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Dear BariatricPal Members, Happy New Year! May 2015 be filled with health, happiness, and weight loss surgery success for you and your family! There’s no doubt that weight loss surgery is on your mind as you Celebrate the end of 2014 and get ready to welcome 2015. So, here’s what you’ll find in this newsletter to close out the Old Year and start the New Year strong. Last Party of the Year: A Chance for WLS Success A New Year: Which Small Changes Will You Make? Your New Year’s Day Game Plan BariatricPal looks forward to our own growth and lots of new projects in 2015. We also can’t wait to see how your year goes. Thanks for making us a part of your weight loss journey, and thanks for helping each other become healthier. Happy New Year! Sincerely, Alex Last Party of the Year: A Chance for WLS Success The holiday season is long. By the time New Year’s hits, you might have had a Thanksgiving celebration, a few holiday parties at work and with friends, and a Hanukah, Christmas, or Kwanzaa party. Needless to say, the events make weight loss almost impossible. The good news for weight loss is that the season’s almost over! Whether you’ve been remarkably self-restrained since Thanksgiving, or you’ve given in to the temptations, life’s about to get back to normal. That can’t be a bad thing. For most people, there’s one more big party: New Year’s Eve. It may seem like just another barrier to losing weight, but it doesn’t have to be. It can actually be a neat opportunity! How’s that? Gather Some Momentum You may not have much momentum going if you feel like you’ve knocked over one hurdle after another this season. Turn it around this New Year’s Eve. When you eat right on December 31, you’ll prove to yourself that you can do it, no matter how hard it is. Carry that confidence with you right into the New Year, and there’s no telling how far your confidence can take you. Your Party Plan Maybe you’ve been using the tried-and-true tips, or maybe you haven’t had a chance yet this year. These tips can get you through the party feeling nourished but not stuffed or sick. Give them a try. Eat Right Is that even possible? Yes, it is. The only thing you need to eat right is the right food, and you can easily take charge of that. Serve some healthy dishes if you are hosting the party, or bring a few to share if you are a guest. Here are a few nutritious finger foods to consider. Cut bell peppers, cauliflower or broccoli florets, baby carrots, or celery sticks with hummus. Deviled eggs made with low-fat Greek yogurt instead of mayo. Teriyaki skewers with cubed tofu, grilled red peppers, and mushrooms with teriyaki sauce. Mini pizzas on hollowed baby portabellos. Stick to your safe foods, or you can also allow yourself a bite or two of certain favorite treats. Keep track of every bite you eat in your head or on your smartphone to keep yourself from accidentally overdoing it. Stay Away from Alcohol Say no to alcohol. Liquor and mixed drinks are high in calories. A 4-ounce (half-cup) glass of champagne has 78 calories, and an apple martini has 235 calories. Plus, alcohol lowers your inhibition – so you’re less likely to be able to pass up high-calorie foods. And finally, everyone knows you shouldn’t drink on an empty stomach, but every weight loss surgery patient knows you shouldn’t drink while you’re eating. Alcohol and weight loss surgery just don’t mix! Grab a glass of Water, and enjoy it. It’s calorie-free, and it’ll keep you sober. It’ll also keep you busy so you don’t go for the food. If you’re tired of water, try some hot coffee or tea. Enjoy the Party