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Ill say this, people always look for permission from outside sources to resume the behavior that got them to the point they needed this surgery. It is kind of heartbreaking. People who drink a lot of beer , want to go back to drinking a lot of beer. People who drank alot of wine, want to go back to drinking wine, people who ate a lot, want to..well you get the picture. We look for validation in our bad habits. We want to know how many bad things we can "get away with", and still lose weight. Now of course some people can drink wine and beer in moderation , after they hit maintenance and will have no il effects. ,But for many doing bad things and expecting good results, is the cornerstone of failure. The difference is in what the term " moderation" means in your specific case and how that will work for you. Preach on, brother, preach on. Very well stated. Only idiots want to keep on idioting. ^^^^^^ I'm referring to those of us way away from reaching and maintaining our goal weight.....not folks that have reached their goals and are ongoing with the lifestyle they worked hard for. I'm far from being able to consider adding a drink or two back into my life. It will be a great 24 month anniversary celebration....a really nice cold draft or a rum drink. Long time from now. My surgery date isn't firmed up.....but shooting for late December 2015 or early January 2016. Depends completely on the insurance approval timing. I knew leading up to this that If I was going to consider using surgery as a weight loss tool then I'd damn well better do a lot on my own first. It didn't take a genius to figure out that alcohol and alcohol related calories were killing me in more ways than one. 12 pack of light beer knocked off while grilling.....more beer and tequila shots later on. Typical football game weekends. I had my last alcohol in April 2015.....figuring if I can't at least start with that then I was a fool to proceed with surgery. I fully agree with slb202's post. Let's face it.....many of us have been lazy and undisciplined for so long we have let that become who we are and are comfortable with it. I've got no desire to remain in that camp. I can better see now how WLS patients experience elevated divorce rates. Many go on to change and take on an active lifestyle that involves exercise and movement......they aren't interested in sitting around or gong to all-you-can-eat buffets with their spouses who have no desire to change. Only idiots want to keep on idioting.

I know, atkins is low in carbs because you subtract the fiber and sugar alcohol. The bars other people mentioned just had sugar, it didn't say sugar alcohol so that can't really be subtracted. I'm guessing you're pretty far along to be eating more then 50g carbs a day? My Dr wants us to eat as low as possible, but no more then 50g a day.

I stumbled across this website that has recipes for 200 Protein shakes. The first two/three have alcohol so avoid those obviously, but the rest I've seen dont look too bad. I hope this helps if anyone is sick of the same few. http://bariatricrevisionary.blogspot.com/p/200-protein-shakes.html?m=1 (I got so excited I forgot to post the link haha!)

That's great! And wow, 12 months?! What insurance do you have? I had to do the 6 months of nutritional training. I like that Dr. Clark doesn't put us on a pre-op liquid diet for weeks. Just the day before. The procedure for me was quick and easy. It took him 45 minutes and that included taking a piece of fat off my liver to have tested (he does this for everyone to see if fatty liver has created issues) and my recovery was 2 hours and I got to go home after the leak test and I walked and peed. My surgery was at around 0930 and I was home by 6pm. The only post-op med I was put on was pepcid twice a day, I stopped taking my heavy painkillers 3 days post-op. He later strongly suggested Vitamin ADK for me from the store. I take a Multivitamin and hair, Skin, and Nails Vitamins from Target everyday. I'm sorry to say my recovery was actually abysmal. I was incredibly weak until about a month post-op when I could start eating. The carb withdraw gave me a terrible, constant headache and forgetfulness. It resolved when I could eat. I was ridiculously nauseous leaving the hospital through the next day when the gas dissolving caused bad pain. I spent the entire first night home throwing up blood, hating life, and making my boyfriend think I was dying lol. I got a horrid rash on my torso around 3 weeks post-op that spread up the sides of my breasts, love handles, and interior of my flabby arms that both Dr. Clark and Dani, as well as my GP could not guess. I still have leftover scarring from it that is gradually fading. Dr. Clark only used 4 holes and 2 incisions and they're healing nice. The product from the store was a god send during the liquid phase. Definitely helped with Protein intake. Really when I say my experience was on the bad end of the spectrum, I'm not exaggerating. I'm not the usual example though - most people ease through recovery. Since then, Dr. Clark and all have been incredible at my post-op appointments. He answers any question for you, no matter how absurd you think it may be. He really wants us to succeed. WMU is helpful too, you get a binder to hold all your modules in at your initial WMU appointment after you're 1 month post-op. My tips would be have a comfy pillow at home ready for you, and someone home to help the first night because going to the bathroom is like I imagine playing hopscotch while drunk, very hard to maneuver if you're on the pain meds and nauseous; bonus though, there was really not much tummy tenderness. Last tip, it's hard to resist sometimes in the liquid stage and pureed from eating real food. Don't do it. I have an acquaintance that had the surgery a week before me and she started eating and drinking alcohol VERY soon after. She has lost maybe 20 pounds at the most, since and she is heavier than me starting weight. I got my surgery April 27. If you have any questions, feel free to message me. I'll answer anything you want to know.

