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This is one of those things that you will get a different answer to. For me, my surgeon was fine with it. About the only thing I DON"T drink from a straw is coffee and wine. Some will say never, ever. Coffee, alcohol and carbonation are other things that is debated. There are lots of folks that are banned forever from all the above. My only no no is carbonation. I can live with that. I'm a year out now and I can safely say my sleeve has not exploded, stretched or any other bad thing from using a straw since a couple weeks post op. That is me, though, I will always say follow your surgeons direction. Good luck to you! You are gonna love your sleeve!

I love your exuberance about your coming WLS. Wish I didn't have so long to wait for mine! But I just have a question cuz we're all SO very different! No judgement here, just curiosity. I'm using this time while I wait for surgery to research all the things. All. The. Things. Trying to figure out and get my head in the game so I don't act like the movie Groundhog Day and repeat the weight gain after surgery. I do not want to ever have to lose weight a second time. So from the things I used to eat that are now sitting strapped to my ass (and have been for about 47 years), to the knowledge that once a food junkie always a food junkie...I know I have to stay away from certain things. One of those things would be beer (other than a once in a blue moon thing, or maybe only a pull off someone's bottle of beer). Why would you work so hard, go through so much pain, money and endure so much upheaval, just to look forward to going back to eating and drinking the same stuff that got you to the dance in the first place? I've no problem with the idea of eating 4oz of a steak in the future. I don't believe that's what made you or I fluffy. But the beer? Um, yeah...not to mention that even after 6mos to a year, alcohol is really pretty hard on the liver. The surgery isn't magic. Things that made you fat before will still make you fat for future you once you start ingesting them again. You will be able to figure out how to eat around your restriction... In my unsolicited pre-surg opinion, it seems to me, that a really good activity would be to look at the things that contributed to your present health situation. Catalogue them. Write them in red on your mirror so you read them every day--and often. Then steer your new anatomy and path so very far around those previous things that you cut a very wide berth from them!? Don't you agree? I'm pretty sure you know that a 4oz of steak and big bowl of sauteed greens and garlic didn't make you husky. Right? Sorry to offend you and not trying to kill your joy. Just seriously curious about what's going on in your mind right now as you process what's about to happen to you?

Its perfectly normal for your body to go through "withdrawals" and I put quotations around it because sometimes it probably feels like you are an alcoholic who had his last drink, and other times just an annoying itch to having something bad. Things improve post surgery. Your cravings will lessen, along with your appetite. I gave things up in a very methodical way. I gave up sugar and most carbs first, soda second, and then all caffeine last. Most things post op are too sweet now, so I don't crave sweetness at all. Everyone's different. This surgery is HARD. Every aspect is hard. Giving these things up now will mentally prepare yourself for after surgery.

I am going out town unexpectedly in two weeks. I am 2 1/2 months post-op. What have you guys done about about eating on vacations and drinking alcohol? This is my first trip post-op. I am really nervous!

Let me just start by saying, I've been banded 11+ months. I don't keep or have any desire for my band to be really tight and my surgeon is leaving how tight up to me. I like that. I just wanted to share my story. I have a very addictive personality. A type AAA lets say. Everything I do, I do full steam ahead. Eating, drinking, you name it. I experienced the alcohol thing when I was younger and did it much to excess. Coming from a home with an alcoholic father, this scared me and I eventually with some help was able to leave this behind. Then the devil on my shoulder became smoking. That was a really hard one to kick, but eventually, I did that too, this time on my own, but with much failure and restarting. food being an acceptable addiction crept up on me then it stopped creeping and just started moving in. After years of yoyo dieting and trying every diet I could find and making up others on the way, with thousands of dollars spent on fads and diet pills I found I could not handle this on my own. I decided to get the band. When I first got my band, I admit I thought it would cure me my addiction. I didn't know it was a tool. I had been told it was, but I still didn't know it. I had not yet found this forum and a part of me wishes I had, but another part of me wouldn't change a thing. The preop weight came off great, I didn't totally hate the shakes though I missed the lunches out 3-4 times a week with my coworkers and found it difficult to avoid the Snacks that were constantly being delivered to the office by well meaning clients. The post op diet was more difficult for me as by then I hated the shakes and had very little imagination as to what else to try. My first eggs, 3 weeks post op was the best food I had ever eaten. I had hiatel hernial repair and plication with my band. I do love the plication and believe I avoided BANDSTER HELL because of it. The surgery itself was pretty hard on me and it may have been because of the extra procedures involved, but like we all do, I eventually bounced back. I had my surgery on Friday and went back to work on Monday. Tuesday I had to go to surgeons office and have all of my residual fill removed due to too much swelling. I had my first stuck feeling that day due to gulping fluids through a straw (I forgot no straws). Looking back, it was probably alot of gas in my stomach, much different feeling than the gas around the stomach. Anyway, 11 months out, I'm down 75 lbs and only a few to goal. My goal isn't set in stone, so may be adjusted depending on how I feel when I get there. I'm not going to have any reconstructive surgeries as my body has managed to bounce back ok. Not bikini-ok, but I'm 55 and never was a bikini personality anyway. I put a full length mirror in my bathroom 4 or 5 months back so I could make myself look at me. Something I haven't been able to do in a long time. I'm just starting to convince my mind that I'm not obese anymore. I eat what I want, I just don't want as much and I'm mindful of what I eat so I don't sabotage my weight loss. I don't feel like I'm dieting, just reprogramming myself to want healthier foods. I exercise 4 to 5 days a week and mix that up a lot. I feel I have developed alot of tools to go with the band and if I lost the band, I might could manage now. I hope I don't have to find out. I just want to give a shout out to all of you out there that are on this journey with me. I know we each may do it slightly differently, but we are all heading in the same direction and it helps. I love that most out there aren't trying to tell others how to do it, but how they do it, which is sometimes different.

