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at 4 weeks I was told it was safe for me to eat anything. I am, of course, low carb, high Protein, as much "real food" as possible as opposed to processed foods. I have all manner of vegetables, raw and cooked, meats, I prefer to be pretty tender and juicy. With toast (I have oat bread toast 3-4 times a week with my egg) I can not stand the crust anymore. so I just eat the middles. I have not tried alcohol yet, but per my plan it is ok - not recommended - not wise yet. I do not plan to try until the holiday time. I love wine, and whiskey - but if I find that they do not sit well with me anymore it will not be something that I worry about. I'll just use my collection for others at family meals or some friends will get some really fabulous birthday presents. I enjoy my coffee, but if I have a lot of coffee I get sour stomach. so, it's a treat a few times a week and then all is good. I was not told "no straws" and that's a good thing, because I am a clumsy clod, and so having a lid and straw is a life saver for me. I am just over 3 months out and have lost just more than 1/3 my excess weight. I also can take any medications I might need to take and I take all my recommended supplements and others that I believe to be good for general health with no problems. I can now drink my Water and liquids normally, and not have to sip.

My go to stress reliever for the past MANY years has been alcohol. Did the gym thing when I was younger but it was always kicking back with my boys throwing some back that always took the edge off. Well look at me now. More than 200 pounds over weight and a full fledged alcoholic. The past 3+ years have been the worse as I started having back issues which led me to not be able to work anymore and not provide an income for my family. More weight gain more pain and more drinking. This is the 1st year since I can remember that i'm not getting wasted every night. Not sure what finally flipped the switch but I don't want to die anymore. I still drink but I've come along way from what I was doing. Will completely stop soon, who knows maybe last week was my last. But know for sure if I do get approved for this surgery It is over. Hope to bring the gym back into my life and other activities that can be the new stress reliever.

I am 5 days post-op gastric sleeve. I have such mixed feelings. I have been overweight for the past 15 years. I have been suffering from depression for the past 25 yrs. I am on meds but seem to depend on sweets to raise my spirits. Of course the sugar rush goes so I eat more... I was put on zyprexa and ALL of my levels were elevated. I became diabetic, hypertensive and gained 30 lbs. I came off the zyprexa but had to stay on meds for cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, and depression. I did lose the 30lbs. I have a niece that I love dearly. She means the world to me and what kind of example am I setting? I'm successful in my career but I'm 46 and weigh 221. Im always tired and ashamed of myself. I don't have many friends and I fear being around people who don't know me. I don't want to be known as "The girl who has such a pretty face but she should lose some weight." So I hide. I am hardly ever invited to go anywhere by my peers and it really hurts. I think I might give off the vibe that I don't want to go out. But reality is we all just want to be loved. My first fiancée just didn't work out after 9 years - he found drugs and alcohol to be more important. My 2nd fiancée cheated on me and had a child with another woman. The last one put me over the edge and I gained weight. I figure if I'm fat I won't be attractive and I won't be able to get my feelings hurt again. So I hide. I think I put forward the I'm not available vibe for plenty of people larger than me have someone in their life. I just do everything in my power to avoid being hurt again. I decided to have the surgery and went full steam ahead. I just hope I made the right decision. I hope I can handle it. Anyone have words of wisdom? Thanks Beth Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Kiki, I only saw the psyche doc once for about an hour. She determined that I WILL be an alcoholic! LOL I'm glad I don't have to return. Good luck! You're getting closer!!!

I originally went with sleeve for the same reasons many have posted here - I didn't like the idea of my intestines being rerouted, I didn't want the vitamin regimen for the rest of my life, and it just seemed more extreme than what I needed. However, I'm now less than a month away from getting a revision to gastric bypass, and I try not to feel angry that I didn't do that from the start (mostly because I've paid for 2 surgeries). Unfortunately I had to self-pay in Mexico, and my experience with that is that the doctors will basically agree with what you want and rarely take the time to consider your own personal needs. I live in Japan and there really isn't any doctor or program for me to use here, so I was stuck. The reality was even though I didn't have any co-morbidities, I had 150 pounds to lose and was a sugar addict. Bypass was probably the option I should have gone with from the beginning. But now I'm getting my surgery done in Tallinn (Estonia) from a very reputable place, and one of the reasons why I chose it is because the surgeon had a very specific plan for ME, as opposed to himself, like so many other surgeons. One thing I know from my failed sleeve is that being (or having been) obese is like being an alcoholic - once one, always one (your fat cells never disappear, they just shrink, waiting to be filled again). You have to be vigilant about what your triggers are and how to avoid them. There will never be a time in the future when you can go back to how you were - it's just too easy to fall off the wagon. I know now that it's normal to always feel a little bit hungry, that if I feel full then I've eaten too much, and that I can never eat sweet things - once I start it's hard to stop. It's just better if I never start.

