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It's been interesting looking back over my entries on this blog along with the journal that I keep intermittently on my computer. I think that it's chronicled not only the weight loss side of my journey, but a portion on my journey through my mental illness in relationship to my weight. I started seeing a therapist last week. I probably should have sooner, and for anyone who has any kind of mental health disorder and is thinking about/having/had the surgery and even some of those who don't have a mental health disorder, it is something I would definitely recommend. I have struggled with my mental health since I was a teenager and it has huge ties to my weight, so it's definitely relevant for me to have new issues as well as old issues cropping up as I continue to lose weight. It's funny because before surgery I reminded myself a number of times that weight loss was not a catch all for solving many of the problems that I have. Weight loss is just that - a loss of weight to increase my health. I am now at 233 (lowest I have seen is 232) and still losing steadily, although much slower than before. Some days I feel like my entire life has changed, others I feel like I'm still left standing in the same place. Half of the time I cannot see the weight loss in the mirror. I can see it in the pictures, I hear it from the people around me, but there's this mental disconnect between that and the person I see in the mirror. I fit into smaller pants and my measurements shrink, but my waist still looks the same size (though one side of my stomach is bigger than the other, apparently I have some scar tissue or something holding my left side at a little bit larger around the stomach). I think this is one of my biggest struggles in regards to motivation. So now that I'm approximately five months out, I'd like to take a minute for myself to outline what I think are the good and the bad that I've experienced from this surgery and from my journey over the past five months. Good: - Moving down from size 28 tight pants to size 22 slightly tight pants - Hearing my coworker tell me today that I look like half of the person I used to be and that I now have a baby face - Being told by my boyfriend that from the back waist up I look like I was never heavy to begin with, supposedly I now have a thin frame - Having my mom notice that you can see my cheek bones - Not being out of breath when trying to keep up with my classmates - Having my smaller scrubs be too big and baggy - Having my boyfriend be able to wrap his arms almost all the way around me (like almost back to himself) - Having a boyfriend who is amazing (Yes, I attribute meeting him to the confidence I gained after surgery) - Being able to walk up flights of stairs without being winded - Being able to shave my legs without feeling like I'm doing some weird acrobatics - Every time I realize something new fits - Being able to sit next to someone on a bus and not feel like they are crossing their fingers I don't sit next to them - Having a ton of extra length on my seatbelt - Realizing I have collar bones and bones in my shoulders - Being able to see the bones/tendons in my hands - Having my rings fit every finger - Feeling like people look at me instead of through me - Not feeling like the largest person in every room - Hitting the high end of projected weight loss by my doctor and still continuing to lose - Not seeing a 3 on the beginning number of the scale - Having lost something like 20% body fat according to my scale - Not having to clear my plate out of anxiety at social settings - Being cold at night instead of sweating my butt off (I prefer blankets to fans) - Not feeling like the first thing people see is my weight - Feeling comfortable enough in my body to have sex with the lights on and no covers - Being able to reach my toes without doing weird bending manuvers - Being able to paint my toenails - The relief of not being at imminent risk of diabetes at 25 - Being able to fit in the bathroom stall and not always having to seek out the handicapped one - The periods of increased confidence - Feeling like I am moving on in my life Bad: - Hormonal imbalances - increases in mood swings, neediness, clingyness, irritability - Saggy skin - Lack of motivation to: Work out, take vitamins, get in protein - I struggle daily to fight my noncompliance - Fatigue (Probably related in part to intermittent compliance with vitamins and protein) - Anxiety related to the possibility of ever gaining the weight back - Alcoholism could easily become a problem - I have to stay away from it completely - Dealing with feelings rather than being able to turn to food for comfort So the goods obviously outweigh the bads by far. And many of the downsides are either related to mental health issues that were already present and have started to reoccur or lack of compliance with my plan. I have tried to start schedules for myself and that's one of the things I will be working on with my therapist. I have always had issues with compliance - and the biggest thing I need to do is make sure that I get all of my medicines and vitamins in, because I feel 110% better when I do. So my New Years resolutions will include: - Setting a day out every month to increase my compliance through scheduling, setting short term goals, and recognizing where my weaknesses have been - Increasing my exercise - Tracking my protein - Not allowing myself to justify that bad foods are ok because I can only have 2 bites anyway (2 bites four times a week still adds up) That was kind of long and rambley. Anyway, I hope that it helps others who might be looking into this and have some of the same mental health issues to maybe understand what it's like on the other side so that maybe they can prepare a little better and be able to manage some of the barriers to health better than I have.