What does this have to do with weight loss and weight loss surgery? You may be surprised… What do you love about parties? The food? Not anymore. The real reason for parties is to celebrate people. Once you embrace that idea, you may just find that parties are a whole lot more fun than when you’re focused only on piling your plate. This year, enjoy the people and the decorations. Soak in the party atmosphere, and see how much more you love the party. Carry that lesson with you the rest of the year, too – life is about people and events, not about food. A New Year: Which Small Changes Will You Make? What Can 2015 Mean to You? Maybe it’ll be the year you get weight loss surgery to finally take control of your life. Maybe it’ll be a year of colossal weight loss following weight loss surgery. Maybe it’ll be a year of gaining confidence that you can maintain your weight loss for life. Whichever you choose, 2015 can be the best year yet. What you make of 2015 is up to you. What a Difference a Year Can Make Take a second to think back over 2014. Did you really try your best every day? What would be different now if you had made a few changes consistently? If you’d… Gone to the gym an extra two times each week and burned 500 calories each time, you could be down another 15 pounds by now. Phoned local surgeons to schedule consultations for weight loss surgery, maybe your surgery would be scheduled – or over – by now. Brought a 400-calorie lunch instead of ordered at the restaurant when the gang went out for lunch on Fridays, you could be down another 10 or 15 pounds by now. Skipped the pre-dinner tastes while cooking dinner, you could be down 30 pounds. Tiny changes like these can really add up. Thinking about what a difference a year can make can get you motivated to start off right. Which changes can you make in 2015 to get the results you want by 2016? Your New Year’s Day Game Plan You’re gung-ho and ready to go. You just know 2015 is going to be your year. So what are you planning to do when New Year’s Day finally gets here? Here are a few ideas to start the year off right. Clean the house. Okay, it may not be the most glamorous-sounded idea, but it is a nice symbolic gesture. Plus, it burns calories. Get rid of the junk food. If you can’t face cleaning the entire house, at least you can get rid of the extra calories so you don’t end up eating them. Say goodbye to the Christmas Cookies, candy canes, and everything else that you know shouldn’t be there. Don’t forget to restock your kitchen with lean Proteins and other essentials next time you go grocery shopping. Get active with or without the family. If you can recruit the kids, your spouse, or a neighbor, great. If not, enjoy a peaceful walk to clear your head and get your mindset back where it needs to be – on your health. Plan a few meals. Things get busy as soon as New Year’s is over. Plan a few high-Protein meals and, if you’re inclined, look for some new weight loss surgery-friendly menus. Choose a fitness challenge. Find a 5k or another challenge that takes place in a month or two. That’ll motivate you to get moving. Long onto BariatricPal. See what other members are doing to start the year off right, and share your own goals. You’ll be amazed at how a bit of momentum can build into serious results. A few good actions on New Year’s Day can give you the start you need to have the 2015 you want. Thanks for being part of BariatricPal in 2014, and we can’t wait to see what 2015 has in store for the community and for you. Stop by as often as you can to read and post in the forums, and don’t be shy about contacting us. Happy New Year!

