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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!!

I am 27 months post-op from RNY gastric bypass surgery. There are two stages to RNY. They are the Weight Loss phase and the Maintenance phase. The goals and meal plan in my humble opinion are different between these two stages. At 5 months post-op you are still in the Weight Loss phase and the weight loss will level out soon and you will slide into the Maintenance phase. In the Maintenance phase the goal is to maintain the weight loss that you achieved in the first phase. After surgery, the part of your stomach that processes fats and sugars were cut away. Therefore the meal plan excluded fats and sugars which would lead to rapid dumping syndrome. But somewhere around the 6-12 month post-op mark your body will change. The intestines will develop the ability to absorb fats and sugars in place of the stomach. This change is actually an opportunity. It give you the ability to reintroduce fats back into your diet. I am 27 months post-op and my weight is towards the lower end of the scales. I entered the maintenance phase 20 months ago and have done very well by not adding any pounds back on. (I have actually lost 15 pounds in the Maintenance phase.) For my meals, I concentrate on high Protein meals. I avoid processed sugars. I use only artificial sweeteners (Splenda, sugar alcohol), low calorie natural sweeteners (Stevia) and natural sugars found in milk and fruit. The other types of sweeteners I avoid like the plague. I read nutritional labels. After surgery I completely lost my hunger. Without hunger constantly gnawing at my bones, it was easy to lose weight. So from my opinion the key to succeeding in the Maintenance phase is to control hunger. Fats take away my hunger, so I reintroduced fats back into my diet and at 27 months post op, hunger still does not rule my life. I use whole milk, real butter and normal cuts of meat. When I snack, I snack on fats. I have one or two cups of coffee each day. On the coffee I put a heaping spoon of whip cream. This whip cream is home made and uses Splenda in place of sugar. During the day for Snacks I consume 2 or 3 Adkin's treats. These use sugar alcohol as the sweetener and contain fat that controls hunger. I have a sweet tooth and these satisfy this need. I limit my meals to one meal per day with complex carbs (bread, pasta).

I've posted this exact thing before on here, and there are many posts about people that can't seem to quit smoking before surgery. (try doing a search on "smoking" and see what pops up) Anyway, here's my advice: Stop drinking if you can't seem to stop smoking with it. Tell yourself you can do it a few months after the surgery if you need to have that to hold on to, but do whatever it takes NOW to stop smoking. I was a very happy smoker for the last 20 years. I started as a teenager, and I was pretty mad about having to stop for this surgery. But I did this surgery to improve my health and my entire rest of my life. Smoking is bad. There is nothing whatsoever good about smoking. I know I am an addict, and quitting is one of the hardest things I've ever done. I had never been able to quit for any length of time before, but making the decision to have sleeve surgery meant I cared enough about my body and my future that continuing to be a smoker was just the most asinine, stupidest thing I could do. And so I quit. And I had one slip up about 2 weeks out, but I got right back into quitting and I didn't slip again, and it's now been over 300 days since I had my last cigarette. I won't lie; I still want a damned cigarette almost every day, but I know it's bad for me and that's not who I am anymore. I won't let them control my life any more. Cigarettes are just as bad as being addicted to drugs or being an alcoholic - you are allowing an addiction to ruin your health and jeopardize your future. If you care enough about yourself to have this surgery, then show that you care enough also to get off the smoking and put ALL of this awful stuff in your past. Some surgeons will test you for nicotine, and even the metabolized form which can stay in the body for weeks, so you might just be kicked out of the pre-op the day of if you haven't quit with enough time to get it out of your system completely. At least a month out should do it, and that includes using gum or Patches. Even if they don't test you, you're risking a poorer outcome. VSG is major surgery, don't fool yourself that you can just keep sneaking one here or there and it won't hurt anything. You are hurting your body every time you smoke, and you are risking poor circulation, poor healing, poor lung capacity and issues with breathing during surgery and even clots for months after. Why? So you can feed a deadly addiction? If you continue to smoke, you're saying to yourself that you aren't worth having the best possible outcome and faster healing and better health. You're better than that, so start thinking that way, and fight hard for your health. There is still time, and you are so worth it. You CAN do this!! (I used patches and gum for a week, then cold turkey. I also used a quit smoking app on my phone - Butt Out - that was a lifesaver as it has a community that was really supportive)

I talked with my dentist about dry mouth because I've seen a number of comments about tooth probs post bypass. He recommended I use Biotene toothpaste and mouth spray, as well as Biotene or Act lozenges. He also said not to use mouthwash with alcohol in it. And drink plenty of water. I have good teeth and don't want to run the risk of probs!

Hi Guys I am in my 6 month weight mngmt with my pcp this is my last visit before i can get a surgery date. I have a visit in sept for my nutrition 90 min class and 2 phsyc eval left. I cant mamage to stop smoking. I am not a heavy smoker i only smoke when i drink alcohol which is almost every weeknd! Does anyone know what can happen surgically? (Intubation) amd what i can do to stop! I am so close to finishing and i dnt wamt to risk anything just because i have this bad habbit. Also is anyome scared not to wake up from surgery? I try not to think on it but i really need some support here. Tall me thru it ???? *BTW PLEASE EXCUSE THUMB ERRORS*

Drinking alcohol 15 days post op is VERY dangerous. Alcohol is an irritant to the stomach,'so it might be painful. Your body may process a small quantity of alcohol, as if it was a very LARGE quantity after VSG. Please don't take the risk.

Sheryl that's so awful! My condolences! I never understand why that happens. People have to think that over, and should be considering those they will leave behind. John continues to be sweet and charming. He's very different. I never even realized his Spanish blood. His mom was born in Spain. He speaks reads and writes spanish. He had some alcohol last night and I finally detected an accent. I'm just going with the flow and hoping this surgery next week is going to help me. Right now I have bad days and good days if the sciatic nerve isn't pinching the nerves in my leg. I'm taking pain pills more often now. It really bums me out that I can't fine one full bottle. I hope I didn't leave them at my son's house.

You're kidding, right? No, alcohol is not okay to drink 15 days out. Call your surgeon. He'll tell you.

My surgeon says alcohol is not allowed at the 15 day mark. Your stomach is healing plus it's empty calories. Ask your doctor and your NUT

Is drinking a bit of alcohol 15 days post op that bad? I know they say you get drunk a lot faster, so if I watch out for how much I drink is it okay to drink just a bit? Like maybe a small cup? Or is it not allowed

I have two that I don't think have been mentioned yet. When others try to pressure me into drinking alcohol. I am 9 months post op and could have a drink if I wanted to but honestly I don't really enjoy the taste of wine or beer and I am cheap. Which brings me to the next pet peeve of how much food I throw away because I can't eat it fast enough. This could range between veggies and fruit I didn't eat quick enough to left overs because left overs are usually at least 2/3 more meals. Just a few pet peeves Love the thread. ~LA