Tina, you are doing so great with all that you have been through. I am so happy that you have found that inner peace. It helps a lot. I am going to open up a little about what I went through with my ex. He was an abusive alcoholic. Had my scared to leave him cause he would kill me. Not only was he cheating (women would call and argue he wasn't married) he finally pulled a Hell No ..I came home from work early 1 night and found him on the couch with a man! He left for 2 weeks after that. I packed all that I could fit in my car and sold everything else. I was moving down here. (My parents had been living here for about 4 yrs.) I could stay with them 3 weeks. 15 min. before I left Oh. he walked in and said he was coming with me. He did and left within 3 weeks. I was scared but getting stronger. It took awhile for me to get to the inner peace. But it is such a beautiful place. :tt2: I can hardly wait to get to 147. I have such a long way to go. You are an inspiration for me.:crying:

i am also curious about this. i am only 23 and recently graduated college. i don't drink often anymore. but once i am well enough, i am hoping to be able to go out about 2x a month. i am wondering how post op patients handle alcohol and if you are able to get drunk. sounds bad, but once in a while, it's fun to let loose with friends i haven't seen in a while!

Had my 3 Mon Post Op Check up today and weighed in at 165 lbs. Dr said that I was way ahead of where I should be and if I continue burning calories at this rate I'll end up ay 120 at my 1 year check up. Of course I burst out .... "Oh hell naw, that's too too small". She agreed with me and moved be all the way to the last stage of the game. Added bread, Pasta, grains, tri tip.. pretty much no restrictions just not alcohol, sodas and unhealthy foods. She wants me to take my 1000+ calorie burn all the way down. Absolutely no more cardio... Only body building/sculpting. Focus all on muscle building. She also wants me to increase my calories from 700 to 1200 and try and eat until I feel stuffed. I was like... "Lady you don't have to tell an Ex fat person that twice... Don't mind if I do pig out." LOL Blood test were awesome... Just need to increase me Iron during my monthly cycle since um flowing pretty heavy now. So yes... This was a MAJOR NSV for me. My entire life I've had to watch everything I eat and feel and look fat. Now... I officially feel like a skinny person not having to worry about cardio, low cal diet and my clothes not fitting. Kinda excited about the body building process... Yahoo for me!

Dump the sugar and simple carb laden foods, no soda, alcohol, added sugar, etc and then add some exercise. Do all that first if you have not already done that. I made all those significant small changes first, then went harder. The week I attended the seminar I ditched the diet coke, done. Then let go of pasta, rice, any bread except rye and then only one piece toasted once a day, etc. These changes are pretty much permanent. To go hardcore to get to your most important goal - which is surgery scheduled - you may need to go lean protein and vegetables sooner - which is the lifestyle we all have after surgery anyway. You don't need the shake routine until your doc says do the shake routine, unless for you that seems easier. Me - I would rather have tuna or chicken than a shake. Good luck.

Alcohol hits people very differently post-op, interestingly enough obviously not only depending on the kind of surgery a patient had. I understand bypass being a problem but tbh not really why a sleeve should propose problems, aside from being drunk on less alcohol because weight already has gone down significantly, that is. I can remember that we were advised to be cautious with alcohol because it hits differently (or can hit differently) than before. The dietitian told us to "try it at home first". Tbh, I can't remember the recommended time span that should be between surgery date and first alcoholic drink (I clearly remember though that the time span was four weeks for "real" coffee because I'm an addict. First coffee after four weeks of that chicory imitation stuff asted so damn good, rofl) - it might have been 12 weeks because alcohol is one of the bigger irritants to the stomach lining but I'm not really sure. I didn't pay much attention to this part of education because I was never much of a wine, beer or liquor consumer. Anyway, alcohol hits me like a hammer and is basically always involved when it comes to the rare occasions of late dumping and heartburn so I'm not too fond of this particular liquid drug. When I drink alcohol I always pair it with hearty food, not with sugary foods.

Slow cookers are great for working folks, especially those of us who need very tender, moist dishes. However....many of these great-sounding recipes are seriously overloaded with calories and sodium from the canned Soups. Also, the rice and potatoes are high carbs (starches) that we don't need if we are serious about losing weight. Therefore, cooking them is fine for a good meal for our families at night....but those of us trying to keep our weight down need to just pick out the meat (protein) from the dishes. Look at what just one CUP of Cream of chicken Soup has in it : Amount Per 1 cup Calories 233.43 Calories from Fat 132.38 % Daily Value * Total Fat 14.71g 23% Saturated Fat 4.17g 21% Polyunsaturated Fat 2.99g Monounsaturated Fat 6.55g Cholesterol 20.08mg 7% Sodium 1972.9mg 82% Potassium 175.7mg 5% Total Carbohydrate 18.52g 6% Dietary Fiber 0.502g 2% Protein 6.85g 14% Alcohol 0g

I would define a 'healthy' bar as one that has less than 10g sugar, low sugar alcohol (sugar alcohol can cause dumping also according to my nut, and it definitely gives you gas), low fat (less than 3g), high protein, and low sodium. It's hard to find all that in one bar, something must be sacrificed. For me, I'll choose a low sugar, high Protein Bar even if the fat content is more than I'd like. :-)

No...Alcohol very bad for your sleeve what did your DR. tell you when it's ok to drink...