One has to be prepared, willing, and ready, not just for weight loss, but for a total lifestyle change. The weight WILL come off. HOW much comes off does depend a bit on genetics and compliance, as first degree relatives who have had successful weight loss procedures are a strong indicator of success in the patient. However, the long term compliance is up to the patient. If someone starts slipping back into old habits (gradually, and hardly noticeable at first), they will regain. I am baffled by folks who say they regained 50 or 100 pounds and seem to think it all just popped back on over night. That doesn't happen. It happens pound by pound. If someone is weighing daily or weekly, regain cannot be a surprise. WLS is only a tool - the hard work of lifestyle change is up to the patient. That means acquiring new taste buds for healthy foods, giving up the junk food that caused the problem in the first place, learning portion control, being consistent with tracking, getting on board with exercise, and rewiring the brain to see activities other than food to be gratifying and sustaining. One study showed that a determined mindset from the get-go: "I AM NEVER GOING BACK!" to be predictive of success. These individuals are willing to do whatever it takes to lose and maintain. When I see posts from newbies wondering when they can start drinking alcohol, asking about cheat foods, talking about the simple carbs they are eating, and stating they are months out from surgery and still haven't started exercising, I can't help but wonder if they will be the regainers. One must be determined to do everything possible to be successful - not continue to peek around the edges to see where they can still get away with unhealthy foods or habits. Bottom line - you WILL lose weight with surgery. What you do with that gift is up to you.

Hi @daizeoh. Here's more information than you asked for. I'm just a thorough kind of guy, The insurance company will only deny you for these reasons: You do not meet the criteria. Failure to follow the pre-op protocol. Not passing the psychiatric evaluation. Not being covered for weight loss services. CRITERIA: I'm pretty sure the standard rule of thumb for eligibility, at least for males, is a BMI of 40 or up or a combination of BMI of 35-40 with other complicating factors like severe sleep apnea. It may differ for women. PROTOCOL: Each insurance company has different pre-op protocols regarding things like pro-op dieting. Your doctor's staff will know what your insurance requires. There are reports of requirements of pre-op diets ranging from zero to six months as well as other things like endoscopies and other pre-op exams to ensure you're healthy enough to endure the surgery. The doctor's staff will all handle checking with the insurance company to find out exactly what you need. It's probably better to let them deal with the insurance company than doing it yourself since they know exactly what to ask. PSYCH EXAM: If you do not pass the psych exam you may be able to get a treatment protocol to follow that would help you get past that hurdle. The psych exam includes things like not having drug or alcohol addictions, so if you've had that recently they'd require you to be sober for six months. If they determine you have undiagnosed or untreated depression they might recommend seeing a therapist weekly until the therapist believes you have a handle on it. The psych exam also ensures that you have a good support system in place for your recovery period, so if you live alone with twelve cats but have no local friends or family, you're a poor candidate. NOT COVERED: Not all insurance policies cover weight loss services and bariatric surgery. This is something you could call and ask about yourself. If you have coverage through an employer and these services are not covered, it's because your employer decided not to include the coverage, which can be done to keep premiums lower. The most important thing is to ask questions. You'll get a lot of advice here, often confusing and conflicting. In addition, all doctors are different: most will do the surgery in a hospital and have you spend the night, some will do it outpatient and you'll be home by 4pm the same day. Some will require a pre-op liquid diet, others won't. No two people will have a similar experience, so just because one person says they have the same insurance company as you does not mean you'll have the same requirements.

