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My husband (and his family) have gout really badly. I can tell you if he touches red sauce, beef, grapefruit or alcohol he is in serious pain. I also know that his dad has a prescription from his doctor that seems to keep the gout at bay. Maybe that will help you? SoccerMamma73 is right about gout though... Water, water... and then more water is the best way to feel better fast. I hope you feel better soon!

Says anyone who was told "no liquids with calories" and who struggkes with carbs. I think that's tge majority here...your ability is in the minority. Pkus,all of my meds say bot to have alcohol ic beverges with them

Hi there! and YES HE IS RIGHT. The contrast they make you drink after surgery right before the X-ray is worse than anything I've ever had in my entire life. That was probably the worst experience of my whole surgery lol. I literally cried and begged them to please not make me drink it. I was told I couldn't be discharged without this xray and without drinking it. Think consistency of dishwashing soap, with a taste of dishwashing soap and a bitter alcohol. So thick and gross. I chugged it, threw up and cried as I walked back to my room. lmao kind of funny now when I look back because I threw a tantrum like a child. It was bad. lol Good luck to you on your journey!

Quick update: Recovery is going so-so. Struggling with the AA style, full abstinence, but my total alcohol intake is way way down from what it was, so I still feel mostly successful. As to my vitamin theory, I still think it has a lot of merits, despite a few people\medical professionals calling it into question, especially the use of Vitamin b12 injections vs pills. As an experiment, I stopped the shots and doubled up on B-complex pills for a week. Of course these things are hard to measure scientifically, but I definitely felt an increase in the intensity of cravings. I switched back to the injections, and the craving lessened. Your milage may vary.

Unfortunately, it's a life long problem. You can't ever be 'cured' of alcoholism. The only solution is to NEVER drink again. THat's a real tough notion for most of us.

My post-op diet varies based on individual tolerance and is as follows: Stage 1 - Clear Liquids for 3-5 days Stage 2 - Full Liquids for 2-7 days Stage 3 - Blended Diet for 2-4 weeks Stage 4 - Soft Diet beginning around 3-4 weeks post op Stage 5 - Life long healthy eating - around 8 weeks post op (Alcohol can be added at about 6 months after surgery in limited amounts and used very cautiously) YIPPEE!! I'm very successfully at the soft diet stage, but really miss my caffeine, which I'm not supposed to have.:thumbup:

Hi guys, As a newly registered user I like to say hi to everyone who uses this forum. I am a newbie to this forum. I am NYK from Canada. I am glad to join your wonderful forum. Thanks NYK alcoholism treatment

Hi, Doing better every day it's been slow going doing this at 54yrs but every day is better and better I was scared also but so ready and glad I did this wish I could have been able to have this done in my 40's.Get in some kinda of group in your home town it will help good luck with your psych eval.. I was there for about 3 hrs..they want to see if you are a alcoholic ect.. a lot of people don't cope very will after weight loss so take your time and you will be ok don't let them get in your head to much...you know how psych Drs. can be I read a lot from a great book weight loss for Dummies being scared is part of your new life good luck you will be fine..

I'm 7 months and a week out, and I still am losing 4-5 lbs a month. I have 29 lbs to go to goal. I have not exercised, honestly. I'm kinda mushy around mid section b/c of that...thinking about taking up pilates. It has been a lot of years since I exercised so it is a big thought at this point. I focus on Protein, but I don't count so much like others. I know I could do more...but someone told me when I was thinking about the surgery that they just ate less of their normal diet and lost a lot. That has sort of worked for me as I'm not much of a counter. The big changes I've made is I rarely ever drink soda or even alcohol, I am a Kool-Aid junky and a sunflower seed freak...this came after surgery. I buy the Lance brand of seeds which is low salt. I now sip all day long on something or another I made at home with no artificial sweeteners, only Agave or just less sugar) and I really enjoy my drinks more now. I think I used to live in a dehydrated state, so this is so much better for my health. food wise, I eat less fried food, hardly eat junk food, can't stand french fries from McD's or really that type of food in general. But in many ways I just simply focus on grilled protein and eat less. I can eat more on somedays than on other days, for some reason. Pretty happy with the results, but also realizing the last 29 lbs are going to be slow and I may need to get moving. But heh, bought a pair of size 8Petitie Ann Taylor Slim Cut jeans yesterday to celebrate! Haven't seen a pair of 8's in like, at least 25 years. Probably one of the biggest problems is keeping enough clothes in my closet that fit. But it is a fun problem to have. For every special occasion I have to shop. For work I have to shop. For play I have to shop. haha That has been fun. But by losing slow and buying tight I can get them to last the season at least. I am one of those people who wouldn't have lost the weight otherwise. I never dieted, never yo yoed. So yes, I'm grateful.

