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I've drank bourbon straight up 3x now since surgery. It is very high in calories so one really needs to watch what they're doing where is concerned. My doctors thought on alcohol is to abstain because of a possible dependency.

I am a newbie who got her sleeve on June 8th. I also questioned the reasoning behind coffee. I drink it black with no sugar or cream. What my Dr. said was that it creates more acidity in the new stomach, especially at first. He said that acid reflux is a condition we will all have to deal with and I started Prilosec 2 days after surgery. My Dr allows decaf coffee at 3 weeks and I may or may not go to reg coffee later. So happy with my sleeve and I am very protective of my new "baby stomach". My Dr allows wine at 6 weeks but do I really want the calories? hmmmm The other part is that a former employee with a sleeve stopped in to see me yesterday. She was telling me how she got a DUI because wine/alcohol goes into the bloodstream faster and stays longer. I know I pretty much have a new set of priorities right now. Wine may or may not come back into my life, and it definately will not be as often!

I drink Diet Pepsi all day, at least one cup of coffee a day, and Red Bull for Breakfast. Caffeine, after your stomach has healed, will not hurt you. I am not really a big alcohol drinker, but I have had a few days where I've had a bit to drink and it hasn't really bothered me. Honestly, it makes my stomach burn a little more than I remember (which at almost 2 years out isn't hurting me at all) and I am now nicely drunk on one shot instead of 4 for a solid 20 minutes, but other than that I don't have an issue with booze at all.

I drink coffee every morning, 2 cups to be exact. I also have decaf when and if I want it. I drink alcohol about twice a week, I have never had a problem. Like it has been said, everything in moderation.

In my program we were told to hold off on alcohol for a few months until we heal and then to go slow as it may affect us differently than before and they feel that if we are addicted to food we can become addicted to alcohol we were not told tho not to ever have a drink they did push the no soda and carbonated drinks thing really hard tho

I drink a cup of coffee every day and drink alcohol probably twice a week. I'm 8 months post-op and I've 92 lbs. I've lost 92 lbs and feel great

When I wrote "no pre op prep" I really meant I don't have to do 2 weeks of liquids only. I still have to follow the following diet and lose at least 25 pounds. I lost 28 pounds while going thru all my prepping months doing the ideal Protein diet. I wanted something strict to see if I had the discipline to stick to a life style change and I was fine. I don't follow it 100% now but still use their meal supplement shake for Breakfast and their Snacks cause I know its very low carb low sugar. I still don't eat Pasta or dairy low fat, no butter. I went from cooking with a pd of butter a week to I have had the same pd in my frig for 3 months. Average calorie allowance for my sleeve pre-op diet ranges from 800 to 1200 calories per day. Foods that will need to be decreased in my diet include high sugar foods, high carbohydrate foods (including bread and pasta), fats (such as butter), fatty meats, fried foods, whole milk products, ice cream, high calorie beverages (including regular soda and alcohol). I don't drink soda so no problem there. My diet will be limited, but foods that may be included are yogurt, fruit, Cereal, egg whites, and oatmeal for breakfast and leans meat or fish with green vegetables for dinner. My diet will also includes liquid Vitamins that come in powder form which i have started already and LOVE. What is important that I follow the specific recommendations from my doctor. There is a glitch: Less than a week before my surgery I will be flying to Key Largo for my sons wedding. I KNOW I will have a couple drinks which I hope will not interfere with surgery less than a week later. I will discuss with my doctor. And I know myself I will do my own liquid only before surgery day to know my liver will shrink a little more. I held off til after the wedding but didn't want to wait 2 weeks after the wedding. I am sooo ready now!

ChrisredJeep normal to be nervous but I'm sure it will be fine. I'm 9 months down the line and can't remember much about the first few weeks. Like excitedbutnervous I had old stocks of LighterLife and Exante and used those. You can also add Protein powder to ordinary smooth veggie Soups if you want to up your protein intake. I had yoghurts and puréed fruit after 3 weeks I think, then moved on to things like hummus, scrambled egg, etc although that's a bit harder to digest. Excitedbutnervous I eat out frequently - I don't asK for child's meals, I just have normal food and stop eating when I've had enough which means I often leave quite a bit on the plate. Despite the recommendations not to drink and eat at the same time I do sometimes (only still non-alcoholic drinks or tea or coffee) and it doesn't seem to give me any problems. Thank heavens in the UK we're allowed to eat whole eggs and have coffee - I don't know how I would have managed otherwise as brunch is my favourite meal! Anyway, good luck to you both.