Sherilynn, you are not feeling sorry for yourself you just want to make sure the decision is the best for yourself. I have to be honest with you. The lapband is a slower process. If you follow the band rules you will lose weight. But,,,,,you have to look at it as normal weight loss is 1-2 lbs a week. You may lose more, or you may lose less. RNY is much quicker. I understand that you have to reroute everything and that is why it is far more invasive. You just have to come to terms with whether or not you can be patient with the band. If I had to do it all over again I would pick the band but would be more agressive on my fills. Right now I am down 35 lbs since June. I'm considered a slow loser at 1 lb a week. It may take me over a year to lose the rest of my weight 47 lbs to be exactly. Probably will take me more like 9-12 months. Some lapband patients take up to 2 years to lose all their weight. Please be aware of this. You may or may not have the patience to withstand the band. It is a tool, nothing more. You can still consume high density foods with the band. With RNY you can't have sugar or alcohol. It sounds like you are weighing towards the band which is a good thing. Don't let others discourage you. Its a personal journey. Best of luck.

Most people dont recommend alcohol because your tolerance is low after the surgery. Three glasses is a lot of an average person. I think the main issue is that 3 glasses is going to be between 350 and 900 calories, which is most if not all of your calories for the day 10 weeks out. It also takes away from your ability to get in enough protein and water. Alchol also dehydrates you.

I am with JeepGal. I do not want to seem unsupportive, but the fact that you are gaining that much weight is kind of an indicator that you are not doing what you need to do to make the band work. I know every practice is very different in the kind of support/guidance they give, and it really does not sound (from your post) like your practice is giving you the support you need. I don't want to lecture you with info you already have, but I just want to make sure you know the most important rules to eating with a band, because not knowing can easily lead to failure. PLEASE do not be offended by this. If you know all of it, just skip it. But I would hate to see someone failing because nobody bothered to educate them on how to use their tool! NO SWEETS. Ok, we all know its not likely to give up all sweets completely, but if you are indulging in ice cream, cake, Cookies etc more than every couple of weeks....you have a problem. Even worse, these are usually soft calories (see rule two!) AVOID SOFT CALORIES. liquid calories are pretty much evil. You need to avoid soda, alcohol, juice (should only be used sparingly), any drink that has sugar in it should really not be a part of your life. But even more so, anything that dissolves too easily is bad. Not necessarily to be completely avoided, but not good. My practice gives this recipe (offhand I think its just vinegar and water) that you can mimic the environment in your body. Things that dissolve too quickly will go past your band too quickly. Mashed potatos, cookies, Pasta - they all dissolve quickly. The way lapband is supposed to work is by keeping the food in your pouch longer. If you eat too much of these foods, you trick your band. Protein IS KING. You should be basing your meals around solid protein if at all possible. This of course is meat, chicken, fish etc. These things take the longest to dissolve and will keep you full longest. Water IS GREAT. Well, most of the time. Try not to drink right before and after eating (consensus hovers around a half hour before and an hour after) so as to not push food past your band too quickly. The rest of the time, get that water in as best as possible. I struggle with getting my water in, but I can absolutely assure you when my water intake is up, not only do I feel better, but I lose faster. I really hope things turn around for you. Maybe if you can get like 10lbs off your doc will see you are trying and give you the fill you need. Best of luck to you!!

When can I have alcohol? I’m 5 weeks out and scared to ask my dr. I’m by no means an alcoholic just wondering when I could have a small drink?

I was told six months. It's supposed to hit you more quickly and stay in your system longer, along with slow down weight loss. Interestingly, the literature shows that having gastric bypass is more likely to increase your risk of being an alcoholic.

My advice is to ask your surgeon. In my case, I abstained from alcohol for the entirety of my six month pre-op diet program and the first three months post-op. I brought it back with the okay from my surgeon (whose only advice was to "try" anything at home before I went public with it). I pretty much only have red wine, and only when I am traveling or having dinner out. And I monitor those calories very carefully. I haven't had one issue from it. I met my goal at 1 year and 4 days post-op, and have been maintaining at 10 pounds below goal for 5 months now. Do keep in mind that I am insanely particular about what I eat, so that factors into the situation. Wine is my one indulgence (if you can call it that)...

