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This is absolutely just me saying this, and I'm definitely some random stranger on the interwebs, but what I was told and my research has born out is that the whole "if I do X, I could stretch my sleeve" stuff is complete BS. My doctor is a nationally certified training doctor for bariatric surgery. He said that many doctors use scare tactics on their patients that they feel won't listen to actual logic/facts like "your stomach will not stretch out if you overeat/drink soda/whatever, but you shouldn't do it" because all most people hear is that it is okay to do whatever (it's not, but mostly folks don't listen or they don't take to heart what the doc is actually saying most of the time). So they say things like "you'll stretch your stomach or cause a leak or kill yourself if you do X!!" hoping that the patient actually listens to them and doesn't do things that are discouraged. Scare tactics work, because most people unfortunately do not listen to doctors' advice unless they think it will seriously harm or kill them. All you have to do to prove that point is check out the numerous threads on here about never drinking with a straw because according to my doctor it can cause a leak/blow up your stomach/you will DIE...AAAAAAHHHHH! panic crap. A straw. Seriously. (granted, this is anecdotal evidence, but still) Carbonation is just gas. Gas can cause discomfort. If the gas gets bad enough, it can cause you pain and you'll probably feel bad and want to burp or take some gas pills and feel bad for a while. But it is biologically impossible once you are healed for it to stretch out your stomach from drinking a few sodas of beers. Which is not to say you should do this, just pointing out the logic fail there. What will likely happen is a person develops a tolerance for the carbonation and starts drinking regularly again? They'll be introducing lots of carbs, sugar, high calories, and caffeine in the case of sodas, and a fast ticket to dehydration (since both alcohol and soda can dehydrate a person easily). And you're wasting precious stomach space on empty, addictive junk basically. So yes, you shouldn't drink them, but not because you will cause serious damage; because they are not good for you. And if the doctor just told you that, it would be much easier for a person to ignore their "advice." Which is why some resort to scare tactics. So totally understand if you steer clear of them based off of what your doctor told you, but other doctors do actually say differently regarding the reasoning behind avoiding things like carbonation... and often differ on other hot button issues as well. And it never hurts to be aware of some doctors using scare tactics to keep their patients in line one way or another.

Got sleeved on March 28th, so just 2.5 months post op. I have been dabbling in alcohol quite a bit. A couple of things I've noticed: - I was a HUGE beer drinker pre-op, the carbonation does bother me, and beer has the most calories especially the IPAs I LOVED. So now, I avoid it if I can. Will most likely try beer again in the next month or two. - White wine for me is life. A couple of glasses and I'm set. The acidity doesn't affect me at all, it goes down like Water. Bloody Mary's for brunch are great, but heavy so you may only be able to have one or two. - Liquor is also fine. Whether it is shots, or mixed with some juice (not soda). Tried Rum, Vodka, Whisky, haven't tried Tequila but I am assuming I will be fine with that as well. - When I drink, I usually don't have enough room to eat, so my calories in alcohol end up leveling out. Maybe some chicken or a Protein bar, other than that, I definitely do not indulge on food when I drink to maintain weight loss. - The buzz hits quicker, but doesn't last as long. I can have a bottle of wine, a couple of shots and still be ok in a night, you just need to pace yourself and remember to DRINK WATER! most importantly. Not trying to condone drinking just sharing experience. It will not stretch the stomach, but it will hinder your weight loss a bit IF you over do it. But, I'm almost 50 pounds down, so hasn't been a set back for me. Best of luck to ya'll!

Follow your surgeon's post surgery plan. Beer has empty calories. You may feel the affect of alcohol much sooner post surgery. Some people could have a cross addiction to alcohol post surgery. You may make other poor food choices if drinking. Old behaviors that helped us become obese need to be watched closely. In time, on occassion and in moderation. a beer, if you really want one, shouldn't be an issue. You know what is best for you, your strengths and weaknesses, what medical advice you received and will make the appropriate decision for you. Thankfully you will not be drinking it through a straw!