Thanks to all -- @@AvaFern and @@VSGAnn2014 I will use the antibiotics idea for the pre-op concert! As for the future, you are right, my friends WILL notice and WILL ask - they will be very curious! It is a lively group and alcohol is always a part of everything and if I don't order my "usual" or try a "fun drink" that someone made at a get-together it will be very much the topic of conversation. I don't want to lose my social life and since it does revolve around food and drink (and all the other woman just run 10 miles every morning to take care of it!!) I need to tread carefully. I like the put my lips to a drink idea for some occasions, when I can get away with it - and will use that too! Mostly I plan to have ONE drink when I go out and tell people that's all I can do now that I'm being healthy and eating less. One question I have - just so I can commit to a couple of these social plans is WHEN can I go out to dinner with others? I have no idea if it's a month or 6 months from surgery . . . if anyone can respond to that part, I'd appreciate it!

I'll call malarkey on this. Living proof right here. Thank God LipstickLady! I read that post and said Noooooooooo! I hate to give up my wine! It is my source of fun. HELL TO THE WHAT?!!! Only kidding. I'm an alcoholic (kidding-ish). For as low a BMI as I was to start, with PCOS, I've still shifted more than was expected of me... ................. Despite the grotesque alcohol consumption Just be happy! I am!

So let me start out by saying that I drink alcohol maybe 2-3 times a year. A six pack will go bad in my fridge before I drink it all if I buy it. With that said I do enjoy an occasional ice cold beer. I was sitting on the side of the bed this morning just thinking and it hit me.... No more beer. I am early in he process so i'm sure plenty of other things will hit me as well. I just tell myself that the advantages of being small far outweigh anything I may feel I miss.

What is addiction ? for a long time i always thought an addiction was some kind of substance abuse such as smoking of any kind legal or not or drinking alcohol without having control of it . what i came to realise was shocking . this all happend during a conversation with my mom and i mentioned that i was glad i did not have an addictive personality or any type of addiction i dont smoke anything and when i drink i can just have one and walk away . then she said "well what do you think you had to have this surgery for ? " i was just blown away . OMG !! for real i had never seen my eating habits as an addiction not once not EVER !! until now . WOW .and that in it self is just UGLY . but as each day comes along threw out my journey i will be more conscious of my addiction and learn to control it . i had my band placed Nov. 10th and had my first adjustment on the 10th of Dec. and about 3 more sice then including one defill was not even able to have fluids just sucked 100% my starting weight was 254 and im at 190 and still going i'm about 20lbs from my goal and 35 from there goal . i feel so great and love the ability to buy cloths that i like and being able to find them much more easily than before . but threw it all it has been hard to make those better food choices but everyday that comes along i begin to see that its not the food that i need to control it is me and my addiction food is just for nourishment and nothing more

I was allowed alcohol (1 drink once in a while) after 2 months. I used to be a party girl myself, the first time I went out after surgery i managed 2 cocktails (cosmos I think) and I'll have a drink every now and again, mostly diet coke with rum or vodka (lower calories) but as Julie said beware, because they are empty calories! I completely lost mu taste for wine (red, white even rose which I used to love!) I do hope i get to love my wine again!

My program recommends no alcohol for 1st year. Be careful of sugars in the alcohol and how you react now to liquor will be much quicker HW 242, SW 236- (Bypass 12/20/17) GW#1- 199 [emoji736] (2/11/18) GW#2- 180 [emoji736] (4/2/18) GW#3- 160 CW 173 5’6”