I agree with pammieanne and wolfgirl78. Think we all had to do some real soul searching before we made our life changing decisions. I'm not a soda/pop drinker so it's not an issue with me. I did give up drinking alcohol 2 months pre-op and that has been difficult but very manageable. I'm in this for health. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I had to agree to never drink alcohol again. Yup, for the rest of my life. Apparently there is a high rate of WLS patients becoming alcoholics/drinking in large quantities after surgery. My surgeon called it food transfer addiction. Instead of being addicted to food we become can become addicted to alcohol. I don't miss it. But two weeks post op? Yikes! Your pouch is still new and is not healed.

Well, I think I have the best doctor in the world and I had absolutely no alcohol restriction except that you should be avoiding getting calories from liquids. There is some statistical data that indicates a higher rate of alcoholism in WLS patients, but there is also a higher rate of sex addiction. The fact is that if you are a food addict and the surgery takes away, or impedes that addiction an addiction transfer can occur. Just take it easy and talk to your doctor if you can.

Band is way less risky, reversible and leaves your bowels intact. Google "dumping syndrome." Band is adjustable or even reversible. Plus, you can drink alcohol with the band but not with the bypass. Truth be told, I would be interested in the sleeve but insurance won't pay for it and I'm not sure if the stomach would eventually grow back. For me, there is just no way I would do the full bypass - it's just too radical.

Lost 100 pounds. No idea what my macros are. Don't count, don't measure, don't track. Never have. I keep a running tally of fluids in my head and typically drink 80-100oz. I have a Protein shake and Quest bar everyday which gives me 40-50g protein. Then I eat 5-6 times/day....mostly high fat/high protein things, but I do include a little fruit and non starchy veggies every day. And of course my fiber. I occasionally indulge in Desserts, candy, alcohol, bread, and rice, etc but it's certainly not an everyday thing. I'm one of "those" people who had surgery so I wouldn't HAVE to diet and measure and track everything I eat. If I wanted to do that I could have saved my $7000 and joined weight watchers instead.

You may be worrying for no reason. Before the surgery I stressed about what I would tell people (not including family) because I didnt want everyone to know. I got my sleeve on a Friday and went back to work on Monday. It has been seven weeks and I have lost 32 lbs. No one has any idea I did anything. I thought oh the weight is going to melt off of me and I will be so skinny people will have questions. In real life I still wear the same size clothes and no one that doesnt know I had the surgery knows that I have lost a pound. In the interim, I have started saying that I am on a diet, and not consuming alcohol (in public) so that in the event I do start to have the lbs melt off of me, it will make sense.

I cut alcohol out of my diet at the end of the first month of my six month insurance-required pre-op diet program and abstained for a total of 9 months. I had a few drinks during a recent trip to Asia -- that was about 3 months post-op for me. I had no trouble from it, and I lost 13 pounds during our 3.5 week trip. (But I do need to point out that we walked about 10 miles per day on this trip, so all of that extra exercise offset any effects from the limited alcohol I did have...) At 10 days out, there is no way I would have consumed any alcohol. Your new stomach is still really raw and only in the beginning stages of healing. It isn't a good idea.

Hot liquids and alcohol relax my sleeve. It worked with the band too, and I know some RNY'ers that use the same trick. Cold liquids definitely restrict my volume. I drink most everything at home at room temperature, and if I'm out I typically get easy or no ice.

mine smells too. i noticed that as i lose weight my tummy is looking frumped over. like the top is now falling down and it covers up my belly button. what i typically do is after a bath/shower i wipe it dry with a towel and sometime a little bit of rubbing alcohol on a q-tip. or if i am going to be home i sometimes just stick a cotton ball in there (i have a deep button). it soaks up the moisture. i just leave it in for alittle bit. usually helps. while it was healing i would put a cotton ball in there for a while. just made it feel better. that's where my only incision is. not sure if these will help but good luck!