Hi. I am new and getting sleeved on in July 2015. MY Surgeon is Chris Wong in Bristol. I am a little scared about this as it is only recently I have ever though about having surgery after many years of failed dieting. Can I ask a silly question, post surgery will I ever be able to enjoy a kids meal and a drink, or will it be a choice between one or the other? I am scared that eating out will be a situation I will avoid in future. Obviously I know that my portion size will be tiny, but if I have to choose between have a couple of (non-alcoholic, non-fizzy drinks) and a small meal, I think I may struggle. Also, are there any sleever "in real life" meetings. I am from nr Bristol and would love to catch up with people that are in the same boat. If there is ANY information you think I should know, good and bad, please let me know.

I can't have an alcohol funeral until the end of the week when I've totally weaned off a fibromyalgia med. But I have my bottle of Cupcake Moscato D'Asti ready for Sunday. Lol

It been over a year since my surgery. I was told I can have alcohol, so I tried a wine cooler last night. it cause real bad stomach pains. Still dealing with pains today. So I was wondering anyone else have problems with it ? I don't even want to try again at all.

What does YOUR bari program recommend about alcohol? (My program is very conservative and recommends NO ALCOHOL FOR LIFE [hard to do--but worth it.] Many programs say to wait 6 months; others say one year.) "Stretching" your sleeve is really the least of your worries in the priority of things. I know you said you were "joking" about drinking beers, but in case the joking becomes reality-- Only YOU can answer the question about your choice of using alcohol in your forever WLS life. Maybe also consider that we as WLS patients can be susceptible to an array of transfer addictions (alcohol being one of the biggies) as replacements to our strong "addictions" we've had to food our whole lives. Just be smart and know yourself... Also depends how far out you are from surgery. As others have said, do you really want to "spend" your calories and carbs on alcohol that has no nutritional value? The odds are good that it will affect your weight loss. Some resume drinking immediately after surgery (you see many of them here on BP). Some wait beyond one year after surgery when they have established and fully practiced their new eating habits, and if choosing alcohol in their WLS life is what they want to do, they can plan to occasionally (3-4 times/month) include it in their eating plan. There are TONS of great non-alcoholic, non-carbonated, refreshing summer drinks out there we can create that are fun and WLS-friendly too! I love challenging myself to come up with new and different ones. For instance, I recently found a simple cantalope smoothie recipe made with non-fat Greek yogurt. Ice-cold and so refreshing...filled the glass with summer shaped ice cubes, put in a little drink umbrella, and sat on the patio under a BIG umbrella--Bliss! Just offering a different perspective...

You might find you have more of a social life without drinking after surgery! After getting healthier your self esteem should improve and with time your confidence-- you can dance and go to clubs without getting smashed or drinking at all. You can meet guys without being drunk too! ???? you can also offer to be the DD so you have a reason to stay sober, have fun with friends and help your group stay safe! No judgement here because I had quite a "party stage" in my mid- twenties. You won't want to do that for ever tho- it does get old- I promise! ???? I think it is great you are working to improve your health now instead of in ten years (like me!) are you still drinking now during you 6 months? Maybe try going out with less drinks or none now? My surgeon did make a big point of being careful with alcohol after surgery because it is more likely you will become dependent on it-- alcoholism runs in my family so I stopped complete at the start of this six months-- (2 left for me) I had a drink maybe once a month before-- Good luck whatever you decide!

I remember feeling resentful at first, which I knew was crazy, and I tried to hide, lol. It's been getting better, as I learn different tactics to help myself cope. I met friends at a restaurant, and yes, while their food looked and smelled delicious, I managed by ordering a strawberry margarita (sans alcohol) and ate it with a spoon. I have had great luck with anything frozen. I buy TONS of popsicles! (lol) I even found some that taste like rootbeer and dr. pepper, so that when I'm feeling really pouty about all the restrictions, I can feel like I'm indulging. I think that's the thing, we are not a population (as surgery recipients) that like limiting ourselves, so it's super hard to wrap your head around. But we needed help making better decisions, and we want to feel (and look) better and this is what it took. It's hard, but worth it.