No it doesn't. Nothing stretches the sleeve. The stretchy part of your stomach is gone. It will eventually relax somewhat as the months go by, but it will never stretch out to the size of the old stomach, and you'd have to eat a seriously insane amount of food to hurt your stomach's size (and you'd feel sick and be throwing up way before that happened). Gas build up will not cause the stomach to stretch; it causes burping and a feeling of being very uncomfortable until the gas is absorbed. There are probably hundreds of threads on here discussing drinking alcohol. So you might want to search around to get some older opinions as well. Carbonation (soda and beer both have it) is a hot topic - some can't handle the bubbles after surgery as it makes them very uncomfortable and can cause pain from the trapped gas. And alcohol of all types will hit you MUCH harder since you have little stomach to filter it so drinking can be a bit unnerving after surgery. But mostly, drinking is empty calories and beer especially is very high carb, so it's discouraged. There's a reason they call that spare tire guys get a "beer belly" you know? What did your doctor tell you? Because that's the voice you most want to listen to regarding your own health and well being. Thanks, dr. Advised against it due to carbonation. But I suspect they say that partially because drinking is not great for you. I am not near that point yet but I will probably have a couple socially. ..not often at all.....and see how I do. Sent from my SM-G900V using the BariatricPal App

I'm 3 months out and was just thinking the same. It's a lot tougher than I thought it would be. I don't think you can ever be really prepared for all the changes. It really grinds on my nerves when someone insinuates i took the "easy" way out. An alcoholic and a smoker can have moments where they give into temptation. We cant this soon out even if we wanted to. Hang in there. It's going to be worth it.

I couldn't tolerate lactose, artificial sweeteners or plain water for 4 months, but now I can. Too much alcohol, coffee or fried food gives me gastritis and I can't do carbonation at all.

Oh.....I get it! I am eating high protein and vegetables along with the supplement protein drinks. Like tonight I had left over roasted chicken breast and a tossed salad. I have a husband that likes to eat healthy as well as I do. Now I am on the hunt for some high protein bars with sugar alcohol as the sugar substitute. Good luck to you and shame on your shipmates....

I was told no carbonated beverages. I am very lucky to be a person who doesn't like soda at all. Even before surgery the only non- alcoholic beverages I drank were water, unsweet tea and skim milk. That is a true blessing because those are all things I can still have. Even no alcohol for the first year will be fine. My vices are sweets so I plan to not try any refined sugar and am telling myself I will dump. Better to keep that sugar monster at bay!

I think this might be my first NSV---->Had a block party with all my neighbors. food all around and I brought a shrimp salad (yum) I had about a fourth of a cup and had my Water bottle with me. One of my neighbors told me don't be shy. GET IN AND EAT..I had to laugh, I've never had people try to force food on me before. They were eating burgers,hot dogs ,deserts and alcohol. I was not even tempted to go there. Throughout the night I got positive comments. What a journey!

I have extensive experience with alcoholic/addicted family members. Attended AlAnon/Adult Children of Alcoholics for 12 years and still declare they pretty much saved my life and sanity. Ask away.

I took chewables (YCK!) didn't make it a priority.(I did take my Rx pills-they are small) Followed my post-op diet. Now I take my Vitamins everyday. Calcium is the hardest the pills are so big (tried all the crewables-I can't tolerale any sugar alcohols) There are some small ones but you have to take sooo many! I was so glad to get that band out of me! The best to you Dee

My alcoholic brother called me "a fat f#cking b#tch !!" ...story gets better though...... A year later and 5 mths after my surgery the alcoholic said "you f#ckin b#tch" I was ready and prepared. I said, "that's right you can call me a f#cking b#tch but you can't call me a fat f#cking b#th no more, can you?!?! His mouth just dropped and he walked away and now I weigh less than him ........ I may have been fat but I'm not an alcoholic hurting everyone in their path Sent from my LGL84VL using BariatricPal mobile app

I tried alcohol this weekend. (Im about 6 weeks out, and approved by nurse.) I wouldn't recommend it. It went down ok, but making bad eating decisions is way too easy to do while drinking. I had 3/4 shot of Jack Daniels mixed in with an ounce of water. It hit fast and hard. I think if I had had another shot I would have been completely trashed. I think Im going to do my best to stay away as much as possible :/ Hard to do when your skinny husband tries to get you to drink :/

I have sensitive skin and am allergic to band-aid adhesive, too. It sounds like you still have some irritation since your doctor doesn't think it's an infection. I usually put some hydrocortisone cream on rashes like that. Ask your doctor if that would be ok. It helps me when I have a reaction. Don't try to dry it out with alcohol or peroxide. That will make it itchier!