ok, I haven't had my surgery yet (hopefully in about 3 months) but I have to throw in my two cents. First, I applaud your planning and thinking ahead about how this will change your life. I've heard of some that don't think this far in advance and it ends up having many negative impacts on their life. I will be telling only close friends and family (nobody at work). Many people in my family are overweight and if they see the results, maybe they'll consider lifestyle changes for themselves. If I could inspire my family to be healthier, this surgery will be successful not just for me, but for them as well. That being said, my active circle is not healthy and fit as you described yours so I understand your situation is different. My family functions tend to revolve around food because that's how we were raised. If somebody is visiting, we eat. If somebody gets married, we eat. Dies, travels, celebrates, etc., we eat. So not only do I want them to be healthier, I'll have a lot more explaining to do so I won't be able to hide it if I wanted to. Here are some suggestions that you may find useful though: 1) You said your social circle is fit and healthy and right now you're the odd ball for that. Perhaps you are over thinking how much importance they place on food during your gatherings. Isn't that the point of the surgery and lifestyle change? To take the importance away from food in your life? If they are fit and healthy, then I doubt they place as much significance on the meal. They are probably thinking more about the company and the activity with friends. Maybe that's what you should focus on. When you get together with friends, instead of planning a meal, why not suggest something new. A hike (maybe take along a picnic with healthy tidbits)? 2) Some people mentioned medication as an excuse. Since you are overweight (as we all are), you could tell your friends your doctor is concerned about diabetes and has put you on metformin as a preventative measure (completely legit, my doctor did it to me and I'm not diabetic). Not only can you not drink alcohol with metformin, but it also helps burn belly fat so that could explain weight loss (not a drastic amount, but some). This way you have a medication as an excuse without telling them you have some new disease or sickness you'll have to explain later. 3) As a last resort consider this.... Yes it's scary for all of us to consider the way our lives will change. What do we do with ourselves when we're not eating? But the point of this surgery is to be healthier. Are you willing to risk your health because of what your friends might think if you don't drink a glass of wine? Tell them your just trying to be healthier and that includes a bit of detox. Once they start seeing the results of your decision, they won't question or criticize (once you brush them off a time or two). They'll be happy and encouraging even if they don't know what they're encouraging. At least, if they're real friends they will. If they don't, then they're definitely not worth stressing over.

It took me a long time to realize that eating was an addictive behavior. Ever since I was a kid I knew that I would need to be careful around alcohol because my grandparents were alcoholics, along with a number of my other relatives, so I knew that it ran in my family... what I didn't realize was that it's 'addictive behavior' that runs in the family, not alcoholism... I was talking to my fiance, who is an alcoholic (not the raging drunk kind, the few beers a night to relax kind), and he was talking about how he needed to stop drinking and not bring alcohol into the house at all in order to quit (that moderation wouldn't work for him), and I said something to the effect that I wish my addiction was that easy. He said "well, I just drink a couple of beers to wind down and relax at the end of the day" and I said "Yes. I understand" and he said (rather sarcastically) "well, does eating calm you down?" and I said "YES". I think that was the first time he kind of 'got it'. He still doesn't 'understand' not REALLY, but it gave him a better idea. I still have to be careful of my drinking, if I find myself drinking every day, I stop for like at least a month, just to be sure I don't get 'sucked in' so to speak. I think I could easily become a shopping addict too. My house is already full of trinkets and crap I don't need. Something else that I think helps me is that I am in counseling. I know that I'll probably always have an addictive personality, but I feel like if I feel more in control of the things in my life, this will be one of those things.

Sooooooooooooooooo when did you have your first drink after surgery?

Jealous! I'm 4 weeks out and my surgeon's instructions say no alcohol for a year...maybe next summer!

According to your DOS, you are about 2.5 months post op. How does the carbonation in the beer feel to your sleeve? Does it go down ok or do you get tight in the chest? I had my first post op white wine at month 6. today I can enjoy a long island, but only one. i have a drink about every 2-3 weeks when out with my brother or friends. As long as you are following the alcohol guideline of your doctor and it is not causing you pain, then kudos for you, especially if you are in part of the country where it is sizzling hot today. Not here in Seattle though. 50 f and drizzly. It was actually cold outside yesterday and I had to wear a heavy coat!

Aww man. That's long. Btw did you have to tell him it's for weight loss surgery in advance? Do you get a piece of paper from them on the spot to give to the doctor, how does that work? Why would they assume you'd be an alcoholic?