I've made it through an entire weekend on liquid only! This is an accomplishment that I must celebrate, as it struck during a very busy time. Yesterday, being that it was the 10th anniversary of 9-11, I had been booked to sing at 3 different events throughout the day. The first one was not as hard because there was not a meal or food involved. But the second event was a Banquet WITH LUNCH!!! The biggest issue I had was that I didn't want to draw attention to what I was doing. Not only that, the meal was served FAMILY STYLE. So for those that might not know what that is, they put enough food on the table for everyone and then we have to pass the plates. So every item had to be passed in front of me, through me, and across me! I had to explain why I couldn't even eat green beans, which of course are healthy in most aspects! BUT....I planned ahead. I stopped and bought a can of chicken broth and brought it with me. Then, very quietly, I asked the server if she wouldn't mind warming it up, to which they were so accommodating to do and thankfully it was rather satisfying! The hardest part of the meal for me was when they served cake and ice cream. Homemade cake, with buttercream frosting! I LOVE that kind! But....I made it through. I didn't even have one bite! Then the last event was for an Honor Flight celebration and they had alcohol! My mom had a wine cooler and she knew I couldn't have one. I ended up leaving rather quickly after I sang the National Anthem and God Bless America. There were thousands of Harley riders there celebrating our great nation. The main event was the Grand Funk Band, so I stayed just long enough to mingle and then went home to relax. I am half way there, but I feel as though it is an eternity today for some reason? My surgery is Wednesday next week and Tuesday is an all-day fast/cleanse. But maybe at this half way mark is when it gets tough! I have learned some things though that I would like to share. I've learned to listen to my tummy. It growled today. That was in a way a good sign, because I knew it was time to get my broth for lunch. I've also been paying attention to the 'full' feeling in my tummy, which I have to admit I am not good at noticing. I know I will need to understand that for after surgery. Thank you for your comments on my last post, please keep sending them, it is encouraging to know that what I write or feel is seen by someone else. Hope your days are going well and you are pressing through whatever phase you are in! Let me know if anyone is out there who has surgery next week as well? It might be fun for us to keep each other up to date on our healing and growth! Weight: 206 (down 7 lbs!)

Well I hope everyone is surviving through this virus situation. i felt like updating everybody I'm pretty much 6 months post op give or take a few days! This has been an incredible journey to say the least. Had the RNY BYPASS surgery and I believe it completely changed my metabolism; I've lost so much weight and it's like I can't gain weight. i actually started my own pre-op diet roughly 8 months ago way before surgery and my highest weight was 322lbs. I was weighed in for surgery day at 257lbs. Over the past few weeks I've pretty much hit maintenance I believe and I'm weighing in between my lowest day of 168 and my normal days of 170/171 obviously weight can fluctuate from day to day. I am gobsmacked how well I've done and how good I look but I know I really need to start to tone up and build muscle. My main focus from Day 1 was to just shed the weight off lose the LBS and I've done that. Never thought I'd get this far. In the past few weeks I've really tested my metabolism over Easter I had some chocolate and some crisps and a few alcoholic beverages but it appears not to make much difference at all to my weight but obviously I'm back on track still logging my food intake most days and some days still using protein shakes when I'm busy or not that hungry literally 6 months post op some days I'm still not hungry..... So in summary I've lost max 154lbs since day 1; 8 months ago and in the 6 months since surgery day I've lost 87-88lbs and I'm feeling great and it's weird people now telling me I've got to stop losing weight LoL. I'm finally the slimmest one in my group of friends. People treat me differently in general. I've included a photo it's not the best angle as it's hard to take photos of myself but you get the general idea considering the amount of weight I've lost there's not a huge amount of excess skin the main area is my lower belly abdominal area!!! I really truly believe my metabolism and the way my body processes food has completely changed and it's an amazing feeling!! MIKEY xxx Feeling great 35 years young

Sara - there was a question I wonder if you would answer - were you taking only what you are supposed to of the Alli? Have you developed any eating disorders? Dorrie had a wonderful answer for you. I would say a concern for you from me is def the cheating - because that will set you up to fail. Another serious issue. Crossover replacements for your foodstyle...they are known as addictions. Alcohol, smoking, weed, cutting, and replacement "feeling" (I forget that one - help me out Dorryie!). Going to a counselor is OK - but what then - do you actively work on what you have talked about? Do you read on your own? If you were not taking a diet aid, could you maintain your loss? The esophogeal stretch may be a way to get some of it covered by insurance, even if they will not approve the sleeve. Replace the mochas with a coffee, or warm up and froth a glass of hoodia soy milk in chocolate or a spash of coffee. Popscicles are good, Jello too! If you cantr get away from alcohol, make a jello shooters, freeze them, and blend them in a blender with some crystal light you have poured into ice cubes. Get onto My Fit Pal, get to know the site well, it will help you alot. If you find yourself off the band, still go to therapy, and prepare yourself to do this old-style until your esophagus and tummy can heal - get the original "eat this, not that" book, and feel free to stick around the forum. There is alot discussed here, not all VGS related, and you can build up a healthy bit of knowledge. Notice I did not say yay or nay about whether you should get the sleeve...I cant make that decision. Whatever you go, I hope you work through everything and are well. I talk like I am telling you what to do - it is just my nature, I only intend them as suggestions...

