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Well, I think I have the best doctor in the world and I had absolutely no alcohol restriction except that you should be avoiding getting calories from liquids. There is some statistical data that indicates a higher rate of alcoholism in WLS patients, but there is also a higher rate of sex addiction. The fact is that if you are a food addict and the surgery takes away, or impedes that addiction an addiction transfer can occur. Just take it easy and talk to your doctor if you can.

Just catching up on this thread -- not sure why it hasn't been coming up for me but glad that people are posting here in our little sub-group. We are having a beautiful summer here, which is so welcome after a long hard winter. Gardening a lot and quite active which feels good. I'm having anxiety, though, and trying to learn how not to anticipate situations and get tense in advance and generally how not to let myself get overwhelmed. A lot of aging parent issues, teenager at home, friend with ALS, needy neighbors. I have to go back to choosing myself first, seeing to it that my needs are met FIRST....did I take my Vitamins and BP medication, how is my sleep, am I having too much tea, how about alcohol, do I need to stretch, etc. I'm really better at taking care of other people and need to selfish-up again. Have been dealing with some employer harassment issues that are so complicated I had to get a therapist (guy is crazy). Being forced to stand up for myself in a major way and not be fearful. It has taken a lot out of me. There are the issues of my weight loss, looking and feeling good and then along came the inappropriate attention. Such a blow to my professional integrity and self-esteem but I will be stronger in the long run for getting in touch with this anger that I feel.

My surgeon also recommends no alcohol at all after surgery.

Also, don't forget that alcohol is predominately sugar in the way it is metabolized.

I've tried to approach it with a "why wait for the surgery to begin losing" view. It's been very revealing. I cut out beer, rum and all other alcohol at the very beginning. Turns out to have been easier than cutting back simple carbs. I've caved in to doughnuts and pizza more than once. A back injury woke me up and had me consider the bypass surgery.....healing has been stubborn but it's occurring while I'm slowly losing weight.....hoping to be able to begin exercise very soon. This will help me better prepare for the bypass procedure. I really needed to face this stuff now.....well ahead of my surgery. Like I said....it's been really revealing.

@@csg Hi - sorry about the delay in responding - I was on a wilderness vacation and without internet (what a treat!). Yes I was indeed tempted to overeat before I was in the green zone. This was case of me looking at food through my "old" eyes, rather than listening to my band and paying attention when it told me, "YOU HAVE HAD ENOUGH - time to STOP". I would overeat (old habits die hard) and then feel ill/bloated or have a "sticking" episode. I learned pretty quickly, even when I was not in the green zone, that I needed to listen to my body more and realize that I no longer had the capacity to eat the way I used to. No, I never did slider foods like ice cream. I don't have a sweet tooth and I dislike creamy anything! So for me, cutting out flour, rice and Pasta were the trick for me to begin my weight loss. That and listening to my band. When it gave me a cue that I was sated, I would stop. I watched Dr. O'Brien's "8 Golden Rules of lap band" videos again and again and again until the information was drilled into my head. These helped me a lot! The kicker for me was cutting out all alcohol (see my other post - "my wine-free life") and then I started exercising on a treadmill (seriously - a freakin' treadmill!). Those two things have been instrumental in kick-starting my decent down the scale.

I had to agree to never drink alcohol again. Yup, for the rest of my life. Apparently there is a high rate of WLS patients becoming alcoholics/drinking in large quantities after surgery. My surgeon called it food transfer addiction. Instead of being addicted to food we become can become addicted to alcohol. I don't miss it. But two weeks post op? Yikes! Your pouch is still new and is not healed.

How long before your doctor ok'd you to have alcohol? Mine is very strict, no booze what so ever for the first year. I had to sign a contract.

Were you given a post op eating plan from your surgeon or nutritionist? Everyone's plan varies a little bit, but I would say NO to alcohol that soon after surgery. Your stomach is brand new and healing. I can't imagine any doctor being ok with you drinking that soon post op.

