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Kudos that people that can truly look at it at as fuel and be okay with it. Like you said in the real world not a lot of us can do that. I can do it while I'm at work. I can eat chicken salad for morning and lunch and not get tired of it. I'm looking at it as fuel at that point. That goes right out the window the second I get home, though. We are wired differently. My wife could be a casual smoker and only have one a day, then go 2 days without one, then have 3-4 if we were out, then none the next day and be fine with that. Me on the other hand....nope. I loved smoking (when I did years ago) and there wasn't much control. There was absolutely no way in hell I could do what she did. That goes for a lot of things in life. I can drink a beer every week or once every two months if I wanted. For somebody that has trouble with alcohol they couldn't do what I do. Yet I can but couldn't do that with smoking. Somebody may go to a casino twice a year for fun. Other's know if they went just once their gambling addiction would come roaring back. Food can have the same power/hold on us as any other addiction. For anyone that scoffs at others for not simply being able to "turn it off" then you don't get what addiction is all about. I do believe that we can all overcome our own addictions but it's easier said than done for many of us.

Paraphrasing Dr. Phil--I heard him say that sometimes habits form for one reason and continue for another--or other reasons. As I reach the conclusion that I do need WLS to be successful with permanent weight loss, I ponder why I got here (270 lbs.) in the first place. I know there are a lot of threads on this topic, but it helps me to "put it out there" for comments. I believe my THING with food started as a very young chlid. My family moved a great many times--I was in 3 different high schools 5 different times. Food was constant. Food was comfort. I definitely ate from emotions. But now--while I do believe I eat emotionally at times, I feel I overeat mainly for a sense of PHYSICAL CALM--perhaps for a serotonin increase or what have you. I've never been on anti-depressants, but I wonder if I need to be. I don't feel sad or hopeless. I'm just tired a lot (due to weight, I'm sure) and...I don't know. I know this, though. After my c-sections, I was given Lortabs for pain. While on these, I had NO desire for food. I felt calm. I can see how people get addicted to these pain meds. I just can't help but think that maybe we all (overeaters) have some slight chemical imbalance--some something missing that causes us to not feel satisfied on a normal amount of food. I'd love to know how thin people feel after eating little food. I'm sure many find other food substitutes to feel calm--like nicotine or alcohol. Ahh--I just want to feel normal. I'm near my "time" and have an incredible hunger though I'm not hungry. It's not emotional, I don't think. It's something definitely chemical/hormonal. Any thoughts?

Two women close to us, one a family member and one who was with my wife and I so much, that we called her our daughter (that we never had), both became crack addicts. Without going into what skeletons were in their respective closets that drove them to the need for the numbing (drugs) to forget, both went through rehab. One learned the lessons of the 12 step program, is clean since 1992 and is raising a beautiful 10 year old daughter (my God-child) that she had a few years after leaving rehab and one is now dead. I bring this up because our battle against overeating and weight is so similar to the battle against drug/alcohol addiction. We must learn to take one day at a time. Maybe "one meal at a time" says it better. We must learn to be grateful each meal and then each day that we succeed in our battle, and maybe most importantly, we must learn to get right back on the wagon anytime we fall off, and without hating ourselves for our momentary failure. Setting far reaching goals is so important, but setting a goal for the day or for the hour or even minute is just as important. I used to argue with the women who is still alive and doing well when she was using that overeating is a harder nut to crack than crack or alcohol addiction. An addict can keep postponing that first drink/usage for one day or one minute until the minutes grow into days, the days grow into weeks, the weeks grow into years, etc. We as foodaholics must eat everyday. We can not postpone eating indefinitely. When a drug addict or alcoholic breaks down and uses, they fall apart, but if they put using off day by day, they can succeed. We must give in and use, but we must not fall apart in order to succeed. I wish all the members here the best. If you have lost 100 pounds or more, congratulations. If you have lost ½ pound so far, well you are on the right path. The man, Tim Montgomery, who recently set the world record for the 100 meter sprint started off about 26 years ago by crawling and then eventually took a halting step. If he can make it from one step, fall, get back up, take another step and then another to running 100 meters in 9.78 seconds, then we can start on the path, fall off, get back on the path and lose our desired amount of weight. Oh, yeah, I used to be 5'11", but now I am 5'9". I used to look and feel good at 180 pounds and even though I am now two inches shorter, my goal is 180.

