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What we did on our cruise to Alaska and our 14 day one to the Caribbean is use Water bottles for clear alcohol and diet coke plastic bottles for rum or bourbon. In each port of call, leave with the water you need to drink anyway and then stop at a liquor store and pick up your beverage of choice. I usually had a six pack of bottled water and then carried in my hand my refilled vodka water and walked right through the scanner with it. Never had a problem. We also brought coffee type mugs with lids so we could mix our drinks in our room and then wander around the boat, sit poolside, etc. Saved alot of money and NO we are not heavy drinkers. I actually lost 5 pounds on the cruise. ALso, it is much cheaper to not book excursions ahead of time with the cruise line. We waited till we got to port and usually if there were 6 or so of us it would cost almost half the price. And comparing at dinner, we usually saw and did so much more than the others. They bent over backwards to show us a great time. It also makes it nicer when you don't have to spend so much money and then tip after. If it was half price you don't mind giving them a generous tip. FYI -- Our cruise director on the Alaska trip told us about the alcohol tip and on the caribbean cruise our cabin guy told us about the excursions. I will see if I can arrange time to make it - sounds like you will all have a blast. 'HUGS Carol banded 12/29/03 269/167/147 PS - LBL 06/06

I used to drink Diet Coke/Coke Zero a lot - at least 16oz a day, but often twice or three times that amount. I had that habit for about 20 years. I gave it up cold turkey 3.5 years ago and I haven't missed it since (this was long before I ever decided to have bariatric surgery). Yes, I did have some cravings in the first couple weeks afterwards, but I was able to overcome them, unfortunately with other sweet things, like chocolate. I've heard from people that giving up soda also curbed their sweet cravings, but that wasn't the case for me. In fact, my sweet cravings went into overdrive. But eventually I was able to deal with that too. Based on what I've read, here are the reasons why any kind of carbonated drinks are not recommended, at least for the first six months (or ever): while it does not stretch your stomach, it probably feels like it does, and can be very uncomfortable for you you should be trying to keep the acidity of your stomach down, not increasing it empty calories - do not be fooled by the "sugar-free" label. Yes, you may not be consuming calories, but the rest of your body (your pancreas in particular) still thinks you are and will secrete more insulin to deal with the anticipated sugar rush. Of course, there is no sugar, but what happens over time is that you end up becoming more and more insulin-resistant and/or pre-diabetic/diabetic (if you aren't already). if your stomach is full from carbonation you won't have room for the food you really need soda, for many people, often accompanies other foods they shouldn't be eating, like pizza or burgers or fried food or chips or...You may have trained your body for years with those kinds of associations. It may be a slippery slope to start drinking soda again and not want a bite or nibble of something to accompany it. most people who admit to drinking soda weekly or somewhat regularly again have lost most of their weight and/or are in maintenance. That's a much different situation than being within 6 months of major abdominal surgery. In the end however, it's up to you. To the OP: I noticed that your profile says that you are pre-op. Like so many other habits (coffee, smoking, alcohol, etc) this is one addiction that you should probably get a hold of before surgery. The more you can deal with these things beforehand, the better.

Name, real or screen~ Lindsay Goal weight for May 31st~ 207 Weight on May 1st~ 214.8 Age~ 30 (31 on May 18g Dietary goal for May~ vacation and 4 birthdays including my own so keep to moderation on alcohol! Exercise goal for May~ 3x per week Personal goal for May~ get more sleep Date banded~ 13 oct 2012 Total weight loss since banding/pre op diet~ appx 58.5 lbs Favorite Springtime Flower daffodil

@@cbonet I think therapy pre-op is so important. Obesity is a disease - there's no reason to beat yourself up. It's important to get emotionally ready for WLS. It's often more emotionally challenging than physically challenging. You won't have food to deal with your emotions and certainly don't want to turn to alcohol or prescription drugs as some family. Also - this is your journey - take care of yourself! We all have similar issues with food.