Hi there Congrats on your surgery firstly... the big step is over and done with. Secondly did you not get info from a nutritionist at all? You're 10 days out from surgery I think, so far too soon to be on solids. If you do a search on the board you'll find several dietary guidelines which might help. As a rough idea I had to do: First 10 days post op - clear liquids (which included skimmed milk, no added sugar fruit juice but not citrus ones), clear soups and Optifast shakes. Days 10 to 20 - Full liquids - soups with no lumps in yoghurts and all of the above. The next 7 days - Mushies and all of the above Day 28 for the next 7 days - Soft foods - chicken, fish, eggs, and all of the above. Day 35 onwards - normal foods but still no alcohol until 2nd month, and no gassy liquids or caffeine. I hope this helps - it is just a guide and you'll see various different ones on the forum, but at least you'll get an idea of roughly where you are. Don't over do your sleeve, you've worked hard to get where you are and don't want to risk a leak or anything getting caught in it and infection setting in. Good luck.

Good Morning and Welcome to June... Darcy - Have you made an appt with Your Doc yet? Hopefully it turns out to be nothing but better to be safe.. Sorry to hear about Ava ~ ouch in the pocketbook ~ Hopefully your babies will get to feeling better soon. Hi Kat ~ Praying that you get the call and everything can move along for you and DH. I have not had time to read back on your trip ~ Hope you all enjoyed it and relaxed. You got it girl... Donna ~ My Heart and Prayers go out to you. I have seen on my ex's side what alcohol can do to a family. Hopefully he will make a turn around. Eileen ~ Mine are coming more common since Dec ~ early menapouse is what the Doc says. Hopefully it is not true but it's expected I guess. Beanie - I have a call into my Lawyer cause I really do believe that I am entitled to the whole thing. But in order to get him to sign off on the house I will use anything at this point to keep the peace and the house and it's contents. Believe me I would rather not give him a dime for all the emotional crap I have had to take from his bottom of the barrel family and that is putting it nicely. I will be taking cell phone / ins pymt off the top... sounds like you all had a good time this weekend Patty ~ was it hard to set up the Tivo? I would really love one but am still not sure. I order movies from Net flix and those sit around my home for like a month. I was thinking they were going to call and tell me to send them back.. Pat ~ Sorry about your friend {{HUGS}}} I love your golf course yard.. Especially your ride ~ I could go round and round on that all day.. Even make money giving rides. Cindy ~ glad you are ticket free.. Betty ~ Are you getting any rest yet?? Becky - Happy Belated Birthday Sherry ~ have you checked out Ebay for the Gun he wants? That is good that he is working to offset the cost.. " EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH ~ SHERRY" Dianne ~ I bet once the Snacks are out of the picture for you and ME - we will see a differance.. Carol ~ Hi Well here we go another day in the neighborhood. Just pluggin away and waiting for the insurance lady or adjuster to call. Total loss is what the adjuster told the collision place.. See how much they will be offering is the next question? Other than that this would be the first weekend he would get the boys for overnights but he already said he would rather not take them till he has his apt ready? humm all the flippin fighting and now he does not want them. A$$ Well tomorrow is pay day and hoping to get some bills out of the way at least on my side, little does he know that there is a garnishment on his check. Kids are doing great and ex SIL is taking them to the park to ride bikes today. Other than that not a whole lot going on today. I bring in Breakfast tomorrow that is todays delimma.. Crap why did I agree???

Vine...you are an inspiration to all. you stay up front and you keep your great smile on your face and you show your class of skinny 20 somethings that you can do and you will do it with grace and style!! YOU GO GIRL!!! I went and saw a personal trainer today. I am 35 days post op today and have been very very lack luster on my exercise. I need to bump it up! She told me aobut preparing my meals ahead of time and measureing everything out and when it is done get up clean up and walk away. makes sense and sounds easy. I just hope it will be when it comes time to actually push myself away from the table. I made my oatmeal for breakfast and meausred my serving sizes into small plastic containers with my splenda and my cinnamon seasoning. they are ready to go! I even made a few things of SF jello to assist myself in being prepared for the up comming week. My next goal is to figure out my lunches and pre measure everything so that I will be ready to roll when the times comes for me to get out the door in the morning. back to my point about my personal trainer she told me that to lose weight i need to exercise for a MINIMUM of 30 min 5 days a week. any less than that and i am setting myself up for future failure with my lapband. (by the way my personal trainer is also the woman who approves or denies approvals for the lap band for our local veteran's hospital) She has been with it for 5 years and said there are two characteristics of people who make thier goal and keep the weight off...1 they exercise on a regular basis and keep it a part of thier everyday life after they met thier goal. 2) those who avoid alcohol. the drinking is some how tied to gaining the weight back after goal is met. She was a plethera of knowledge for me and i tried like hell to absorb everything she said like a sponge. today my exercise will be going swimming... (not flaoting around like i normally do) but swimming for 30 minutes. best of luck to you all in your continued sucesses !!