Ah - Another day has passed... I have tracked my exercise at 11 days for the month-to-date. I will check in with my total in the AM. I am planning on going again tonight. 12 days out of 28 is still pretty wimpy - so I am going to have to do a whole lot better than that in March. Unofficial weight for today (per my scale + 4 lbs variance) would be 292. That's still only 39 pounds since my surgery date - and 55 pounds all together. I need to move that along just a smidge. I need to have this a little bit more under control by the time the next set of food holidays roll around. I think I will be able to pass up Easter Candy - so then I am clear until at least the fourth of July - and probably until Thanksgiving. Today, I have successfully avoided eating any of the evil carb laden treats lying around the office. With the exception of some veggie-dip which had some sugar in it, I was pure. I purposely avoided the dessert section of the office... I resisted the chips that were staring at me all afternoon - and I didn't even smack my idiot co-worker when she repeatedly blathered on about how delicious the Desserts were - AFTER I asked her not to mention it. GOLD STARS for me. (and lucky for her that I didn't snap) So, going into March - it isn't all that bad. I have lost a few pounds, I am hitting the gym, and I am not doing too badly on the whole food concept. Now all I have to do is improve on my ability to stop eating when I am full. Since this has always been the hardest thing for me to do, I forsee some fluctuation in my success rate... I will try not to bore you too much with the blow by blow daily report. I am determined to lose a minimum of 5 lbs in March. That is my goal. I would like to see at least 10 - but 5 is an attainable number, considering a week of travel food & no exercise might occur. That trip is a double edged sword. It's so fun - but so bad for me! Mary - sorry your computer is such a punk. Hugs to you and the boys. Cindy - I will totally call you when I get back from Tuscon. I could really use some veteran assistance. And I am so there with you on the body changes being the flip side of no weightloss. I only lost a couple of pounds in the whole month of February - but I am wearing a shirt today that I wouldn't wear three weeks ago cause it was too tight in the belly. How cool is that?!? Mandy - I hope you actually got some rest today. How nice that your DH isn't Kitchen-Phobic. Kat - I worry about you with that nut-ball around. Geez - the mediator thought she needed an escort to her car! All I can say is I hope the judge doesn't spank him so hard that the Nut-Ball feels the need for revenge. He sounds almost as scary as Crispy's neighbor. I hope he isn't someone that you will have to see on a regular basis in the future. Sherry - hope you get a break from the late hours soon. xo Eileenie - Hugs!! I can't wait for tomorrow! Now, how can we arrange for Boss Man to be away... permanently.... :heh: LOL! Darcy - Huge Hugs! I hope FIL is ok and the surgery was a great success - but there isn't anything you can do if people won't take care of themselves. I am thinking good thoughts for you & your DH. It's hard when your Daddy is sick - even when Daddy is an alcoholic. Well, I am off toward home, now. DH is flaking on the gym - but I am going without him. So there, NYAAAAA. Love you guys! (Where ARE those stinking flying Monkeys, anyway?? We are still short of a few of our peeps...)

Well, screw the weight loss. Don't worry about it. That is secondary, here. My advice is two part. First, why are these types of foods in your house? A lot of folks in the same boat respond to this question with, "My kids/husband enjoy these foods and I don't want to take it away from them because of my issues." That one makes me crazy. IMO, it enables them to have bad habits and obviously, is a temptation for you. But, i think there is also something else here. Just my opinion, but I remember in my days of alcohol and drug use, the before and moment of purchase was thrilling. Driving back home with my product knowing I was going to use was exciting. Now, I'm not saying it is the same for you ... I don't know. But what I do know is there were a lot of parallels for me with all my addictions. food included. Have you eve hidden food or what you were eating? Get the garbage can out and dump them. Second part, the consumption. We know we're not supposed to do it, yet we do. We all have our moments of weakness, for sure. There is that moment when we sit there with that item we are trying to not have: cookie, joint, shot glass, syringe ... You fill in the blank. I don't know what it is or what it takes to put that item down for everybody, but in my early days, it was an understanding of a higher power which I learned through a 12 step group. It worked for me, but we all have to find our own path. I sought help and you can, too. By no means am I perfect. I am a work in progress, and I keep on working everyday. Sometimes, every minute. As I first said, don't worry about the weight loss. Get back to doing the right thing and sticking to it and the weight will come off on its own. We have to get to the root of our relationship with food in order to conquer the demons that are associated with it. IMO, only then can we live free. Good luck and keep us posted

I wouldn't say it fails, because technically the tool is still there for us to utilize. I know people who still have amazing restriction at 3+ years out, which helps them with maintenance. It's just easier to kind of ignore it and go back to bad habits further out as things really "normalize" for us. As long as we keep the same good habits and practice them more times than not, we should be good And yes, just like alcoholics, we never "get over" being obese. We always have to be aware that we can relapse if we let our guard down.