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

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.

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!

although a stricture would cause vomiting - not diarrhea. At least that would be the case with RNY (I had two of them early out). I agree with what you said about fluids, though - and artificial sweeteners. Those give a lot of people G/I problems - esp sugar alcohols (those whose names end it "-itol" - like xylitol.

I came across this article at our local support group this week. Found it to me a good list for personal evaluation and focus when I am off track. Wanted to share... http://www.nawls.com/ In a November 2005 poll conducted by NAWLS, the following were identified as the top 10 mistakes WLS patients make: 1st Mistake: Not Taking Vitamins, supplements, or Minerals Every WLS patient has specific nutritional needs depending on the type of surgery you have had. Not only is it a good idea to ask your surgeon for guidelines, but also consult with an experienced WLS nutritionist. Understand there is not a standard practice that all surgeons and nutritionists follow in guiding WLS patients. So, it is important to do your own research, get your lab tests done regularly, and learn how to read the results. Some conditions and symptoms that can occur when you are deficient in vitamins, supplements, or minerals include: Osteoporosis; pernicious anemia; muscle spasms; high blood pressure; burning tongue; fatigue; loss of appetite; weakness; constipation and diarrhea; numbness and tingling in the hands and feet; being tired, lethargic, or dizzy; forgetfulness, and lowered immune functioning. Keep in mind, too, that some conditions caused by not taking your vitamins, supplements, or minerals are irreversible. 2nd Mistake: Assuming You Have Been Cured of Your Obesity A “pink cloud” or honeymoon experience is common following WLS. When you are feeling better than you have in years, and the weight is coming off easily, it’s hard to imagine you will ever struggle again. But unfortunately, it is very common for WLS patients to not lose to their goal weight or to regain some of their weight back. A small weight regain may be normal, but huge gains usually can be avoided with support, education, effort, and careful attention to living a healthy WLS lifestyle. For most WLSers, if you don’t change what you’ve always done, you’re going to keep getting what you’ve always gotten — even after weight loss surgery. 3rd Mistake: Drinking with Meals Yes, it’s hard for some people to avoid drinking with meals, but the tool of not drinking with meals is a critical key to long-term success. If you drink while you eat, your food washes out of your stomach much more quickly, you can eat more, you get hungry sooner, and you are at more risk for snacking. Being too hungry is much more likely to lead to poor food choices and/or overeating. 4th Mistake: Not Eating Right Of course everyone should eat right, but in this society eating right is a challenge. You have to make it as easy on yourself as possible. Eat all your meals–don’t skip. Don’t keep unhealthy food in sight where it will call to you all the time. Try to feed yourself at regular intervals so that you aren’t as tempted to make a poor choice. And consider having a couple of absolutes: for example, avoid fried foods completely, avoid sugary foods, always use low-fat options, or only eat in a restaurant once a week. Choose your “absolutes” based on your trigger foods and your self knowledge about what foods and/or situations are problematic for you. 5th Mistake: Not Drinking Enough Water Most WLS patients are at risk for dehydration. Drinking a minimum of 64 oz. of water per day will help you avoid this risk. Adequate water intake will also help you flush out your system as you lose weight and avoid kidney stones. Drinking enough water helps with your weight loss, too. 6th Mistake: Grazing Many people who have had WLS regret that they ever started grazing, which is nibbling small amounts here and there over the course of the day. It’s one thing to eat the three to five small meals you and your doctor agree you need. It’s something else altogether when you start to graze, eating any number of unplanned Snacks. Grazing can easily make your weight creep up. Eating enough at meal time, and eating planned snacks when necessary, will help you resist grazing. Make a plan for what you will do when you crave food, but are not truly hungry. For example, take up a hobby to keep your hands busy or call on someone in your support group for encouragement. 7th Mistake: Not Exercising Regularly Exercise is one of the best weapons a WLS patient has to fight weight regain. Not only does exercise boost your spirits, it is a great way to keep your metabolism running strong. When you exercise, you build muscle. The more muscle you have, the more calories your body will burn, even at rest! 8th Mistake: Eating the Wrong Carbs (or Eating Too Much) Let’s face it, refined carbohydrates are addictive. If you eat refined carbohydrates they will make you crave more refined carbohydrates. There are plenty of complex carbohydrates to choose from, which have beneficial vitamins. For example, if you can handle pastas, try whole grain Kamut pasta–in moderation, of course. (Kamut Pasta doesn’t have the flavor some people find unpleasant in the whole wheat pastas.) Try using your complex carbohydrates as “condiments,” rather than as the center point of your meal. Try sprinkling a tablespoon of brown rice on your stir-fried meat and veggies. 9th Mistake: Going Back to Drinking Soda Drinking soda is controversial in WLS circles. Some people claim soda stretches your stomach or pouch. What we know it does is keep you from getting the hydration your body requires after WLS–because when you’re drinking soda, you’re not drinking water! In addition, diet soda has been connected to weight gain in the general population. The best thing you can do is find other, healthier drinks to fall in love with. They are out there. 10th Mistake: Drinking Alcohol If you drank alcohol before surgery, you are likely to want to resume drinking alcohol following surgery. Most surgeons recommend waiting one year after surgery. And it is in your best interest to understand the consequences of drinking alcohol before you do it. Alcohol is connected with weight regain, because alcohol has 7 calories per gram, while Protein and vegetables have 4 calories per gram. Also, some people develop an addiction to alcohol after WLS, so be very cautious. Depending on your type of WLS, you may get drunker, quicker after surgery, which can cause health problems and put you in dangerous situations. If you think you have a drinking problem, get help right away. Putting off stopping drinking doesn’t make it any easier, and could make you a lot sicker.