My surgeon said I had to wait a year bc of transfer addiction concerns. As food addicts we are very susceptible to transfer addictions especially with alcohol. Jenn

Now i know drinking isn't allowed for a while but I'm curious on the experiences of those that drank after surgery, whether a week, months etc. How far out were u, how much/what did u drink and how it affected u. Thanks!

Originally posted on 3/30/2014 Link to original post http://www.bigfatloserblog.com/2014/03/back-to-drawing-board.html So, a big blow to the morale! Back in January I got call from Michael at AR Rehab congratulating me for being approved for the Gastric Sleeve through a state program that would pay for my surgery. This came after 2 years of work. Doctors appts, food journals, sleep studies, psych evals, and much much more. He explained that funds would be available in March, and that I should call him back then to discuss it further. I waited until about the middle of the month to call him, and tried for over a week. He was either out of the office "temporarily" or on the other line, or a myriad of other excuses. Finally last week I received a call back from him and he left me this voicemail. (The name was distorted on purpose) I was left scratching my head after this voicemail, because it was pretty unclear. "Is he saying that they aren't going to pay for it?" I was unhappy with the voicemail, and so I called him up. I could tell by his tone he was immediately on the defense. I asked him to elaborate what the VM meant. Michael: "You listened to it didn't you? I said everything in the voicemail" Me: "Well, yea, but what does it mean that you are re-evaluating spending? Are you saying you are cutting the program." Michael: "Look Ronnie, I could have just told you no back in January, but I went to bat for you. You are being ungrateful" Me: "No Sir, I was very grateful when you told me I was approved. I told my entire family, I blogged it, and I have been expecting this surgery ever since. I would have rather you told me no in January than to congratulate me on something that wasn't a done deal." Michael: "I feel like you are being rude." Me: "I feel like you lied to me, and my whole family." Michael: "I can see that this conversation isn't going anywhere, so I am going to let you go and get back to work." That was all she wrote. I stared at my phone for a minute. I literally felt like I was punched in the gut. My next call was to Blue Cross Blue Shield. I would have to be out of pocket 4 Grand, but I was confident that I would have support to help me get the surgery. I explained that I had a packet put together already with everything they would need to approve me. Doctor's notes, medical records, (about 60 pages of information). The rep said that they would not be able to accept that from me, but instead would have to receive it from each perspective doctor. I explained that it took over 2 years and thousands of dollars to gather this information and I can't afford to go back to the doctors and get the same paperwork I already had. They insisted.... So here I am, back at square one. 400 lbs, and no closer to surgery than I was 2 years ago. So unless I squat and lay a dozen golden eggs, and shell up $16k, I'm starting over. However, I am not going to be stagnant while waiting for this to come together (if it ever does) The fact is, ever since I learned I was getting the surgery I have let myself go. Red Bulls, fast food, alcohol. All because I thought, what the hell, I'm getting the surgery in 2 months anyhow. NOPE NOPE AND NOPE. I immediately regret that. Starting tomorrow, I am going to give the Keto Diet a shot. A real shot. It is a little controversial and defies common knowledge of how diets work, but I have seen a lot of success stories revolving around this diet. And, it's gaining popularity among medical community. However, it is expensive. Let face it. Meat, Cheese, and fresh veggies are high. My health is more important though and I need to make sacrifices elsewhere so I can afford it.

If he's drinking that much already its a good bet he's already an alcoholic and is just continuing his addiction. It's not going to get any better.. Fact, without intervention he's going to fail in more than just wls.

----Wow@steak 15 days out -- only a dream for me My NUT told me that the sleeve really isn't healed for minimum of 4-6 weeks (she mentioned Peanut Butter (my fave) really gets stuck and shouldn't be tried until 6 weeks) I'm also instructed to avoid breads, rice, Pasta, red meats, fried foods and baked goods for minimum 6-12 months Not sure how long for alcohol but I assume at least 6 months too I'm afraid all these restrictions will force a really fast weightloss leading to to low a weight for my large frame --- I'll revisit some restrictions with her as time goes on I've already lost 15 pounds (currently 220-221) and I'm only 10 days out and on full liquids