I just went and checked some of the Atkins bars again. If you are thinking they are low carb, then you are going off the net carbs, which Atkins labels explicitly. Quest and others don't necessarily do that, so you have to do it yourself. Atkins is taking total carbs and subtracting fiber and sugar alcohols to get net carbs (I don't know about subtracting sugar alcohols as a practice, but maybe it's okay... one of my diabetic nutritionists said to only subtract half of those). If you do that with most of the ones mentioned here, you get about the same (but double check).

It took 2 weeks for my itching to go away, but mine was from the surgical glue the doc sewed me up with. If you take rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball and go over the places where the tape was it'll get the extra glue off. I'm also allergic to adhesive in tapes and bandaids.

With full liquids, you have tons of choices. You can pick up some of the Premier Protein shakes at costco, and have one of those. I like to use it as a base for a smoothie, with a banana and some ice and a tablespoon of Peanut Butter. You can have broth - lots of the tetra pack broths and stocks are quite tasty. With salt added. You can have milk and buttermilk and yogurt drinks. Could add some vanilla yogurt to the smoothie too. Tomato juice, V8, clamato with non-alcoholic beer, juices, even diet pop if you want, but we will have to give up carbonated drinks after the operation. I've run out of ideas, but with a full liquid diet, you have lots and lots of choices. Oh yes, and Jello, and popcicles, since they go back to Water once you eat them. I'm doing that too, and haven't found it too terrible for the first day. Then I have to do three days of clear liquids before surgery. That will be the hardest, I think. Let me know how you are doing in a few days!

The Combat Crunch are higher than the Quest, but I don't count Fiber carbs. Most of the Quest carbs are fiber. I also don't try to stay at 20-50g carbs for the day like some do. (I did in the beginning, but not anymore. I'm still low, but not that low. ) From what I remember, the Atkins bars were high calorie for the amount of Protein, so I was more concerned with that. If I remember right, some use a lot of maltitol, too, which is the most sugar-like of the sugar alcohols as far as glycemic index goes. That said, I didn't look at all variants of Atkins bars. I did eat some of the Peanut Butter fudge daybreak bars.

I really enjoy these ice cream bars called Enlightened. They come in six different flavours, only have about 6 grams of sugar, have between 5 - 9 grams of protein, are between 70 - 100 calories, and several grams of fibre. They're sweetened with sugar alcohol though which sometimes doesn't sit well with everyone. And they're pricey - $5 for four bars. I think they're worth it though because when eating so few calories I can't really justify eating something without protein or fibre. There's another ice cream brand called Arctic Zero which is ok but doesn't have the protein but is also low in calories and sugar without using aspartame or sucralose. I found a new brand today called Halo Top which reminds me of Enlightened when it comes to nutrition, except that it's in a pint rather than a bar. Haven't actually tried it yet.