To be honest, the mental battle of this journey is a lot more difficult than the physical battle. You have to change your relationship with food to make it positive and healthy. You don't need to worry about what you CAN eat after the surgery (specifically after the diet progression after the surgery), but instead you should worry about what you SHOULD eat after the surgery. I have a horrible carb addiction; therefore, I have minimized them (less than 25g per day) since six months BEFORE my surgery. I am 17 months post-op now, so I haven't had more than 20-25g of carbs on any one day in almost 2 years. Do I love bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, sugar, etc.? Of course, I do. But I am choosing not to eat those things because weighing 170ish pounds at 6'0", and wearing small shirts and 31 waist pants is more important to me than any food and drink. And notice that I said that I HAVE a carb addiction, not that I HAD a carb addiction. I feel it is the same situation as an alcoholic has with booze. I will never be "cured" of it; I can just manage it. I say all of this to you to encourage you to get your head in the right place before the surgery as you still have a little bit of time. Immediately post-op, your body is trying to heal, and that is a full-time job in itself. If you don't prepare yourself for the mental battle and work on changing your relationship with food, you likely won't be successful long term. Wishing you the best!

Actually I don't drink beer. I don't drink any alcohol, it gives me migraines. I have never had a cigarette in my mouth, I'm just a sguare, but it's hip to be square! I did not start putting on weight until I was in my late 20's, that was 20 years ago. When I really get motivated I'm successful at losing weight. Once after a successful diet I weighed 105 and they wouldn't let me donate blood! I was so skinny I was ill, anything under 130 and I get sick. I think it's true that if you've been obese all your life it's much harder to lose the weight. However I weighed 250 the last time I went to the doctor and probably have gained since then. I'm older now so it's a lot harder to lose, that's why I'm looking into wls. I'm babbling again, so sorry.

First trip since the pandemic started. Strangely, reflux was better, I am wondering if it's because I forgot to pack the iron supplement. I know the iron irritates my intestines but I didn't know it could influence reflux. I will have to experiment with taking it/not taking it to see if that's the cause. Also, I found out I'm sensitive to some kind of sugar alcohol--I had pancakes for breakfast one day and the syrup in a little pitcher on the tray was thicksomething er and not sugary-sweet like pancake syrup. I used a few tablespoons and was treated to the most amazing amounts of bloating, gas, and liquid poop. I spent the afternoon in the bathroom. I think the waiter just grabbed whatever pitcher was nearest in the kitchen and either it was "diet" syrup or they buy something augmented with sugar alcohols because it's cheap. I won't make that mistake again.

I just got my Nugo sample pack today and tried the Brownie Crunch. It is really good tasting and satisfied my hunger just fine. Each bar has 16 g of protein, 19 g of carbs (2 g are sugar carbs, others are sugar alcohols or something not counted in net carbs) and 7 g of fiber. After I finish the 3 bars in the sample pack this weekend I am going to put in an order for a box or two of my favorite flavor. I can see myself eating 1 a day or maybe not even that often. It depends on the impact of these on my goals.

start tracking your intake, increasing water intake, eliminating caffeine, sweets and alcohol, start meal prep research and invest in any needed tools, try a variety of protein shakes and powders, research recipes and phases....the more you do to prepare the easier the transition will be after surgery. I personally invested in glass meal prep containers, measuring cups, shaker bottle, personal blender, 1/4-1/2 c storage containers. I also had a variety of premade shakes available, protein broths and soups, hot chocolate and chai tea (from BP store), and a vanilla, chocolate and unflavored protein powder for adding to food to supplement protein. Also, get in the routine of being active everyday if you are not already. Hope this helps and good luck!

SeattleSue - you are so right! I am a carb addict. They were my comfort food - big time. It is best if I just don't indulge in white carbs (bread, Pasta, potatoes, rice, most crackers) and absolutely no junk carbs (chips of any kind). It is like asking an alcoholic to drink reasonably. I am still recording every thing I eat. It took a long time before I was ready to take the training wheels off the bicycle when I was a little girl, it's going to take a long time before I feel in control enough to quit writing down everything that goes into my mouth. Good luck to you ASBGirl - both with your sleeve and your horse endeavors!

I am 4 months post VSG and down 50 lbs but have had unreasonable sugar cravings in the past week that I have given in to - eating hard candy, drinking small amounts of alcohol, part of a bagel, and today I got a frozen yogurt with crushed up butterfinger in it and ate about 1/2 cup and got so sick - vomited multiple times. Why am I doing this to myself? It's almost like I am testing the limits to see what I can "get away with" which is ridiculous since I KNOW that this isn't good for me long term. I am so close to being under 200 lbs for the first time in over 10 yrs. am I intentionally sabotaging myself? WTF is wrong with me?