Interesting info! I had a lapband first, and had nothing but problems with it from the beginning. My surgeon, Dr Benn from Mpls - Southdale Weight Loss Clinic, seemed nice at first, but on the day of surgery he yelled at me in a very unprofessional manner because his staff screwed up and didn't have a letter from one of my doctors which was important about my medication during surgery. Long story short that issue was fine because the pain staff had the letter and all was well, but to have the surgeon yell at ME when I am laying there waiting for him to cut on me, was very nerve wracking. Then when my band was having major problems with me throwing up, getting stuck on every thing, etc. he blamed ME for the problems with the band. I was on an online group and I was asking him very valid questions and that made him mad. So finally, I called the clinic and was connected with a wonderful PA. She encouraged me to file a complaint against Dr Benn, which I did. Then she switched me to another surgeon, Dr Laguna, who has been wonderful. Plus she informed me that my band problems were not my fault. I kept the band in for 4 years and kept trying to work with it. When I finally gave up, I asked Dr Laguna about converting to sleeve. He said that with the problems I had with the band, he felt that my esophagus had problems with pressure in the round muscles that make up the esophagus. There was a test I could have had which involved finding out the pressure of the esophagus (there are ring like muscles that control the food pushing down and some people have more tension in those muscles, which can cause them to not work right. ) He told me he highly believed I was one with those issues so I decided to go with the gastric bypass and never had that test. I am guessing that maybe some of you that had the sleeve had those same problems and that could have caused your sleeve to fail. I don't remember all the medical terminology now, but he said that the band and the sleeve are both "high pressure" surgeries??? I think that was the word he used...and he said the GB is not. So I would be most successful with the bypass. I have had the GB for 2 years now and got down to goal weight. Now I am getting back into daily aerobic exercise in order to maintain my loss. I do have dumping, which for me is an answer to prayer because I am a sugar addict. It is like being an alcoholic on anabuse. And it works for me. I still get tempted and eat something with sugar and get sick and then I beat myself up for putting myself in that misery again But overall it has been the most successful for me. One problem I wondered about when reading about you who are converting to GB after the sleeve...I had lost most of my weight with the band and my insurance refused to pay for the GB!!! because my BMI was too low!!!!! So I actually had to gain back 30 lbs to qualify for insurance. It wasn't hard and I gained it back in 2 months just by eating frozen yogurt every single day. And I stopped exercising. And that 30 lbs came off very fast once I had surgery. But just be sure and check on the rules of your insurance company before you get too excited. Especially those of you who lost alot of weight with the sleeve and are not severely obese anymore. Good luck to you all and I can sure relate to all the pain and vomitting, etc. Hope you all find success in the end!!! Tracy

I did "splurge" as you say occasionally all the way thru my loss phase and did just fine. Entered maintenance and maintained easily for 6 months, but now I'm struggling a little. I put on 5, take off 4. That said, it's summer and I to have a beer\skinny margarita now again and my social life is much more active than it used to be :-). My workout schedule is regular, but it seems like I'm just a couple of pounds over where I want to be right now, and I'm working new ways to be successful in maintenance. So, I've adopted kind of a "weekends off" schedule for food indulgence. I keep it light 5 days per week (shake for Breakfast, salad for lunch, Protein bar snack, sensible high protein dinner, no alcohol) to allow a little more flexibility on the weekends. For me, cutting any one thing out entirely is not the way I want to live. I just need to maintain the appropriate balance!

Your post really got me in my feelings. I'm 27 and i know that's only a 6-year difference but the things i would do to go back to 21 and have wls then. I spend nights crying and thinking about it. The amount of things i have lost in 6 years because of my weight, it has taken my old friends, career and life opportunities. It hurts me to think about it. From 16 -21, I was pretty sociable but as the weight started creeping on, I wasn't even bothered about partying or alcohol, I started to fear going out to the shops never mind a bar or club. Regardless of whether my WLS outcome is successful or whether I am fortunate enough to get plastics, i'm always going have deal with mental and physical scars of being fat for so long, you have chance to nip it in the bud and spend the rest of your twenties being happy, healthy and still having experienced your fair share of alcohol and parties.