There is always going to be concern or worry even to this very day it scares me to death that I will get big again. All you can do is focus and stick to your surgeons game plan. If the say no alcohol till month 9 don't drink at 8 months. If they say no drinking for 30 minutes after a meal - stick to it. Being concerned is more than natural but if you stick with the plan you will lose in the long run.

Hi gals! I've had a bit of computer trouble so hopefully it is fully repaired now - hoping your MRI goes well Sheryl - I had to have one on my knee soon after my sleeve surgery and I told myself I was glad that I did not have to be inside the machine because there was no way I would have fit. Luckily, it doesn't take too long. Thanks for the nice list Kim - I should save that and add my own to it. I like cleaning, organizing, labeling things - I think it is a stress reliever for me because it gives me some semblance of the illusion of control over one area of my life. Checking things off lists makes me feel like I am accomplishing something - even if they are silly things. I had a therapist years ago who considered me very ocd with my writing things down and checking them off and tried for a long time to break me of the habit - I think it only served to make me feel even more freaked out and vulnerable than I already did (I have pretty much always felt very unsafe in the world growing up with a raging sexual/verbally/physically abusive alcoholic stepdad and checked out mom.) I know that I will work on all of this stuff until the day I die and it still wont be resolved Florinda, you simply have not met the one yet - I kissed hundreds of frogs before my princely man game along, and by no means are he or I perfect, we can all find someone to love - I did not think this was possible for a long time. I never thought I would find happiness and just when you least expect it - it can arrive. I can completely identify with how you feel - I have been there.

I used it on clear liquids, and had no problems. Big thing, no carbs, no alcohol, shrink the liver. I think you are good. Good luck, can't wait to hear how you do on the other side as you begin your new life.

I stuck to green tea for 6 weeks, and now have one cup of coffee in the morning with stevia, Vietnamese cinnamon and Protein powder. Alcohol I waited three months. I have found I can tolerate wines and distilled beverages. Also tried one beer, let it sit for a while to get rid of most of the carbonation. It was OK, but just not interested in beer any more (and I was a big beer snob). Be careful with alcohol. Some find the sleeve makes them get drunk quicker. You are smaller, so your BAC level is not going to be the same after a drink. And there is a bunch of evidence that some people shift their dependence from food to alcohol after weight loss, so be careful.

Most of us were given those rules. And most of us don't follow them. Those were mine from my surgeon, also. I have severe reflux, so I try to keep the caffinated coffee to a minimum, but I do have 1 to 2 cups a day and have since about 3 weeks out. No more, no less. Caffeine is just one of those things I just wasn't willing to give up. It's also one of those grey areas for a lot of NUT's and surgeons. Some allow it, some don't. As far as alcohol, I've only imbibed twice since surgery. Once at 4 months out around the holidays (a Bloody Mary I didn't even finish) and a couple of Mai Tai's in Hawaii at a Luau at 8 months out. I wasn't much of a drinker before surgery, and now that my reflux has gotten worse, I'm pretty much choosing not to drink unless it's a very special occasion. Plus I hate drinking calories (with the exception of protien shakes). Of course I'm not advocating for you to go against your surgeons orders. But from my experience, many do when it comes to caffeine and alcohol because there's such a discrepancy on the time lines with so many surgeons.

Quality Soup helped, Isopure Protein, as much exercise and walking as you can do. The point of the pre-op liquid diet is to shrink the liver as much as possible so the surgeon has an easy route to the stomach. So no carbs or alcohol. The week before the surgery stinks, and it's not easy for the next two weeks, but it's just beginning steps on a longer journey. The rewards have been well worth it. There are many inspiring stories on this site and those stories helped me get ready and continue to inspire me to do more for my health. Ultimately WLS is a tool, you still have to do the work. But it is a very good tool.