Just a word of caution. You should NEVER use alcohol on open wounds. Yes it will kill germs, and therefore it is used in certain cleaners and hand sanitizers. However, rubbing alcohol is also a drying agent and should never be used on open wounds. Nothing delays healing like parching the membranes of newly exposed skin. You may be killing germs, but you will also be causing a lot of unnecessary pain and delaying the healing process. Ditto for hydrogen peroxide. That's why your doctor instructed plain soap and water. All you really need to do is keep the wounds clean and let nature run it's course.

My bandages were removed before discharge. Had no drain. Was advised to use soap & Water. Inaddition to that I cleaned daily with 70% alcohol. Had no issues.

@jbrooks_rn. It might have been me that said I had my family to dinner. I have had 3 parties since 12/26 which was the day I started my liquid diet. I looked at those events as if I had an alcohol addiction would I expect no one to drink and my answer was no. This was a decision that I made. I can't expect everyone to live by my guidelines right now. They are supportive in many other ways, they can't give up their life for me! Good luck with your journey and Happy New Year! When is your surgery date?

You have already identified the issue. Now you need to address it by cutting back on the alcohol and the situations were it is tempting. Can you do social events that are not about drinking? And if drinking is going on cut the consumption. I drink coffee daily and have wine on occasion. I do not use carbonated beverages. It is possible to lose weight with coffee and very limited alcohol but you need to plan it in to the overall calorie consumption. 2-7 drinks 4-5 times a week is probably 600 to 5000 calories a week at least. It also usually lowers resistant to the bad Snacks usually available at social occasions. It will make weight loss slower and impede progress. Are you ok with slow or almost non existent weight loss? Alcohol will be used as fuel in your body and so real food may get stored if you consume too many alcohol calories. Also alcohol goes to the liver so you will get the abdominal fat there. And of course it is empty calories with no nutrition in it so you will still be hungry for nutritional food. You also have to decide how much do you want to lose the 40 more pounds? More than you want to drink or go to those social occasions? It's up to you to decide. When I do drink socially I have to choose if I want a drink or 2 of if I want to eat my calories. I say to myself "I can eat or I can drink and I choose to drink" I also learned the hard way to drink a glass of Water between each drink. I am a woman and in maintenance so I have a little more flexibility than you do right now. I still drink less than once per month and always plan the calories in. I did that in Weight loss mode too but I had to eat less in those days. You have to ask yourself - what is more important, keeping off the 80 pounds or gaining it back? Losing 40 more or choosing the status quo and hopefully keep the 80 off. It's all up to you.

There is a calorie-free "social lubricant" that you could use in place of alcohol. Of course, it is not exactly legal in every state, but it isn't hard to find. I have probably said too much...

Find some friends who go to the gym and spend your evenings with them instead of the drinkers. Then drink Water. Alcohol and socializing with people who have nothing better to do is not doing you any favors. You need better friends who care about your success, not aquaintances who bring you down. They will never come up to your level. They will always drag you down to theirs.

Not sure what type of motivation we can give you. You've identified your issues: you're socializing and making poor food & drink choices, and you're okay with how you look. I've not heard of any plans to cut back on the alcohol. Perhaps nursing a drink or doing without or any plans to change eating habits or exercise more. You know by now that this is just a tool, you have to put in the work. What's you plan to do that?

Drinking 4-5 days per week, 2-3 drinks sometimes 7 or 8.......certainly sounds like an alcohol problem to me.

Sleeved February 2013. Lost about 80 lbs in about 7 months. Everything was going well. Since then, my weight has stayed the same. I know the problem....drinking too much alcohol. I'm not an alcoholic, but am doing too many social things with friends that involve drinking. Probably drinking 4-5 days a week. Some nights will have 2-3 drinks, and some nights will have 7-8 over 5 or 6 hours. I'm also drinking some soda (diet)---some say that's ok, & some don't. I'm also drinking 3-4 cups of coffee each day. Some say that's ok, & some don't. Part of my problem is that my self image isn't bad----what I mean here is that I was WAAAY too fat at 331lbs, but at 250, I look ok & can fit into an XL shirt. I look ok. Not slim, but good enough. I'd like to find some courage & motivation and lose another 40 lbs. I'm 40 years old and a man

Alcohol doesn't affect me any differently than pre-op. But then I've never had more than a single drink since surgery. Serious question, pinkbunnies -- how many drinks did you have? I'm going to be in a situation in about four weeks where I'll likely have more than one drink. I'd like to know what could happen after that.

I avoided alcohol for about 2 months until I was sure my stomach was healed. Now I sip a bourbon and Water and it lasts a long time! No beer no bubbly. Wine tastes like cr*p, Bloody Mary's made from scratch are YUM, don't like the premade mixes, too much salt and pepper. coffee I have drunk since day 1, limited amounts, usually just 1 cup in the morning, sometimes 2.

I had Alcohol tonight. I get so drunk so quick now. I'm glad I'm at home and well I had some bubbly so no idea but I'm sure I fell off my diet tonight... and I had a whole box of nerds. Happy New Year!

I read an article that said after gastric sleeve surgery the body metabolises alcohol differently and it can stay in your system longer. I'm not sure about the truth / science behind this so will be asking my surgeon when I see him next. I would like a glass of something in the future but if alcohol doesn't sit well anymore etc I am not bothered... Small price to pay to be healthy and look amazing (well, I hope I end up both those things haha).