Yes, absolutely. There are many reasons you fall off the wagon, usually falling off the wagon isnt introducing a bit more lean meat, vegetables and legumes in to your diet to ward off hunger, its going off the rails and eating high calorie and nutritionally void foods too frequently. Nobody gets obese eating comforting portions of lean meats, vegetables and legumes most of the time and treating themselves occassionaly. If you dont feel good eating filling portions of nutritionally dense food then you have a phycological issue, you arent suffering physically from this. Its difficult to gain weight by over indulging in lean protein and vegetables, but you can by over indulging in potatoes or high calorie processed foods. So I dismiss the idea that people stop eating nutritionally dense low calorie foods because? What? they're starving? What is the pressure that makes them not able to do it anymore? How is it not sustainable? Are they low on energy? If you are saying they dont feel good because they crave high calorie foods too often and want to give in to temptations often enough that it causes weight gain then that is phycological and can be changed with persistance its like an addiction. You wouldnt be saying this to an alcoholic. I felt like I wasnt getting anywhere on wholefoods after a while, but in hindsight if I kept going I would have broke the plateu eventually, even if I didnt it would be a better place than I am at now. I take full responsibility for mucking things up for me.

1st Thanks everyone for your replies! (History: I had a bad stay at the hospital, long story short, during my surgery my spleen was bruised causing me a great deal of pain, I complained of pain in the hospital and it fell on deaf ears, this was extremely tramatizing. After being discharged I went to another hospital through emergency and found out about my spleen. So this has damaged my relationship with my surgeon and I haven't been folowed by a specialist since that day. I have tried to find another surgery but this has been difficult I'm currently on a waiting list.) I wanted to say that in the first three months I followed every rule to the "T" when it was possible. I say this because alot of days I had NO appetite and found a day or two going by and I hadn't ate anything. It's been really hard to get in the required amount of liquids but 99% of the time I drink Water only! On the days when I did eat, I ate only what I was suppose to eat. meaning mostly Protein my diet was more lean and green than anything . What I ate: Lean ground turkey loaf with onions and green peppers, some sort of green veggie, if I used fat to cook it was a dash of olive oil never any breads no red meat or pork either baked or grilled chicken or turkey, no starch! Breakfast a egg and lean turkey sausage, very simple thinks low sugar fruits cantalope, honey dew. lots of fresh string Beans. On this diet I lost an average of 1 pound a week . three weeks after surgery I lost 11 pounds that was 4/2/12 since then I've been averaging about 1pound a week total weight lost is 22 pounds. Last month I have been off schedule feeling depressed and helpless I said F- this and I have ate a few lunchmeat sandwhiches had some choocolate, a few chips here and ther but honestly I can't even eat a a orange without feeling full so I figure even on my binge I hardly ate much due to my reduced stomach uhgggg!!! Oh another thing, I dont have any of those food trackers or fitness trackers mentioned in the or any online tools i'm just learning of these things. I hope this helps other when giving me advice with my issue. I never been a soda or juice girl or at least i havent been one in the last 10 years due to diabetes. I don't drink coffee or tea, I dont smoke nor drink alcohols. I only drink Crystal Light beverages outside of water. Please let me know if I left out any thing that would help you all to help me!

Real food sucks...I have it on occasion and 1-2 oz's max. Protein shake in the morning, then munch on nuts, cheese, beef jerky and protein bars throughout the day, then have a few bites of whatever the fam's having for dinner. Doc said no alcohol for 6 months post op. Yeah, right. I've been drinking as regularly as I did before (sans beer ) since the full liquid stage. Tolerance was low for about a day or two, then back to normal. Exercising as per the nutritionist's guidelines, though, so not doing everything wrong. 75 pounds in a little over 2 months. Extreme hypertension down to near-normal. No regrets. Am I alone in just doing it my way?

My doc was fine with me reintroducing alcohol after my 12 month follow-up. No binge drinking mind you, but with-in reason is absolutely fine he said. I follow all my guidelines and am doing well so far. I don't really break the "rules" on this stuff cause I get sick if I don't follow the protocol.

I have not had surgery yet, but my surgeon told me to wait at least one year after having the gastric sleeve before drinking any alcohol and “never” if I decide to have gastric bypass. (Literally said I could never have alcohol again after bypass) So my guess is that you should definitely not have any alcohol. I would hate for anything bad to happen to you.