Before surgery, I would have told you that I just liked the "taste" of food and that's why I was overweight. I am 4.5 months out and I can tell you that was only half of the story. I also liked the quantity of food that I ate. Once I was back on regular food at 6 weeks, I was excited to be able to go out to eat again. After a couple of times going out, I found myself saying "oh what the hell. I might as well not eat at all because I can only handle a couple of bites anyways." Now if I really only liked the "taste" of food, then eating out would have still been enjoyable. What I really missed was being able to sit around with friends for an hour and gorge on food. I never realized that until after the surgery which seems so dang obvious now. I have now gotten used to only being able to eat a little bit and it's not a problem for me anymore. I can enjoy going out to eat and not feel bummed out about it. The head game after surgery was much harder than the physical part of it. I went to a wedding a couple of weekends ago and they had an amazing chef cater the food. He did about 15 different appetizer type dishes and I was bummed that I could only have one bite of about 5-6 of them. What I wasn't bummed about was being 50 pounds lighter and not hiding when everyone pulled their cameras out. It is absolutely worth it but it IS an adjustment for sure. I feel better because I am eating food that is good for me and also because I am a couple of sizes smaller now. As for alcohol, I can take about 2 sips of beer and it makes me feel way too full. I can drink a small amount of wine but too much makes me feel sick. I think it's the sugar. Also, if I finish an entire glass of wine, I am seriously blitzed. It doesn't last long but I am a super cheap date now. Hopefully that answers some of your questions. Best of luck to you.

Hi there I'm in western ny my surgeon won't operate if u smoke they test u for nicotine so the food thing u talk about if your plan is to eat mcdonalds as a habit don't have surgery your not ready it's not true that u can't eat again for a while u won't eat much and certain things will fill u up faster bread rice pasta potatoes u will be extremely uncomfortable if u overfill the stomach read the the guidelines they give you carefully follow the dr instructions excercise when u can eat from the allowed list if u eat high fat high calorie high sugar foods it will impact your weight loss and may make u feel unwell as for drinking I'm not a drinker never liked alcohol my surgeon says lay off for six months no carbonation such as soda beer not an issue for me as I don't care lol but I've seen ppl here say they have a couple drinks here and there after the appropriate recovery time some say it affects them more then before speaking for myself some things that are not good for me just don't taste as good anymore and since I couldn't finish anything isn't worth me buying it and throwing most of it away( unless my dog manages to whine cute enough that I give to him) besides I don't want to work as hard as I have to keep the same old habits that got me here I'm six months post op sleeve I've lost 170 lbs since mid sept last year 60 lbs pre op and the rest since my surgery at end of February this year you must decide to eat right most of the time if this tool will work it's just a tool not a miracle best wishes to you

I'm going to do research--I have already before I found this site. However, if someone feel so inclined and has some answers, I would be grateful. 1. Has anyone used Med To Go for Mexico services? 2. How will smoking affect things presurgery, as well as post surgery? 3. I have had compulsive overeating issues years ago. I rarely fall prey to it these days, maybe twice in the same year. Has anyone else dealt with this? If so, how did it affect you? I plan to attend behavioral therapy for at least a year after the surgery. 4. Has anyone ever felt depressed about the fact that you can NEVER pig out again, like not even once. I know I should be happy about this, but maybe at Thanksgiving one year, I'll really miss that part of the tradition. Maybe at a really nice Breakfast buffet, I'll feel sad because I just can't eat anymore, but the omelette really looks good. 5. Does benefit come more from the type of food that one eats or the amount of food that one eats? In other words, if someone eats McDonald's exclusively every day of their life, and their normal diet consists of two Big Macs and a large fries, and for whatever reason in my little make believe example, they still ate every meal at McDonald's, but ate a half a cheeseburger and 10 french fries, would the surgery be effective? (And yes, I of course know that it would not have the same benefit as eating five green Beans and a small piece of baked pork.) 6. How does alcohol consumption change after someone is fully recovered? In other words, on a given day, can I get drunk? (I drink rarely, but enjoy getting completely hammered two or three times per year, given the right circumstances.) 7. I've heard that post surgery, many people actually lose some of the desire to eat badly. I'm wondering if this is true and if so, how prevalent. As you may pick up from my questions, I am going to (or at least I wonder) miss certain behaviors regarding food. They've been my go to choices. They've been my friends for 40 years. They've been my security blanket. More than anything else, my relationship with food and weight has negatively altered my life for decades now. Despite that, it's scary. . .real scary. My obsession with weight and food is constant. I'm sure some of you will "get" that. It seems to me that having to monitor intake could make it even more constant. I'm 48, 275, 5-10. Starting to have knee problems, higher blood pressure, borderline diabetes, bad back, etc, etc.