Well, now that Im 2 months post op I guess its good to revisit this thread .... What's working for me is journaling ... I use my fitness pal ... if i don't journal then my calories will get away from me. I try to stay under 1200 calories a day ... sometimes less. Its very hard as I only have 4.25 cc in an 11cc band. I exercise a lot more than I ever did before. I try to walk/jog a few miles a week. I also know that I need to stay away from alochol, even if its only 2 small drinks. Alcohol slows my weight loss and even makes me gain weight. I also don't count my grams of Protein a day. If i have too much protein, I gain or stall. Lastly, Im reading a book called "The Beck Diet" ... its helping work on my addiction to food and overeating. Its like $10 on Amazon.

By the way, I do not count fiber and sugar alcohols in my total daily carbs.

Yes!! And I truly believe this is yet another reason to try to avoid alcohol (at least for me); I tend to pay no heed to the signals of fullness if I have had a cocktail or wine.

Lissa - You are awesome! Congratulations on all your success! You mentioned having a drink to celebrate and I had to smile. It reminded me of what the NUT said at our preop meeting - alcohol is frowned on, but we'd be "cheap dates" cuz it would take so much less to get a buzz. I quit drinking many years ago but found that interesting....

I am 2 years out and here are my answers to your survey: What contributing role would you say your sleeve (reduced stomach) plays in your ability to successfully maintain the weight loss (e.g., 25, 50, 75, 90 percent)? Seriously 100%. Now, I can eat more than in the beginning, but it is all about portion control for me. I do still have to deal with emotional eating because I can lose control, but there is sstrict limit with how much I can physically put in my body. My big problem is eating every 2 hours. in the beginning I had to, but now I don't and it has been trying making that mental shift. If I didn't have the sleeve, I would be completely lost. Related, how much conscious effort does your continued weight loss require? That is, must you deliberately monitor your food intake on a daily basis or does the restriction of the sleeve necessarily limit how much you can eat so that maintenance is relatively effortless? It does take some effort. if I eat as often as the urge strikes, i would slowly gain weight. however, I don't find it too difficult to eat mostly good things. If I track my eating, I can see that it's the 6th snack and/ or the one alcoholic drink that will put me over the limit. If I am in a good frame of mind (not recently because of family suicide) I find it pretty easy to cut out the one serving that is keeping me from losing. Right now I am struggling, but my struggle lands me in the 135-140 range without too much effort. I am not upset about it. How has your relationship with food changed, if at all? Related, do you still enjoy eating or, currently, is food just something you must consume to sustain life? I love food. I wish I could eat more of it sometimes :-) I have settled in to loving the things that I can eat that are mostly good for me and keep my tummy from hurting. I eat a little cheese every day. I eat meat every day. I eat at least one serving of green veg every day. I have started eating alittle bread, but it hurts my stomach so I can't eat too much of it. I still can't eat more than one piece of pizza, if I include the crust - but then I get heartburn or my tummy is painfully full, so I don't eat pizza very often. Compared to the type of hunger pains you had experienced pre-surgically, while on a calorie-restricted diet, how would you rate the degree and quality of your hunger pains now after the surgery? That is, do you still feel hunger pains and, if so, how is your hunger drive different now than it was before the surgery? I still have no hunger pains. I get an "empty" feeling when I am hungry. It is more of a low blood sugar feeling (speedy, woozy, lack of focus). My tummy rumbles from acid, but not from hunger pains. In fact, I keep forgetting that I used to have that sensation - it's just completely different now. Maybe I'm lucky. Maybe becuase I was low BMI when I started, I don't have the same experince post-op. I can say that I could gain weight if I was totally out of control. The sleeve buys me a little more control in my daily habits. I have had some very dark emotional times this last 6 months that has lead me to drink a lot and have zero focus on what I was eating. I was trying to lose a couple of pounds when my world started falling apart and it was working very well. My lack of focus only cost me about 5 pounds - even through the holidays. Good luck to everyone.