Day of surgery 5/3/18, a biopsy was done of my liver and it was perfectly normal. No problems. Last year, 6 months post op, I had an abdominal ultrasound and was told I had gallbladder sludge, no mention of fatty liver. 18 months out, another abdominal ultrasound and I got a copy of the results. It shows a fatty liver, unchanged from 1 year ago and GB sludge. The doctor didn't even mention the liver damage to me and when I asked about it was told not to worry, it happens with WLS. I've researched and I've seen it can happen to people who lose a lot of pounds fast. I lost 55 pounds first 7 months (10 of it pre op). since then another 12, for a total of 67 pounds. This just isn't making sense to me. How could I have a normal liver on surgery day, after enjoying whatever foods I liked for years, and now that I'm eating MUCH better, have liver disease??? It's not that I never have fat or sugar (had some yesterday, but not a lot), but if I eat even 1/10th of what I used to, that would shock me. Like a have a bite of something, maybe two bites. Even that's once or twice a month. Does anyone have any ideas about how this happened and what I can do about it? I'd really appreciate hearing from the community on this as my doctor doesn't want to address this. I don't drink ANY alcohol. Thank You, Lisa

I think you guys really have it here. ADDICTION. However, a lot of medical folks don't see it that way because there are not physical withdrawal symptoms associated with the removal of certain addicting foods like there are with removing a substance like heroin. That seems quite silly to me. Yes, I actually heard this from a medical professional. Everyone old enough to sleep by themselves would know that anything could be addicting. What about cigarettes? Isn’t it true that the actual physical addiction to the chemicals is over rather quickly, but the emotional addiction can last forever? Same with alcohol, yes? So how can that line of thinking be valid? Granted, I have also heard other professionals validate eating as an addiction. But why is that important? It is certainly not because I need someone to tell me I am addicted to something to make me feel better. I know I am already. I don’t need to be told. But validation is necessary at the society and mass media level because this is why people think you can “just do it.” They see a fat person and they do not see a sad addiction to a substance we can never completely avoid. They do not realize that not being addicted isn’t as simple of emptying our cabinets of alcohol (or pick your poison) and not going to a bar. Not that I think that would be easy, but as a comparison, consider that not over-eating and eating bad foods is an addition you consciously fight three meals a day-MINIMUM, while actually partaking in the actual substance that is killing you because you must eat in order to stay alive. Oh, how we quickly judge. I have always said, I do not judge others who are addicted to drugs, alcohol, cigarettes etc. I have been fortunate enough not to have those addictions. However, I certainly have my own, food. So I try not to judge and I try not nagging my BF to quit smoking. We talk about getting help instead. That is the discussion folks should be having around the issue of obesity, not will power or how gross people look because of fat. Right, as if drug addictions are attractive. Okay, I am off my soapbox now. But that is one that always hits me hard. I dated a guy long term once who was never addicted to anything and we were really from different planets because of that. That is when all of this came to the surface for me. <O:p Luckily, my BF now does understand, and even took out a loan against his house to help me get the surgery in September. I thought he would think I was nuts at first, but he actually did a lot of the convincing by stressing the long-term effects of the weight. He often pointed out how it has affected his mother’s life and doesn’t want that for me. He doesn’t think I can do it alone, and couldn’t believe I felt ashamed for admitting I was not able to. Why can’t the rest of the world just think like my guy? Wow…I need to call him and tell him he is great. J Thanks for listening to my rant.