Plenty of us are in therapy, myself included. The extra weight is often just a symptom of deeper issues. It's just that we can't hide it like other types of issues. It takes longer for people to realize someone has an alcohol or drug problem. For us, it's out there for all to see.

Oh, you help every time you post. This thread in particular has been an anchor for me. Real life, real people, real problems, real solutions. I need to get honest about the self medicating I am doing with food and alcohol and "occasional" pain pills for arthritis. It's been an escape. A way to numb out. No, not at crisis level or even noticeable by anybody except me. No binging. Just hiding out in the movie theater every week, sometimes twice a week, because they serve food (crapcorn by the bucket) and wine. And taking a pain pill mid day not because I've walked a 5k or climbed hills and stairs at a state park, but because I want to feel relaxed and not anxious by evening. It's time to get real. These behaviors are keeping me stuck and they are dangerous. I've shared this with my OA and CODA groups and now with you here. Other travelers on the path to wholeness. I can't get better in my isolated bubble. I'm watching a dear friend lose a little more of her 20-year old son each day to severe alcoholism. It's smacking me upside my head. Just be who you are. And I will do the same. You all inspire me.

I had an epiphany last night. For months, I've been feeling so stuck, like a failure, and and at the mercy of my fears (divorce) and sadness (recent events and empty nest with girls returning to college tomorrow). This seems so simple, yet it took until yesterday to hit me at a gut level: pre-stall, when my food was in order and I was exercising, I could handle anything. Anything. The worst days in the previous year and a half didn't derail me because I was actively, daily, taking care of myself. All I need to take care of is today. All I need to do is me. For today, I will eat healthy. I will move my body. I will not indulge in trigger foods or trigger alcohol. Those start the emotional downturn. Maybe I needed this stuck time to refocus. Who knows. I want my mojo back. It's all up to me.

My doctor advises to wait 1 year or until you've reached your goal weight. Alcohol hinders your weight loss. Honestly, I'm almost 2years out and I enjoy my wine but I'm 25 pounds away from my goal and I know it's because of the wine. I waited 13 months before I had my first sip. Let your pouch heal then go with what your doctor recommends.

I don't think is a good idea, I'm also not going to be rude answering you, but ask your doctor when it will be ok to drink some alcohol. Usually is not until months after.

Whichever doctor said that you can drink alcohol a month after surgery can I please have his/her name and practice? Thanks in advance.

If I hear one more time that people can't be addicted to food, I'll scream. If the above story does not make folks understand that this is as powerful an addiction as any other drug, I don't know what will convince them. While my story is not as harrowing as yours, I too put myself in very difficult circumstances due to the excess weight I carried. I watched a program last night about a morbidly obese woman in Miami on the TLC channel and she was so frustrating because she did not seem to take her situation seriously and was looking at WLS as an easy fix. She was told over and over that she was risking her health and unfortunately she did die shortly after having WLS. It was a frustrating and heartbreaking hour I spent watching this train wreck. Usually they have an epiphany and start to make positive changes..but not this woman. And then she paid the ultimate price by dying. I suspect many of us have had those moments...where we knew this was a life or death situation. I definitely can't pretend I don't have an addiction, but it's mostly sugar addiction over quantity or quality. Even when I tried to be good and kept the cupboards and fridge clean of sweets, I'd get desperate enough to eat sugar out of the bag. It's sad because I've always been so careful to never drink alcohol, smoke, or do drugs because I've seen the power of addiction and how they lose control of themselves, but the one thing I never thought to protect myself from is what I became addicted to. hoping when I get the bypass that I get lasting relief from it. I've had horrific side effects from fat and dairy when I had my gallbladder out so the idea of possibly dumping will be a good motivator to not cave besides my kids.