I'm also pre op so I can't answer your alcohol question. However, water in a martini glass, garnished with an olive is convincing! I may or may not have tried this during the holidays, on my pre op diet. ???????? I'm self pay and I don't think it's fair to say we have any sort of "advantage" it's up to our good choices and our bodies response! however, I think due to the fact we are forking out THOUSANDS of dollars, it's a tad motivating! I sure don't want to fail. We just have a different perspective, when we personally pay the bill.

I was a cash pay patient and I have been successful. I would much rather be cash pay because you don't have to jump through all of the hoops that insurance requires. I haven't been to a single appointment after my 3 week follow-up, I saw a dietician once before surgery, I haven't been to any support meetings, and the point between deciding I wanted surgery and walking into surgery was 2.5 weeks. Paying cash gets you in faster and if you are self-motivated is far less of a hassle than dealing with insurance. If you need tools that are provided through insurance, then perhaps that is something to consider. I tend to be fairly do-it-myself oriented, so I had no issues. As for alcohol, after the first six weeks your stomach is pretty much healed, so nothing wrong with drinking a bit. I had a few sips of champagne at 4 weeks and in the last year I've had a few nights that involved a couple shots, or a few glasses of wine, or a few cocktails. I'm not a huge drinker, so I was already a lightweight. I have not had any issues with the sleeve and drinking but I also tend to drink slowly and/or pace out the shots over the course of a night.

I have no idea how to answer either question. I am pre-op, not much of a drinker to begin with, and am cash pay (but have been approved through my states vocational rehab so they are paying for the surgery). As to the alcohol, there are many discussions and opinions on this board so I recommend reading the previous discussions. (My opinion, drinking isn't worth the risk for me --- especially early after surgery). Welcome to the forum and best of luck with your surgery.

Hello potential friends. This is my very first post on here! I am currently waiting for surgery, scheduled 1/20 and have a few questions for you. Let's get down to the nitty grity (nacho libre reference). First, I attend and host quite a few work happy hours/social networking events. I have read a lot about alcohol use and abuse after WLS so I feel pretty educated. Most people say to stick with vodka and Water if your going to drink at all. I know everyone is different but a) does it really hit you that much harder and have you experienced soberness > drunk >sober >drunk over the case of a few hours? I read one story where a lady experienced fluctuating between the two throughout one night in incremental time frames. Has any one else experienced that? Second, I cant find any statistics on this but does anyone know the success rate for cash pay patients? I have insurance however, this is not covered and I am paying out of pocket. I am not financing and paying in cash and the Dr. I am utilizing is not economical. Needless to say, it's quite an investment. I feel that (man this is going to sound douche) that since I am a cash pay patient I have more riding on the line. I feel that I have even MORE of an obligation to myself to follow through very strictly with the regimen. Thanks for any insight, especially from the guys as most of you here are of the female persuasion. Happy New Years!

Ladies I need your help and support. I have put on so much weight this year and I'm frightened. I weigh 20lb more now than I did at the beginning of the year. I know it has been a tough year with unemployment, house move, renovations, death and flood but it seems I have ate my way through it all and had my head in the sand concerning the scales. It is not just the food it would seem that our weekend wine has been extended to weekdays too. I do have a plan - January no alcohol(quite common in the UK these days), back to 5:2 including eating well on the 5 days, exercise (I have booked the trainer to come back starting Tuesday). I'm going to make my weigh in day a Wednesday. So please if I don't 'report in at least one a week badger, 'shout', 'shake' me until I respond. I'm sat here on the last day of the year crying at my own stupidity for letting things get so bad. Best wishes to everyone for 2015.