Good advice riggins - also, what are you eating, are you drinking calories, are you tracking your food /water(or drink) intake, - this is the number one BEST way to be sure your remain on track - also do you drink alcohol - obviously all of these thing will vary your results - at the end of the day it's still about burning more than you consume... Lots of luck - keep your chin up, be active, make every bite count & be true to yourself ! - you can do this !

I did have a couple slime incidents when I was sick. Had a couple coughing episodes that ended with a messy suprise! The first time was not long after I had eaten and thought for sure the food was coming up, but not a bit a food. It was odd. Other than that, I've never thrown up and the only food issue I have is when I eat spicy things. I love spice! I try to keep it to a minimum, cause I pay for it with acid upset and heartburn =( Otherwise, my stomach hasn't really rejected anything. Got a little upset about a Burger King burger I had eaten...at a time that may or may not have been just a little to soon after surgery =) It's all trial and error and different for everyone. OH! I almost forgot! I totally CANNOT drink alcohol!! I really don't drink anymore, so it's not a big deal to me. I used to drink...a LOT!! But I got bored with it and decided to have a child instead! SO GLAD I traded!! Anyway, on New Year's Day, we had a bottle of champagne. All it took was 3 drink/sips, over the span of about 20 minutes and I was good!! Then one night I actually agreed to get out of the house and go to a comedy show with my BFF. So I go and decide to have a drink...cause you know...I'm out! Long story short I drink about 95% of a (I'm guessing) 12oz drink. I drank it over the course of the show, which was an hour 1/2. I felt buzzed while drinking it. By the time we left, I felt fine. I wasn't driving, but I didn't feel buzzed by the time we got to the car. My tummy was slightly queezy but not bad. Got home, decided to have a drink of water...and...well...I didn't get to keep what was left in my stomach. Wasn't much, but still not fun!

Yikes, anyways to OPs question, I’d recommend against it, if for no other reason than it has a reasonable chance of making you sick. No way to spend a fun event. If you do decide to do it, do a practice run at home first to make sure you know if it makes you sick, and if not how much you can drink now without taking an express train to embarrassingly drunk. 😅. Remember you won’t have food to “soak up” the drinks, and you just absorb alcohol different now. Also think about sugar content in drinks (more likely to make you sick at this stage) and carbonation. If you do decide to drink you might try a dry white wine, or a Bloody Mary, or something similar. Trying to think of low carbonation/lower sugar drinks. But yes, after a few months I’d say to your question on the regular gatherings there is no reason you wouldn’t be able to join in again. Again, I’d give it a few months, but if you want to start sooner that’s obviously up to you.

Not sure if it’s too late to chime in to be helpful but I’ll give you my experience and advice. I was not given much guidance by my program about alcohol other than to avoid it for the empty calories aspect. As a Jew, wine is part of our holidays, rituals and celebrations so it’s hard to avoid. Yea, I could do juice but I don’t want to, I like wine and I’m an adult, damnit. I had a small glass at home a week or so post op and noticed that it feels a little funny when it hits my stomach but that goes away quickly and I drink a lot less than I used to. I feel it sooner, but once I stop drinking the buzzed feeling goes away sooner too. So overall for me a pro. I drink 1-3 glasses a week (still much less than I did before) and do not binge cause I don’t want to get hammered in a hurry. If you’re going to drink at an event, I’d recommend trying it at home to see how you handle it. That way if you have a problem, you’re in a safe place. I can’t speak to the dumping as although I drink sweet wine, I haven’t had an issue. I just treat it like any other liquid and don’t chug or take big sips. This way, one glass lasts a lot longer too. Another bonus in my opinion. If your program specifically forbids it, I’d recommend following that recommendation just to save the hassle of having to tell them what you did lol. And I agree that if you chose not to drink then it shouldn’t be a problem. If you need to lol like you’re drinking you can always have the bartender mix up a cranberry and water cocktail or similar mixed drink minus the alcohol. If you chose to drink, you can nurse a glass of wine for an hour or more at a time and ask the bartender to pour you a weak cocktail, should you desire you a mixed drink. Bartenders are like hairdressers, they’re good at keeping secrets 😉