Hi all! It has been quite a while since I've posted. I'll give a quick recap of where I've been and where I am now. 2010-Highest weight was 282 Oct/9/2010- Sleeve in Mexicalli by Aceves 6/14/2013- LBL/BL/Arm lift in New Jersey by Dr Cappella (141 lbs) 11/13 Separated from my husband 1/14 - Lowest weight reached 123 lbs Current 150 lbs So my original goal was 155, I went below that with ease but I was quite active then. I got down to 141 and had 7lbs of excess skin removed and as a result of the surgery and being more active lost even more. Now my work has slowed as has my activity and I'm up to 150. My goal weight, where I felt the best is at 135 so I have 15 to get off. I am currently a size 6/7 and have a little bit of a booty (not a bad thing) but I cannot fit into all the clothes I want and also want to keep my results of my plastics looking good so I've got to get it off. I'm on day two of low carb, it always falls right back off after I buckle down. I'm still having great restriction when I stick to low carb and no sugary drinks. My downfalls are carbs, sweets, alcohol, not weighing every day and sitting on my butt. So almost 5 years out and it is still the best thing I've ever done. I'm down 132lbs...wow! My life is amazing (other than love life but I don't care about that..... today at least It's great to see some old folks on here! Btw my ex had the VSG also on 3/14 and is down 100lbs. He feels so much better and is in love again (we are still best friends). I've found that the last couple of relationships I've been in, I don't even mention that I've had the VSG, they don't ask since they have only known me as a regular sized person. What about y'all?

I live in Washington State where recreational weed is legal and stigma around using marijuana is dwindling. My doctor advised to stay away from alcohol for at least two months post-op so I've been stone cold sober for more than a month now (including pre-op diet phase). I've also wondered if marajuana is a "safe" alternative to drinking post-surgery. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I am addicted to ice cream too. I lost 100 pounds initially... had some complications (gallbladder surgery, port leak, port replacement) and I let it all go to ****. I gained 50 back and have been hovering at the same weight now for a long time. Unlike you, I DID have an addiction to ice cream pre-band, but thought if that was the ONE thing I had to do myself, I could do it. Well... it is REALLY hard. I am back to eating a pint of Ben & Jerry's a night. Sometimes more. I easily eat 1000-1200 calories a day in ice cream. I just recommitted myself 2 days ago. I have been ice cream free for 2 days. Sounds silly... but seriously, that is huge for me!! I am relearning how to work with my band instead of around it. No more drinking when eating. No more slider foods. And no more ice cream!! For me, I have to completely ban ice cream from my life. When I lost the 100 pounds my first year... I was not eating ANY. I understand that skinny people eat ice cream, and chips, blah blah. Moderation blah blah. Well I am not, nor have I ever been a skinny person. I can't just have 1 scoop. I always want more. My brain never stops wanting more. I crave it. I obsess about it. The only way I could control it is to treat it like an alcoholic would alcohol. I cannot have any. Never. Not one scoop. Not one bite. Not one lick. Once I have it, it snowballs. I have been in pretty bad sugar withdrawals the last two days... but I am hanging in there. I did it before, I can do it again. Yesterday I was obsessing about a turtle sundae from Culvers. I wanted it. I was telling myself, just this one last time. Just once more. Start tomorrow. Well I have been telling myself that for over a year. And where has that gotten me? I went home and had a Protein shake instead. I was pissed. Unsatisfied. Angry. But after those initial feelings passed I was so proud of myself for hanging in there. Today was a little easier. Tomorrow will be a little easier. HANG IN THERE. You just have to keep reminding yourself of your goals. Why you had this surgery. Don't throw it all away for 10 minutes of pleasure. It is a wicked, awful, nasty cycle. You can do it. Drive a different route. Don't pass Sonic. Don't keep ice cream in your freezer. Treat it like an addict. You cannot have it. Period. Give it a shot. Best of luck to you. I am there with you. You are not alone.

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 !!

You have got a TON of great advice from everyone on here!!! One thing I can add is STOP STOP STOP watching cooking videos of foods you miss on YouTube!!!!!! That's pure torture!!!! That's like a recovering alcohol sitting at a bar watching everyone enjoying alcohol. It's torture and could lead to using bad judgment with food!