I am almost 2 years post-op and I drink a 16oz latte every morning. At first after the surgery I couldn't handle coffee at all. But eventually I started easing myself back into my morning coffee habit, the only modification is I make a latte with skim milk which I heat in the microwave. The milk buffers the acidic coffee and is yummy and comforting. I like to use a sugar-free syrup to flavor it too. Everyone is different in what they can tolerate post-op and that can evolve quite a bit as you go forward. As for sodas and carbonated drinks I can't drink them. It's like my sleeve just rejects it. However I can drink a beer, no problem. I guess the alcohol in the beer relaxes my tummy, along with the rest of me (LOL) but it is quite filling.

I'm a year out and I can consume anything except carbonated beverages. There are some things that do irritate my sleeve, though. Luckily they are all the things we shouldn't eat. Sugar, grease (fried foods), alcohol and coffee all cause gastritis for me. Sure I can eat a little of everything with no problems, but too much of those things cause a little upset and I end up taking Rolaids. Last week was especially bad. I satisfied my head with all kinds of yummy Christmas food and drinks at the expense of my sleeve. I'm actually glad to have that behind me. Now I'm back to making my sleeve happy.

Hi there, I hear you on the worrying -- I am really trying to learn how not to bank anxiety for the future and just to live in this day only (there's a beautiful George Harrison song about that, by the way). food is complicated. I used to use it as an anchor but also at other times to transport myself and escape. Now I need to staple myself to the moment in other ways. I still have much work to do on old habits and of course the holidays put all of that into sharp relief. So many get-togethers, so much food, alcohol and people, people, people. Stress is stress, whether it's good stress or bad stress, and my initial reaction to stress is still to turn to food. I don't have to turn far because it's always there but never more so than at this time of year. My old dieter's mentality gets turned up high and I have to fight off thoughts of being "on" or "off" of a diet and just keep meeting myself where I am. Meanwhile, for the last couple of months I've wondered if I need a fill. I've had sinus issues, though, and that can make me tighter so I've been waiting it out. But I feel like I'm losing ground, that I haven't made as much progress as I'd like. I'm up a few pounds when I'd like to be down a few more. This worries me and I don't want to fall into complacency. I don't want to go back to old habits, like nibbling, grazing, etc. I called the other day and made an appointment for next Monday -- the soonest I could make work. It will be good for me to re-boot. I need to go back to having a full meal with dense Protein then counting four-five hours before having more food. Let's not forget to pat ourselves on the back for all we've accomplished this last year. And now on to the next. Another thing that comes to mind is the HALT -- never letting myself get too Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired. When life is a swirl of activity and there's so much going on I really have to watch out for that. Especially the Tired part. Best wishes, every one -- for a great day.

I think for those of us (probably many of us) who have used food as our comfort to avoid dealing with anger or other emotions for a long time, suddenly not having that food is psychologically as well as physically tough. Studies have shown that eating, esp of sweets, affects receptors for serotonin, and these are very close to the receptors for drug and alcohol addiction. The more we've eaten that stuff, the more receptors our brains have made to process it all. Take the "drug" of sugar away, and it's just as bad as an addict going through withdrawal. Add that to the physical drain that major surgery takes on you, and I think being depressed after surgery is more "normal" than to not be. My 2 cents.

Yes. I have this problem, too. The head hunger gets to me sometimes and I become emotional. Almost like I'm grieving my old life and using food as a coping mechanism. Now that I can't eat, having to deal with all the changes without using food is difficult. When I feel overwhelmed, I come on here and read posts of success stories and others who are struggling so I can relate and gives me motivation. I've had a bunch of temptations when I'm with my friends who are eating pizza and Christmas Cookies and drinking pop. It makes me realize how food is the center of all the activities my friends and I partake in. I've thinking of going to see a professional to talk about all these emotions and situations and process them. My friend who works at an addiction facility has told me that many people who have had wls have shifted their food addiction to other things drugs or alcohol. I want to have a healthy life and a healthy relationship with food. It'll take work, but I know wls was the first step to get things check.