightline, and countless radio programs. Her articles have appeared in publications such as Mothering Magazine, Welcome Home , Fostering Perspectives , and New Living.

Hi everyone! I hope all is well! I wanted to ask a question about alcohol. I have tried looking for the answers I needed in other posts but havent been successful. I am one week post op and doing well, already on soft solids and so far (crosses her fingers) no complications. This weekend is my husbands birthday, and he will be celebrating with friends. I would really like to be able to sip some Water and maybe 1 glass of wine but I dont want to cause problems with my pouch. I dont plan to get drunk just to Celebrate. Can anyone tell me what the complications may be by doing this? will it do anything to my staples... will it make me sick? I dont want to do it without being prepared and Im not making a habit but would like to be more informed. thanks for all your help and guidance I appreciate it!

Sugar alcohol is nasty. I can handle a tiny bit but I have to really watch the amount if it's in something. I get the caramel nougat Atkins and those only have 4 I think . I don't know why they put it in there. They had them before without sugar alcohol.

CAN you smoke pot and drink alcohol after band surgery? Yes. SHOULD you? No. I think you're going to have to search far and wide to find a bariatric surgeon who would approve of a patient's drug & alcohol use, and if you're not honest with your surgeon, you're not going to get the help you need with anything - weight loss, drug use, depression, anxiety, etc. etc. The basic issue as I see it is this. I know for a fact that to succeed at weight loss after band surgery, and to avoid unpleasant side effects and serious complications, you're going to have to change your behavior. You say that this is a lifestyle change, but I can't see anything in your post that indicates you're willing to change your lifestyle. Your lifestyle now seems to revolve around dope, alcohol, and school. School's fine, but if it doesn't allow you enough time to exercise now, how is that going to change after surgery? If you can't or won't regulate your drug and alcohol intake, how are you going to regulate your food intake? There is nothing in the band that will magically make you lose weight. All it does is help reduce your hunger and appetite. You must still make good food choices, practice portion control, exercise, avoid emotional/boredom/stress eating, and so on. I don't think that a habitual user of weed or alchohol is able to see the problems associated with that habit. My husband used to smoke dope every day. When he thought he was acting fine, he was acting like an idiot. There is no way he could have maintained the self-awaress to regulate his eating behavior. Eating with the band requires a lot of attention and focus to avoid side effects. I don't know how you're going to do that when you're in a happy haze every day. And by the way, after my husband quite smoking weed, he lost 30 lbs. So in summary, I don't think you're ready to have weight loss surgery. In my opinion, your depression and anxiety, and your drug and alcohol use, all need attention more urgently than your weight issue. I know my post will come across as harsh and unsympathetic, but when you ask a question in a public forum, you're going to have to take what you get. I'm not unsympathetic. I know how hard it is to live with depression, anxiety, and obesity. So, please take this post as tough love.

Trying not to be judgemental - you can drink alcohol with the band but you will get drinker more quickly. And alcohol is empty calories. As my focus is on losing weight, I avoid empty calories as much as possible. I don't use marijuana or other illicit drugs so I won't comment on that other than to strongly urge you to discussion use fully with your surgeon so he/she can be sharper and prepared for any possible implications with your surgery and follow up.

Well, I have experience with both alcohol and grass. I drink daily and smoke daily, I have been banded for 3 years, I am at my goal weight for the most part. My band is filled and eating is slow, I actually should have some taken out so that I can eat more whole foods and stop eating so much processed junk food. Anyhow, drinking is something that I have no problem with, I am able to drink one after another all day, beer, mixed drinks, whatever. Now I do have to remind myself to eat because I often skip Breakfast and sometimes have a drink before eating anything for the day but I still drink about half my calories ~1600-2200+ a day in alcohol. (Probably not recommended for everyone.) Be careful of too much carbonation in the first months especially while you are healing and still careful after that too prevent stretching of the band. TIP: I sometimes open a beer and leave in the refrigerator for a couple hours before I drink it to knock some of the carbonation down. As far as reefer goes, it actually helps my belly settle after a large meal, or while eating sometimes I get a little backed up. A toke off the pipe VERY MUCH helps with instant digestion, especially if you cough a little. Hope that helps, peace brother.