I found a brand of stevia-sweetened dark chocolate on Amazon that does not contain sugar alcohol. You might try that for a treat at some point. No idea how it tastes! https://www.amazon.com/Chocolate-Squares-Gluten-Free-Stevia-Sweetened/dp/B0BWKBM5MS

This whole thread went in a totally different direction -- so much so I have to go back to the original post to refresh myself it was NOT about vets v. newbies and the various definitions of each, which I don't care about anyway. FWIW, I *think* if I remember correctly, the gist of the original thread was a bit of frustration that newbies/recently sleeved people asking questions about risky behavior very soon after surgery and getting bent out of shape if they are having their wrists slapped. Then there was the usual brouhaha about "vets" being snobby, rude, and unhelpful to the put-upon newbies. Whatever. I mostly lurk and read and try to absorb the knowledge of everyone on here; newbies AND vets. I have been very surprised at a few posts regarding, basically, people insisting they can eat/drink/smoke things off plan very soon after surgery or blowing the pre-op diet. Honestly, I thought a lot of these were trolls in the beginning, but at the informational seminar I went to for WLS -- the very first one -- they told the group within 30 minutes that, if they proceed with surgery, they will have to quit smoking for good, and quit caffeine, pot, recreational drug use, and alcohol for 60 days before and after surgery. Seriously, half the (large) group got up and left after that. The people remaining, several engaged in arguing with the NUT running the informational session who wanted to be the exception and still use pot/smoke/drink the whole time -- and who wanted diet pills to help them lose lbs before and after. IDK what the answer is. I used to be defensive and kinda pissy about telling people I was considering WLS and it seemed that EVERYONE *knew* an uncle's brother's wife's cousin's friend who died or regained 200+lbs after surgery. I THOUGHT it was BS and just ambulance-chasing mentality, but after the informational session and seeing people asking about bacon, booze, steaks, etc., I guess there ARE people out there doing this crazy stuff -- and they are ruining it for the people who are very serious and are paying big bucks to have this done. As well, they are truly risking their lives, and if someone gets their feelings hurt by yet another person who has insight telling them, no, young grasshopper, you really shouldn't do X when you are Y days post-op -- too bad! These are the people who regain and DO die that the rest of the WLS population has to defend the surgery from -- the random people who don't follow any guidelines and get horrible complications and regain or are in serious trouble for the rest of their lives. And I have seen some posts from people who haven't had WLS yet, or who are VERY post-op, basically saying, yeah, I did X/harmful thing and didn't die. Go ahead, you should probably be fine. Buyer beware.

I know 2 people that had WLS personally, well 3 I guess (old co-worker). Their failures taught me the things to avoid. Eating regular food early = feeding tube Not learning nutrition or how to eat healthy = regain Not cooking =Regain Viewing it as a diet = regain Not logging food = regain So there is a lot of learn from the failures of others. The only thing I see all the time on weightloss forums, is people aren't honest why they failed. They blame the surgery for not working, they blame their metabolism (which they never ever had tested). They never ever blame their actions or lack of action. They can never provide a detail of what they are eating. I also feel like this rash of people having surgery are going to skew the statistics, make WLS seem less effective and make it harder for other people to get surgery through insurance in the future. Anyway, I am still holding out hope that a lot of people are just trolls from the popularity of the app and not real WLS patients. Right on! This is why I personally have gotten invested in these particular posts. Because there are so many people that this surgery has saved/helped. It is so frustrating to me that people fight so hard to get this surgery and get denied and then others choose to squander their shot or more importantly put themselves in danger and then blame WLS. The idea that you would remove 85% of your stomach or reroute your insides only to do something that could prove to be dangerous to the success of this surgery. These are the people that actually put the success of WLS and the reputations of their surgeons at risk. They ruin it for others.....I had a friend who had an open RNY that was riddled with complications to the point she actually had to have it reversed. At the time, I had not idea of what was required so when hers failed and she became very very ill, it scared me and kept me from even considering this surgery for more than 17 years. Now that I know all the darn rules, I look back at what she did and I know exactly why her surgery failed. She honestly did it to herself. She was my roommate so I know what crap she put in her body immediately following bypass. I know she did not even drink a single Protein shake, nor did she take Vitamins. She drank alcohol within the first 2 weeks and pretty much ate what the rest of the family ate which was a high carb diet of macaroni and cheese, Pasta dishes, bread, etc. I watched her get sick every single time she ate. When she had her surgery reversed she was 5'3" and weighed 89lbs. I know this because I took care of her 5 children while she was in the hospital for over a month on a feeding tube. The surgery did not do this to her, she did it. Every bit of it. That kept me scared to death to even try. This of course was the extreme and I am also guessing they did not know as much about Bariatric surgery 20 years ago. But at the end of the day, it was what I saw and believed and was terrified and did nothing all that time. For me, being 310 lbs caused severe damage to my spine and joints that cannot be undone. This is why I am passionate about people who potentially cause damage to the success of the surgery or the reputations of the surgeons, doctors and nurses who perform it. Incidentally, my friend Peggy gained all of that weight back and then some following her reversal. Also, I am guessing this is exactly why there is such a long drawn out process to even be approved for this surgery. They want to make sure you are ready and willing to do what it is going to take to make it happen. Sorry for the length of this post, if it helps one person understand why I and many others are frustrated by the lack of accountability or worse yet, other people thinking it's no big deal "people make mistakes", then it's worth it because so many new folks on here are still learning.