Ugggh!! I can relate to that. I think... I know, the only reason my wife's okay with the surgery is because I won't be able to drink alcohol for several months. She is excellent at sabotaging my weight loss efforts.

I haven't been on here in a while, so I'm kinda glad to be back. In July, I had a Lap-Band, which I lost 125 pounds on, changed to a gastric sleeve. I had lost 125 pounds, and then gained it all back plus some. Since I got my sleeve, I've lost 31 pounds since July. That's it. I'm way behind. I know for a fact that I have stretched my sleeve, and I feel that I don't have the control over the amount of food that goes into my stomach that I did with the Band, and I really need to shrink my sleeve again. It is WAY too easy to keep food down that I don't have room for when compared to the Band. Then there comes the problem that I live in a dorm on a college campus, so my food options are VERY limited. I get my apartment next year where I can cook my own meals, but for now, I'm kind of limited to what I can keep in my dorm. I live in a world full of junk food, alcohol, and bad habits, and it's SO HARD to get out of it. Is there any way I can shrink the sleeve back down? Any suggestions for a college student? I'm so disappointed in myself and I just pray that I haven't done irreversible damage to my sleeve. That guilt is really crushing, and I am scared to death I'm going to remain fat.

I was just wondering if you are newly banded and if you have good restriction. The reason I ask is because I used to drink almost every night and once I got filled and finally had restriction (6 fills) I am not able to drink. The alcohol burns my stomach and I always throw up from it. I am probably too tight but since I am losing weight and had to give up drinking I am sticking it out!

@@Cervidae I got a dog. It has helped me so much with my stress and isolation from living and working alone. The dog is the best comfort available. I realize everyone can't afford or wants to take care of a dog. I comfort myself right now by shopping. It isn't always about purchasing items, it is more about trying on clothes, seeing what I can wear and also seeing myself in a different environment. Even though there are mirrors and full length mirrors all over my house, I find that I can see my changes better outside the house and trying on entirely new clothes. That helps me stick to plan and also validates my struggles with head hunger. Doing your nails, deep conditioning your hair. Okay on to food. Comforting myself with food, is something I worked through before surgery, before I even considered surgery. I gave up sugar, I gave up alcohol. I learned to work through my problems and I always removed a lot of stress from my life. Now to be real, I Keto. That is more comforting than most diets. Fats satisfy a lot of needs. Low carb and low fat is just fail to me, and it doesn't seem to satisfy anything. So I have healthy fats, very few carbs and meet my Protein goals. That is satisfying and comforting to me every day. My food is high quality and delicious. I had filet mignon for almost a week straight, at 4 oz at a time, it is affordable yet still decadent.Totally on plan, totally delicious. I am savory kind of person. I would rather have fried chicken or fried fish than chocolate or any kind of sweet. That being said, it is kind of easier to get "treat" like foods that are sweets since most people are sugar fiends. I think that if sweets are your trigger then you should be really careful. I can eat these items and not care about them. They are mainly convenience more than comfort. Protein Brownies. Looking they are protein brownies and they taste like protein brownies, but they do taste good. They also aren't cheap, so you might not want one every day. Found on instagram, a real life saver, added bonus, they are moderately filling. http://www.eatmeguiltfree.com/ Protein Peanut Butter The chocolate is delicious. https://wildfriendsfoods.com/protein_plus/ Quest Bars Low carb cheesecake (just google a recipe. I get these at Trader Joes for $1.99 or 2.99 a bar, I forget the price. cheaper than Lily's I have one square at a time as a snack http://www.amazon.com/Simply-Lite-Chocolate-Cacao-3-Ounce/dp/B0049UDYHI These from trader joe's, fi you are going to buy them, weigh/measure out all the servings and put them in individual baggies as soon as you get it home. Only take one serving at a time. The calories are high per serving for those of us on 1000 calories or so a day so plan accordingly. I stopped buying them because they aren't worth the calories to me, but they aren't a terrible option. http://i.imgur.com/jWCaYT1.jpg Again I am going to state I can eat this things because sweets are not a trigger for me. If they are for you, don't do it. Food though is fuel, not a comfort device. We all need to work past seeing food as a comfort. It doesn't even work post surgery at least for me. Being full is super uncomfortable, it isn't soothing, it doesn't make me numb or sleepy, just miserable. Cooking a complicated keto or paleo recipe is soothing to me. It takes me out of my own thoughts and I have to focus on what I am doing. I find that relaxing. Recipe sites.. http://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/ http://www.ruled.me/ http://cavemanketo.com/ https://ketodietapp.com/Blog I am not familiar with what RNY people can eat so if all of these are things you can't tolerate. I'm sorry.