30 days post op I added coffee back! Have not had wine yet, I am 6 weeks out, but I am dying for some alcohol!

Your reticence is understanding, this is a huge surgery, a giant step. I had to take it to live, with severe diabetes, high blood pressure, urge incontinence, severe edema, all of which are now virtually gone at the 3 mos post bypass timeframe. I had hundreds of attempts to lose the weight but slowly over the decades crept up to over 422#. I, too, used the NSAID pain killers and Tylenol is a hoax, does nothing for me. The good news is that I don't need it anymore. I have already lost 80#, and look forward to a long life. I don't mind the supplements. Having said that, I think you should be solid about why you are doing this major surgery. You seem to think you might be able to make it to health without it. Go for it if you can. In alcohol treatment, addiction counselors frequently tell people who are unsure if they are alcoholics to go ahead and drink and see if there are any negative effects...

Here's my experience. Others' mileage will surely differ: My surgeon allowed me coffee at 10 days post-op. Thank God! I heat half a cup of skim milk and have that with half a cup of coffee. Nearly a year later, I seldom have more than one of these homemade skinny lattes a day. As someone with longtime insomnia, cutting down on coffee has really improved my sleep. Re wine -- I didn't start drinking alcohol again until 5.5 or 6 months post-op. These days (nearly a year post-op) I have 4 ounces of wine most (not all) nights. For those of us with GERD / acid reflux / heartburn issues, there are some well-known foods / drinks to avoid, and coffee and alcohol are both on that list. In other words, don't over-indulge in those foods if you suffer from GERD.

I did have decaffeinated tea on day 2 and since then a small one each morning, apparently it settles my stomach. I know you didn't mention tea but I am English - Enough said As for wine, I will try a very small glass on Christmas day and not before. Although I will be happy not drinking alcohol again, I am soooooooo glad I can still have decaff tea.

Post-op is worse in the variations that different doctors and NUTs have: 1. coffee 2. NSAIDs 3. Alcohol 4. Water before/during meals 5. Ability to stretch sleeve 6. Carbonation These are just a few of the various items that vary depending on who your medical team is. There are many more if you keep reading here.

So this is just my random experience, but I thought that it might conceivably help someone else. I'm pre-surgery, and as instructed, I started all the best practices that you're supposed to do to get used to post-surgery life. I switched to very low carb, ate tiny little bites, gave up caffeine and alcohol, started taking my Vitamins, stepped up my exercise, etc. About a week into this regime, I developed horrible Restless Leg Syndrome. If you've never had it, count yourself lucky. It's a particular type of nerve damage and it makes you want to jump out of your skin. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't sit comfortably. I had the urge to run up and down the stairs constantly just to make the pain/crawly sensation stop. (I did in fact run around, went to exercise classes, yoga, etc.) It barely made a dent. Could it be the low carb, I wondered? Lack of alcohol? Was I really so addicted to a couple of glasses of wine per evening that I couldn't give it up without nerve pain? Yikes! I started reading RLS forums, and learned that there's often no solution, but some people get help from supplements. So I went to the cupboard to get my bariatric vitamins, looked at the bottle, and thought "Wait a minute! This started when I started the vitamins! It's the vitamins." I dumped the bottle in the trash, and within about four days the problem was mostly gone. By the end of the week it was entirely gone. So obviously this is an anomalous response to the vitamins. (They were the main Bariatric Advantage daily vitamins, FWIW.) Most people have no problems. But I did, and since it only takes about 15 minutes to type this up and might possibly help one or two other people, I thought I'd put it out there.