I am 8 mos out and I eat everything. Popcorn and nuts. I eat beans, pasta and bread sparingly. It fills me up too quickly. I've posted before and I've received negative comments about my eating habits. But it works for me. I started at 200 and I now weigh 133...and I don't fluctuate much. I eat many times a day, but 4 or 5 bites. I don't log my food or count anything. Maybe I'm being naive or getting cocky...but I've done that my whole life and I feel free now. I can definitely eat more now. I don't think I've stretched out my stomach. I can eat very little in the morning, but as the day goes on I can eat more. I never drink alcohol, carbonated drinks, or juice. I eat chips, tacos, English muffins and peanut butter, turkey jerky, nuts, cheese, pizza, etc. Sweets aren't my thing, and if I do eat them, it's a few bites. Don't eat ice cream. I love cheeseburgers (half with one bun). A taquito. Half a piece of chicken and four bites of salad with ranch. A few fries. Sweet potato. No fruit really. I eat what I want when I want...just four or five bites. I would really have to work at it all day and make myself uncomfortable to gain weight. I don't know if this is bad advice, but it works for me. I never took PPI's. You'll do what works for you. To be honest, I will always be a food addict. My bad cravings really never went away, but I can't indulge now. If I had to eat chicken and veggies the rest of my life I'd be very unhappy. I want to eat healthy now to feel good...not just be skinny. I'm only 8 months out. I might be changing my tune if I put on weight in the years to come. ????

I know this wasn't directed at me, but I'll answer anyway. Note: I am only 2.5 years out...and I'm a sleeve. alcohol ? YES, regulary nicotine ? YES, regulary weed ? YES, partook probably once a week last summer, none since then. Nsaids ? YES, for 1 month post WLS, but none since cuz I didn't need them anymore. So far so good. P.S. Not to say that I am encouraging nor discouraging any of the above, just stating my experience. YMMV.

I share some of the same challenges in terms of being single and feeling like being a hypocrite. I also have another perspective I wanted to share that I think you might want to think about. I had a different WLS 15 years ago, the gastric banded gastroplasty. I actually did pretty well, and about the 160# mark I met someone. I was in my late 20's and although I had dated some prior to that, it had been many years at that point since I had been in a serious relationship. I got immediately sucked in by all the feelings a person experiences when they have the attention of another person paying attention to you. I was feeling great with my transformation and all the attention I was getting. Here is the problem. He wasn't really all that overweight, a potbelly, but he had horrible eating habits. A few months into the relationship I did tell him I had had WLS, and expressed that I really needed to start eating better. I was constantly tempted around foods that were not going to help me stay on track. It wasn't that he wasn't supportive of ME doing it, but he had no intentions of changing his ways which in a way I guess isn't totally out of line. It would have been nice if he would have taken some steps to improve his eating habits while we were together, but he didn't seem all that affected by his poor lifestyle choices. Moral of the story, I ended up regaining about 30# in that relationship that lasted about 2 years. I'm not blaming him, but I'm just going to say that being around someone who doesn't share your same healthy lifestyle habits is like drinking in front of an alcoholic everyday. That's pretty tough, ESPECIALLY when someone is still trying to get to goal or even at maintenance. I have tried some online dating at this point, and although I'm not now due to my busy schedule- because of that experience I just mentioned, one of my criterias when dating is that it isn't about what they look like as much as their lifestyle habits. Ok, so logic says if they aren't at a healthy weight then their eating/ exercise habits may not be great which is quite possible but not always. I will not get in another relationship where the other person does not already practice healthy lifestyle choices. That doesn't mean I expect or even want someone who is a gym rat- that doesn't appeal to me either. Think about what you need to support you in your life goals and this should include your desire to reach or maintain your goal weight. It's not hypocritical in my opinion to turn down being in a relationship with someone who is overweight because I'm not turning them down because of their weight but because I don't think they are healthy for me. I hear periodically of situations where people start dating and they become motivated by that other person to become healthier as well. They have to want to do it for themselves or it won't last, but I guess I'm just saying don't be afraid to set your own standards and stick to them. I also concur with the others about just dating to have fun. You can find a way to slide into the conversation that you haven't been dating in awhile and just want to meet a bunch of people right now so that he knows up front that you aren't interested in getting serious. This way if he asks you out again, he won't automatically assume it has as much to do with his looks as it might be that you are out "shopping" around. Have fun with it!! I wanted to add one last thing here. I ended up regaining a bunch more later on, but because I had already regained approximately 30#, I got into a really bad pattern that I wasn't able to stop. Don't let this happen to you!

Acid has nothing to do with the reason to avoid coffee or alcohol. The moment the surgeon closed your stomach again it starts producing hydrochloric. That is far more acidic than anything that you will put in your mouth. The main reason for the avoidance of alcohol is the fact that it is a barbiturate(depressant) and a blood thinner and is famous for lowering inhibitions. In the case of a gastric patient, lowered inhibitions could mean "just one more bite" or something along those lines. On one hand I agree with you, it's a special occasion and it should be observed. However, you trusted the surgeon enough to knock you out and cut you open then remove a part of you, yet you are asking a bunch of strangers if it's OK to go against the surgeons recommendations. Do what you like, but realize that it is only 3 weeks post op and you already going against plan.