Tho is an amazing list! I'm going to borrow this! Thank you so much for sharing! I'm not sure why people feel its okay to drink soda and alcohol as they do- probably because people tell them it's okay.... I guess if you don't make the total lifestyle change - people just Veiw it as another diet that will eventually fail:(

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!

So how long did you guys wait until you had a drink with alcohol in it? 4th of July weekend and I am REALLY wanting one.

Well said @The Greater Fool. One of the reasons, we’re encouraged to avoid alcohol (besides the high calories of course) is to avoid the risk of swapping your food addiction to another addiction like alcohol. I watched my friend’s drinking increase very noticeably after her surgery. She did eventually realise but we were concerned for her. Not saying that’s you but it is something to be conscious of. Honestly, I had my first drink at 2 months for my cousin’s 40th. I nursed that gin & tonic for hours. I wasn’t really enjoying it as I did before surgery., plus my taste buds had changed & I was conscious of the gas in the tonic upsetting me. I only have a glass of alcohol about once a month now & I still take ages to drink it. My friends like a glass or several but my not drinking or drinking very little doesn’t affect how we socialise or celebrate together at all. Remember if you’re drinking you’re not eating & eating is way more important & even more so especially at a month post surgery. Alcohol is empty calories & you should be concentrating on nutritionally dense calories while you are losing. Because of your low calorie intake, any alcohol you do consume will have a greater impact on you. But, ultimately it is your choice.