It sounds like you are getting enough exercise. In my case I made one change prior to surgery that caused me to lose some weight. I knew that after surgery I had to give up carbonated beverages and caffeine. I had a 6 diet coke habit so I decided to go cold turkey. It was hard because after 50 years of drinking cokes I was addicted. I suffered severe headaches for a week by withdrawal syndrome from the lack of caffeine. But because of that one change I lost 20 pounds. I suspect that it has to do with the carbonation. I feel that the microscopic bubbles exploding in my stomach expanded my stomach microscopically which enlarged my stomach over time and caused me to gain weight. Stop the bubbles and some weight is shed. Now that I am 29 months post-op from RNY surgery, I might offer a couple other suggestions. When you eat, concentrate on eating Protein foods. Go easy on the carbs and almost complete restrict yourself from processed sugars. Use only artificial sweeteners (such as Splenda, and sugar alcohols), non-nutritive natural sweeteners (such as Stevia) and the sugars found in fruits and milk. To curb your hunger use fats.

@@brilemons, I came across some information today, in the Big Book on gastric Sleeve that states the folowing about alcohol intake and the sleeve: (All this said, I think a sip will be okay. ) Alcohol and the Vertical SleeveWhat about alcohol? It’s not an essential nutrient. Moderate consumption of red wine may have some benefits for your heart. It may raise your levels of healthy HDL cholesterol and help protect your blood vessels against damage.29 Alcohol also helps you relax. However, drinking alcoholic beverages can throw off your weight loss and cause health problems. Calories, Alcohol, and Your WeightAlcoholic beverages are high in calories. Each gram of alcohol has seven calories, and that’s not even counting the carbohydrates that are in some alcoholic beverages. A 5-ounce serving of wine has 130 calories; an 8-ounce cup has 200 calories, or about twice as many as a glass of juice. A 1.4-ounce shot of vodka has 103 calories, or nearly 600 calories in an 8-ounce cup. A 12-ounce can of beer contains 164 calories. Drinking alcohol can cause you to take in more calories than you wanted to. Beyond the calories in the alcoholic beverage, the alcohol relaxes you so much that it makes you lose your inhibition. That means that you’re less able to resist high-calorie foods and more likely to give in to temptations. You’re also more likely to eat without planning for it or writing it down. Drinking alcohol may not be worth it after the sleeve because you don’t want to work so hard to lose weight and then end up taking in way more calories than you wanted just because your judgment isn’t good. Other Concerns with Alcoholic BeveragesAlcohol, even in moderation, can cause problems in addition to interfering with weight loss:30 It can make your blood sugar levels spike. It interferes with memory. It can increase blood pressure. It can damage your liver. Alcohol Metabolism and the SleeveYou may be more susceptible to the effects of alcohol after the sleeve gastrectomy than you were before it. Your blood alcohol content may get to higher levels than before, and alcohol can stay in your system for longer than it did before the sleeve. Although not all studies have found that the sleeve changes your alcohol metabolism,32 it is best, based on current knowledge, to avoid alcohol with the sleeve. Source: 2013. Alex Brecher & Natalie Stein, The BIG Book on the GASTRIC SLEEVE: Everything You Need to Know to Lose Weight and Live Well with the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy.

I'm 2 1/2 years out and haven't had a drink since surgery. I really, really miss alcohol. I quickly lost 150lbs, but at about the 2 year mark, the weight loss stopped and I have gained back 10 lbs and I now feel like I did before surgery where everyday is a struggle to watch my diet. Now eating at levels where 1 year ago I would lose 4 lbs a week, I now gain weight! It is very unsatisfying and scary. It feels like I now gain weight at calorie levels where before I would lose. That all said, I just don't see how I or anyone can fit in the extra calories of alcohol and have any hope of losing or maintaining weight. Of course you can have a sip or a drink or two, but if you are like me, a sip or a drink will soon turn into a few, and then you'll have to cut back somewhere else, and then the whole struggle starts all over...? Maybe that is too pessimistic, but for me that is what I had to do, and I am learning even that is not enough. Good luck.

I decided to give up alcohol 2 1/2yrs ago which was when i started the process, until this day i have no desire to drink alcohol . Im a much happier person w / no alchol & wilk continue this way, but i was a serious drinker before surgery process..