You aren't being paranoid or anything of the sort. I chose to tell everyone that would listen about my decision to revise from the band to VSG. I only had one friend here at the time so it wasn't a huge ordeal. I ended up losing that friend because of the surgery, and well she's pretty psycho so it wasn't a loss I mourned. Many people are simply ignorant when they hear about WLS. They don't understand because they haven't struggled with it. My husband is naturally thing, and while he supported my journey, he didn't understand why I couldn't keep it off. You may get mixed reactions. With my new found circle of friends through our spouse's club, I have found nothing but support and encouragement. I bowl on our spouse's club league, and my bowling partner is going through the steps to get the sleeve with one of my surgeons. Another of my friends is on Addipexx (legalized speed) to lose weight for the 6th time, and she made kind of harsh comment last week at lunch. She said " well if I gain back the weight this time, I'm going to have make the same drastic decision you did to have my stomach removed." Now, this is coming from a 50 year old woman that has taken prescription diet pills 6 times, loses 60-75lbs, and always gains it back plus some. My reply was " yeah, it seems drastric, but losing and gaining the same 400 pounds over the last year seems like a big waste of time, and I was ready to live my life to the fullest and quit the yo yo'ing up and down." She just looked at me like I was crazy for saying that to her, but it's the truth, that woman has lost and gained over 500 lbs in the last 10 years, and she's trying to tell me what I chose was drastic. My mom was not supportive of my decision to revise. She has a band, and has a bad case of morbid jealousy (google that for a definition), and she no longer comments on my weight loss because I weight 40lbs less than her now. She has a horrible life with the band, but she told me once "I'd rather puke a couple times a week than make a wreckless decision to have my stomach removed." My reply to her was " make sure you remind yourself of that thought process when your band slips, or erodes into your stomach, then we'll talk about wreckless." I don't tolerate bad behavior from people, and I speak my mind quite often. If they don't want to be supportive that's fine, it's my body, my future, and my life. Yes, it's nice to have support, but I have found those that truly care about your well-being, and future will stand by your side through thick and thin. Also, education is power, ignorance is the number 1 reason why people aren't supportive. It was easier for me to explain the procedure, the benefits, the risks, and the overall long-term effects of WLS instead of getting defensive. Once you educate someone, they can form a more solid opinion, and hopefully realize that it's not for everyone, but to give you the best chance at survival with obesity related complications and co-morbidities, WLS is a choice your making to improve your quality of life. Sorry for the ramble. I'm pretty opinionated about WLS and people's reaction and lack of support. It's like someone who has never suffered with alcoholism trying to bash an alcoholic for trying to get clean and relapsing. They just don't understand, and their ignorance clouds their judgement on the subject.

I used to drink massive amounts of alcohol in college 30 yrs ago, so after my maturity hit I maybe had a beer or two every few weeks or wine with my dinner like maybe once every few months, if I went out with friends I nursed 1 mixed drink all night, so I am missing u occasional beer or wine, I'm just confused as to whether I can or can't have it, there are too many theories and not enough research to go either way, I don't drink anywhere near I used to in my youth, but I wanted to take my wife to a vineyard near where we live and enjoy some wine tasting and lunch, and on the 4th I was craving my favorite beer, the only constants I find in any information available had to do with the sugars, and alcohol absorption in the body, has anyone asked their DR. ????

My doctor advises his patients not to ever drink carbonated beverages again because they can stretch the pouch above the band (that includes beer). As for me, I am not much of a drinker to begin with, so not drinking wine or other alcohol is not a big deal to me. I would probably avoid alcohol anyway because it really doesn't fit in well with living a healthier lifestyle as a bandster--liquid empty calories are not really the way to go. You should check with your doctor and follow his/her instructions about carbonated beverages! Good luck!

I drink one of those nasty energy drinks periodically when I need to wake up more at work. I am not a soda lover, so it is a one time thing, and because they aren't the best tasting things in the world, I don't guzzle them. I drink wine or a cocktail when I go out...other than being empty calories there is no problem with it, except you DO have to watch your consumption because you are eating less, weigh less, etc., and the alcohol can hit you harder, faster.

For me, nothing happens. But I could count on one hand the number of carbonated drinks I'd drink in a year, I'm just not into them. When I go out I drink wine and when I've had enough wine, I drink water. Same at home, more water than wine though, lol, dont normally drink alcohol on a daily basis.

I had RNY and consistently go out with friends and enjoy food. My surgeon really discouraged alcohol, but I still have an occasional drink.

Alcohol.... Nope. Nada. Not a sip. Take your own food or eat before and say you're not hungry or your tummy is upset so you don't want to eat and be sick. That's as near to the truth as you can get. Enjoy