Florinda, I'm no dietician and I know you know your body better than anyone but is your daily low calorie count enough for your body? I can hear your frustration at the slow weight loss. Would it help to have a couple of days at higher cals to see if it shakes things up? My own weight is up and it is totally my own fault, I have had a weekend in Turin (Italy) and we ate and drank. It was the drink more than the food- it goes down too easily. The weather and the atmosphere was great and we took advantage of it, glass of wine before lunch, same at dinner and then sitting out in the squares people watching with a drink later. I think it is no alcohol for me this week so that my poor liver can recover. We went to Turin to see the shroud and it was an amazing weekend, made all the more amazing by meeting a Muslim lady and her elderly mother who were also there to see the shroud. We were able to discuss with each other the things our religions had in common. It was really special. It also follows on from an amazing exhibition I saw in Marseille recently which was about the things that the Christian, Muslim and Jewish faiths have in common. One fact I took from that is that Mary (mother of Jesus) is mentioned more in the Koran than in the Bible! And that the Muslim faith have a deep respect and reverence for Mary because she is The mother of Jesus who they acknowledge as a prophet (as does the Jewish faith). As humans that is what we should focus on - the things we have in common, not the things that might/could divide us. Anyway a lean day for me I hope!

I think Debbieduck4 is correct. You should talk to a councilor about your concerns. My advice is don't choose alcohol over your health. Best of luck to you on your journey.

@@Bluesea71 The lidocaine cream that @@AngelaWilliamsMD mentioned (right down to the plastic wrapping) was the only thing that made it possible for me to do my back and shoulders. The first time I did it without any analgesic or numbing and thought I might die. It was awful. My fallback option under consideration was to consume copious amount of alcohol (probably not a great idea)!

@@Kindle ... we usually go to bed with the chickens. I slept 7 hours last night, but was awake just before at 4:00 am this morning. I do wish I could find my wand, too. I'd fedex it to you so you could whack yourself whenever you needed it. I think it's amazing that you're dealing with this latest lost without self-medicating with alcohol or food. That's an awesome change. If you ever want to talk, please PM me and I'll send you my phone number. I'm no kind of expert about suicide. But I'm a good listener. And I won't give you lots of advice. Promise.

Thanks all for the replies. I know my question is too complicated for a "right" answer, but it's nice to get some theories to ponder. Being the scientific person I am, I definitely think the changes in our metabolism and GI biome do play a role. As a fecal transplant recipient, I can personally attest to the actual physical changes that occur when you all of a sudden have a different population of GI flora. And the instant (not weight-related) changes seen immediately postop in many diabetic patients is well documented. Mentally, I think the "ready for a change" theory also plays a part. For those that don't succeed at this, maybe that's a big missing piece of the puzzle. But it was a significant factor for me. I really hit rock bottom as far as my weight-related and alcohol dependence mentality goes. I had no control at all. And like many other addicts maybe that's what it takes to finally get your shit together. The positive feedback loop, self reinforcement and getting a handle on our mental health no doubt also plays a part. Even though I've lost a lot of weight in the past, (almost to surgeon's original goal) there was always something missing. For some reason I just lost the incentive to maintain those successes. Why it's different this time remains a mystery. I think there are too many factors to really be able to explain my original question. And I'm sure it's different for everyone.....I guess success is just a matter of your personal "perfect storm".

Thanks for replies. I'm a hurting puppy right now. I'm a recovering alcoholic so I am not taking any narcotics. The tummy hurts pretty bad but I have passed a bit of gas. Pills and fluids are tough going down. Shoulders still hurt bad. Walking helps. Starting shake for real this morning. Bottoms up. I am so lucky to have a devoted wife waiting on me hand and foot. She is managing all these food and pill requirements for the moment.

Ah MixxedFit you ask? It's an exercise class that has you doing dance moves people would do in the dance club (no twerking thank heaven !! Lol) ... To all the current popular music. Combines core muscles and cardio all in one. It makes me feel like I went out for a night of dancing without the alcohol. It is so much fun! After an hour you feel great .... You worked your butt off but you didn't notice until the end!

The real "party" is the fun time you'll be having in your own head after surgery. Right now, it may seem like its about the alcohol, but you are also self-conscious, comparing yourself to your friends, and feeling insecure around the guys. After you get some weight off and are feeling more confident and beautiful, the focus isn't going to be on the alcohol any more. Trust me on this! You'll be dancing, laughing, meeting cute guys, and having fun with your friends. And guess what, you can do all that without getting drunk. The thing is, you can have a drink or two after surgery. But, before you do go under the knife you might want to talk with a counselor or someone. If having drinks is seriously a factor in your decision, it may not be the right time for you.