I actually giggled reading your post because I really don't think he was paying attention to you lol. I wouldn't worry. The NUT is required to see if you have body dysmorphic disorder, BDD, or any form of eating disorders. I think sometimes, they make people feel intimidated because they are watching your body language and your responses to their questions. I am surprised that they were having you fill out questionnaires, usually its just a Q&A. How many appointments do you have to go to? I have seen quite a few people on many of the forums that have to go to 3! I only had to go to 1 appt with my band and passed with flying colors and I will only have to go to 1 appt with my revision to bypass in October. Just remember to express why you want the surgery in the first place, and what your coping mechanisms will be, and who will be your support system, and what you will do to change your behaviors. That's usually all they want to know. Best of luck to you! given our phone history, I'm sure I paint a lovely picture of flakey LOL I just had the 1 appt(as long as I passed) and it was 30 mins of the same loop of questions at every one of these things. Name, age, job, children, when first had a weight problem, ideal weight, mental illness in family, any addictive behaviors other than food/sugar like drugs or alcohol and some weird question this time about do I fall asleep and stay asleep. I'm guessing it was to try to determine if I wake up from sleep apnea maybe? I dunno. Then the true or false questionnaire of like 600 questions. One more thing checked off though so whew! LOL he definitely won't be my go to guy if things get traumatic after surgery and I need some counseling! I'll be looking for someone a little more...human? ????

Are you asking us if it's ok to drink alcohol 15 days after you had major stomach surgery??!?

hi there and welcome! I am glad you are taking steps now to get healthy! My weight also came on after my second child. I gained 60lbs in that pregnancy and never lost it after. I just keep gaining. Unfortunately I waited another 32 years to do something about it. I will do my best to answer your questions. 1) My insurance requires a 6 month diet. I just had a baby this past December. I'm a diabetic so I had to follow a strict diet my while pregnancy. I saw my endo once a month. My question is, do you think this will count as my 6 months or will I need to start over? My insurance company was pretty strict about the 6 month supervised diet. They had a specific form that had to be completed by a physician or nutritionist. I did not have to lose weight. I started the process at the end of December and had surgery at the end of September. The good news is I was able to begin building good habits during that time in preparation for post surgery. 2) After my baby was born I ballooned in weight and it hasn't stopped. I've gained 60 lbs since then. I want to stop gaining and hopefully lose before my surgery. What kind of diets did people follow pre-op? (Not the 2 week liver shrink one) I used a high Protein low carb diet. I started drinking 64 oz. of Water immediately. No alcohol, soda or sugary drinks. No caffeine. For me this was fairly easy as I didn't drink, smoke, drink soda or caffeine. The biggest change was getting my liquids in. Sounds easy, it is not if you normally don't do it. So many times hunger pangs are actually signs of dehydration. 3) After your insurance approved the surgery how long did it take for you to get the operation? I got my approval back the same day it was submitted. I was in the operating room 3 weeks later. 4) Last one! I'll need to pay 30% of the surgery plus my deductible. I'm getting the RNY. How much was your surgery cost (before insurance)? Did you need to pay it all upfront? And how did you afford the part insurance won't pay? I had met my $6000 deductible prior to my surgery so I cannot help you with this one. I had so many medical issues that just my meds alone helped to meet this. This is what happens when you wait too long to lose weight and get healthy. I went from 8 very expensive medications to 2. I wish you all the best moving forward and I truly am thrilled that you are doing something about it while you are young and hopefully before you do damage to your body. We only get one body, and I have learned the hard way that you must take care of it.