Found this great eArticle regarding ways to enjoy some of everyone's favorite alcoholic beverages in a reduced calorie manor. Just thought I would share - also remember that Bacardi makes a lite rum (almost 50% calorie reduction) Here are the drinks: Thanks to the dozens of different diet crazes, we are all abundantly aware of carbs, protein, and fat, and we all have different opinions on which is the most evil. But we forget that alcohol has calories too, specifically 7 calories per gram—more than carbs or protein and almost as much as fat. What does this mean for you? It means that it's a challenge to burn off alcohol, especially when it's mixed with yummy sugary ingredients. The most obvious solution is abstinence, but what fun would that be? Since we cannot remove the alcohol from the recipe, let's remove the excess calories from some popular summer drinks. Here are six summer cocktails and recipes to make them waist friendly. Margarita. The enemy in the margarita is the margarita mix. There are "light" versions out there, but the taste is less than extraordinary. Here is another option that will cut your calories in half without sacrificing flavor. Ingredients: 3 oz. light limeade (either the Minute Maid® version or your own, made with limes, water, and a sugar substitute) Lime juice (one lime) 2 oz. tequila 1.5 oz. triple sec Ice Either pour over ice or blend with ice. Add salt to taste. Sip while pretending you are on a beach in Mexico, and you look amazing in your swimsuit. Calories before: 435 Calories now: 180 Cosmopolitan. The sneaky trickster here is regular cranberry juice, which should be called sugar with cranberry flavoring. This light version uses only one type of alcohol, which drastically cuts your calorie count. Ingredients: 3 oz. light cranberry juice drink 1 oz. raspberry vodka Squeeze of lime Lime twist, as garnish Shake together with ice. Strain ice cubes and pour into fancy fluted glass. Look incredibly trendy and thin at the same time. Calories before: 413 Calories now: 98 Tipsy Arnold Palmer. Sweetened bottled versions of lemonade and iced tea can be pretty loaded with sugar. However, if we brew our own iced tea and squeeze our own lemons, with a bit of sugar substitute and 2 ounces of vodka, we can make a really tasty cocktail that doesn't have so many calories. Or, the light Minute Maid version and some diet iced tea will work for the domestically challenged. Ingredients: 3 oz. light lemonade (or juice of one lemon plus 3 oz. water and sugar substitute) 3 oz. diet iced tea (or 2 teabags steeped in 3 oz. water) 2 oz. vodka Sprig of mint (optional) Ice Pour over ice. Stir. Enjoy. Just don't try to play golf after two of these. Calories before: 156 Calories now: 71 Strawberry daiquiri. Nothing says vacation like a drink that a little umbrella will stand up in. Sugar, yet again, is the culprit. Try this version for a vacation flashback that will be reminiscent of the good times, and not of how you ordered seconds of dessert. Ingredients: 1/2 cup sliced strawberries 1 Tbsp. lime juice 1.5 oz. light rum Sweetener to taste (depends on how sweet the strawberries are) Ice Throw it all in a blender, and let the good times begin. Please don't consume so many that you try to drink the umbrella. Calories before: 299 Calories now: 118 Piña colada. Done correctly, it is the taste of summer. If not made well, a piña colada will taste like someone served you suntan lotion in a glass. This recipe uses actual fruit and skim milk to replace the sugar and cream. Ingredients: 7 oz. canned chunk pineapple, including juice 2 packets artificial sweetener 1 tsp. imitation coconut extract 1 cup skim milk 1 cup ice cubes Blend well, garnish with a small plastic monkey, and mentally escape to the Caribbean. Calories before: 297 Calories now: 146 [*]White wine/light beer/champagne. These all seem fairly obvious and don't require recipes, but they're worth mentioning. White wine has about 100 calories in a 4-ounce serving. And it's rather refreshing on a summer day, especially if you add a blast of club soda to make it into a spritzer. Beer comes in very light versions now, and some contain fewer than 70 calories. Champagne is not only fantastic with brunch, it also is around 100 calories per serving. With all of these, just be sure to measure your amounts so you don't end up with a splitting headache the next morning. And there you have it. A handle on your summer cocktails, without adding to your love handles. Now get out that swimsuit and let summer be the party it was meant to be!

My Dr told me to wait 4-6 months before taking any alcohol. He also said to be very very careful, you can get drunk very fast.. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

New year New you...listen to your own positive words....your the white sheep, your thinner than other family members, you offered for her to come visit even with her life long attitude,you removed yourself States away to get out of the toxic relationship with her...Be proud of the you and all that you have built in spite of your up bringing. It's easy for everyone to say just cut her out of your life,but clearly that's not your feelings or you wouldn't have invited her. So moving forward realize all her faults and continue to do what makes you feel good. Communication if your blocked just send her a card if you feel like you need to reach out. Like on Christmas or Mothers Day. In Psych even the most abused/neglected child still has feelings for the abuser that an outside person can never under stand. Be proud of the person you have become as an adult. Even having this surgery to continue being the best you. Kudos to you that you have chosen to break this alcoholic, neglectful, destructive family pattern. New year New you

I'm sorry that you are having difficulty, it may be best to contact your surgeon as soon as possible. I have not experienced this, but not being able to keep foods down is one of the symptoms/side effects that I was informed to contact my team for. It may be possible that you are dehydrated also, if you have been vomiting. Alcohol can also cause dehydration. Hoping you feel better.

Alcohol does not enhance anything for me.... But let me smoke a little bit of that good stuff and I transform into something "dangerous" (as my Sugar Daddy says) (but no real danger- I promise!)

That's my plan too- to have my first drink at home. I didn't tolerate alcohol too well prior to surgery so I need to see how I handle it at home first

Wait WHAT!?!?! You had five drinks and drove an hour later? :faint: Yeah i live like 10 minutes from where we were and was perfectly fine. I danced and pee'd it off. And we ate food afterwards so i was fine.The only way your body can get rid of alcohol is through your liver. Dancing and peeing will not help your body metabolise alcohol. Only time. You were a massive danger to yourself and other road users. I appreciate the consurn and i know how i felt and i know where your coming from. Thanks.