Found my surgeon's answer about sugar alcohols in my paperwork: "Avoid sugar alcohols... If something you eat has sugar alcohol, make sure it contains 7 grams or less to avoid dumping syndrome." The Reese's has 12g, so that's my answer. Oh well, probably for the best. Thanks for bringing that up.

I hope I don't come across as rude when I write this but everyone has different likes or dislikes and you clearly say you have never liked alcohol from the outset so good for you but the post does come across as judgmental. If someone likes to have a drink it is up to them as adults to do as they wish, be it too many calories etc. It is everyone's choice to make if they would like to have a drink (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) and deal with the consequences, if there are any like weight gain, reflux, dumping etc. Do you like eggs? I don't like the smell or taste of them so why do you eat them? Just making the point!

I have my sleeve surgery scheduled for Feb 24. I have noticed on this site that every Surgeon has a different set of rules, guidelines etc. I have noticed that a lot of Surgeons have their patients on a 2 week liquid pre op diet. My final 4 hour consultation is Wed, Feb 18 where I meet with NUT and get all do's and don'ts etc. This Surgeon does not require a 2 week liquid pre op diet. I am thinking that I may want to be proactive and do the 2 week "cleansing" diet on my own just to be safe. I am starting to wean myself off of coffee ( 1/2 decaf down to all decaf) and have discontinued any alcohol consumption. I would appreciate any feedback or insight. I am very excited and ready to get this process going.

1. How long did you go before having your first drink? Probably about 3 months 2. Have you had any MEDICAL complications with your surgery that were attributed to drinking alcohol? No 3. Have you gained back significant weight from drinking alcohol? No. But if I've drank, I do retain Water the next day. Have to drink lots more water to flush it out 4. Have you developed an alcohol addiction post VSG after having been able to control your drinking before? No, though you only know you. I know a lot of people do develop transfer addictions to replace the food. It's something to think about.

Thanks for all your responses (both here and via PM). Although I'm months away from venturing into social drinking waters, I'm thinking about how I'll proceed when that day comes. I have been enjoying (greatly) a spicy Virgin Mary around "Cocktail Hour" and I'm thinking that when I'm ready to give alcohol a test drive, I'll start by adding a little vodka and seeing how it goes (I'm thinking a half shot or so). Any bloody mary drinkers out there try this this approach?

My surgeon has the same advice. I was was an avid wine/beer drinker pre- surgery (especially around the holidays). I am only 4 weks out, so no alcohol yet, but man do I look forward to a glass of wine someday lol I have family members with a sleeve and RNY and they both drink post-op. Aside from not drinking as much to getting drunk much faster they have had no other "complications"

1. How long did you go before having your first drink? 3 weeks - a small glass of wine for my friend's birthday. 2. Have you had any MEDICAL complications with your surgery that were attributed to drinking alcohol? None at all. 3. Have you gained back significant weight from drinking alcohol? No, still losing. 4. Have you developed an alcohol addiction post VSG after having been able to control your drinking before? No. It certainly effects me differently. I feel like I get the buzz from the first sip, but I don't get tipsy, just that lightly buzzed feeling then I feel like I have to stop.

Your not completely wrong with you first judgement, before I had VSG, I drank beer and tequila 5 nights a week, I have been very good staying away from it till yesterday, I know not to drink beer and thought, to get rid of my tension I would have 1 or 2 shots, thing is I thought from all that unread I would have had a very nice buzz, but did not, only paid for it this morning, massive headache . I agree, alcohol is as bad as the worst drug out there. I have learned my lesson, no more being an idiot Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

1- I waited about 6 - 8 weeks 2- I have had no medical issues at all. And alcohol do not effect my surgery. 3- I have not gained any weight attributed to alcohol, I'm down 75 lbs. And still loosing!! 4- I'm not an alcoholic! And have not developed alcoholism.. lol I'm not addicted. I enjoy spirits. And I drink coffee too!