So I'm sat writing this update whilst having a coffee, with my legs crossed :-) these nsv's really are just as satisfying as the scale victories:-) Speaking of which, 12 weeks today and another 4lbs off! Wasn't expecting that this week as it was my best friend's mums funeral this week so we all had a few drinks, I stuck to low cal/carb and non fizzy but it was still alcohol, and I slackened the reins a bit on food that day too, but got straight back to it the next day and it seems that helped damage limitation :-) Incidentally, the alcohol went down fine, I took it easy and drank Water too. I'm not much of a drinker but it's nice to know if there's an occasion I do want a drink it won't be a big problem. hair loss is in full swing :-( trying not to freak out but it's not easy! I've been here before when I did a vlcd and I didn't go completely bald so I'm hoping this time I don't either! And hoping it passes quick but time will tell. Already thinking about cutting my hair off into a short bob. I wear my hair up all the time as it makes me hot if I leave it down, but as I lose weight that's less of a problem so I think by the end of the summer I'll cut it off. One thing that has happened this week is I've started catching sight of my reflection, and liking what I see :-) I've always been very aware of how big I am (was!!) but I tried to dress well and take care of my appearance, and in some ways I think that led to me have a vision of myself in my head that wasn't quite accurate, so if I saw my reflection I'd be bit shocked/disappointed/disgusted by how large I was! Now I think I've reached the point where my vision in my head matches reality, so yes I'm still big (I'm still bigger than where some people are before surgery!) but body and mind are in sync! What's going to be interesting is how that works as I lose more weight. I just can't imagine myself slim so I imagine as my reflection continues to shrink I'll get back to being surprised by what I see...but in a good way!! Loose skin is starting to show. I was resigned to that from the outset though, and plan to get surgery to fix it when the time is right. My only real concern is my calf's as the skin there is starting to appear a bit loose and that's not an area easy to fix or to his unless I live the rest of my life in trousers! @@chrisredjeep I got Biotin from Amazon, take 10,000mg a day and I do have lots of baby hairs so it's worth a try! Sounds like you are doing really well, well done! I bet your surgeon was pleased. You are doing a lot of steps! I am getting a Garmin vivofit today actually to try and encourage me to up my steps. I've signed up for my personal training to start 1 sept, I'm looking forward to it!

I'm not claiming to be an expert, but the way I understand it is after surgery your hunger goes away. For some people permanently, but for others it could return anywhere from 6-12 months after surgery - but, it's a different kind of hunger, not the 24/7 Hunger that we all know from before surgery. In terms of gaining weight later on, the way I understand is that there are two types of malabsorption we encounter - malabsorption of nutrients, and malabsorption of calories. The malabsorption of nutrients is permanent, which is why we have to take Vitamins the rest of our lives. The malabsorption of calories is temporary, and at around the 2 year mark your body re-adapts and starts absorbing most, if not all, of the calories again. So, some people aren't aware of that, and don't keep an eye on their diets (by bringing in too many carbs, sweets, alcohol, etc.), and those extra calories can add up. The other thing is that weight loss happens most in the first 3-6 months, and then starts tapering off. My NUT drew my a graph that showed the tapering off, and even said that after it tapers off, it eventually bumps up a bit and many people will regain 10-20lbs back. Not sure if that helps, but that's about all I know.

I love to drink too! I have not had the surgery yet so I'm not sure either. All I know is you have to wait 6 months but I thought beer was off the table.?? No bubbly stuff. Plus if you drink a lot you can gain the weight back. I hope someone that has experienced this will comment. I have cut way back on the drinking since I decided to get the surgery so I'm prepping myself for no alcohol. Good luck!!