the death rate is very low, but it is normal to be scared. I wrote letters to my kids and made sure my basic affairs were in order. I don't personally know anyone who has died from WLS. I do have two relatives who died from obesity caused heart failure. My niece was 40 and my sister in law was 64 - they both dropped dead instantly; both were very heavy. I also know someone who died too young several years post gastri bypass. She was a diabetic and became an alcoholic / drug abuser. She died in her sleep - not from WLS, but from her addictions combined with the diabetes. I don't think anybody was trying to be flippant.... people just get brief in answering questions.

I like sweet drinks like pina coladas, where you can't taste the alcohol. One of the major reasons I don't drink is that I hate the way I feel afterwards. I get major hot flashes if I drink any alcohol, and I do mean any. I start sweating, my face turns red, and I honestly feel like I'm about to either puke or faint.

My nutritionist said wine is okay eventually. Just have to develop healthy habits first which takes a few months. The concern is that alcohol can cause you to make bad food choices as well. But I must confess (whispering) I had 5oz. of Merlot today...shhh. But I included it in my food journal and the nutritionist will see it Monday. Ohhh I am gonna get it! Haha! But I walked 29 city blocks everyday this week, so there.

@@Ronab My surgery isn't until 12/18 but I started prepping a few weeks ago. Here's what I've done. 3 weeks ago I slowly weaned myself off caffeine. 2 weeks ago I gave up alcohol and started chewing each SMALL bite of food 30 times. 1 week ago I started REALLY pushing getting my Water in. This past weekend I had my last carbonated beverage and am now water or decaf tea only. This week I also started a liver/kidney detox tea. This week I am also replacing 1 meal a day with a Protein shake, just to get in gear for my 2 week pre-op diet that starts on 12/4. On the Monday after Thanksgiving I am going to start 2 shake replacements a day. Another thing I have done is I took a cardboard box and covered it in a really pretty paper (the kind with the sticky back) and I'm keeping all my pre-op and post-op items in there. I have several brands and samples of Protein shakes, a new thermometer, GENEPRO, Biotene mouth spray, Gas-X strips, lip balm (for hospital), a Glade plug-in (for hospital), a brand new water bottle, and other things.

Ok So i'm almost 8 day's into liquid diet Pre-Op. I actually made it through the weekend yay! Caffeine withdrawel headache has subsided compeltely but sunday i had a total meltdown and had a cup of caffeine FREE coffee with fat free skim and a splenda.. so if that is cheating then i'm sorry but it was heaven and really helped me throughout the day . I've not had any food thats not on the list of liquids and i don't plan to, but my weekend needed that ! I have givin up smoking from 2 packs a day to zip 0, alcohol, and food and caffeine. I think i'm doing great! woot woot.. surgery next monday 9/20/10

Hi Maureen, If you're not using the app called myFitnesspal I highly recommend it. It tracks your food / drink intake & exercise. I love it. It keeps me accountable. A stall is very common in weeks 3-6 & the alcohol & popcorn are very high in sugar/carbs. Log them in MyFitnessPal & see how your day totals up. My nutritionist said to stay under 800 calories, under 50 carbs, have at least 64oz of water & 75 or more grams of Protein.

You came to the right place! I had the lapband put in back in 2009 and removed Feb 2020. I was heavier when the band came out then when it went in. I am at a cross-roads now. I want wls, but am self-pay and too chicken to go to Mexico where all of the surgeries are more cost efficient. Below is my experience. Mt. Dew was my down-fall!! When I had the band, dark soda's tasted weird to me (thankfully) until I discovered Mt. Dew and that I could drink it (tasted super yummy and I could drink it without it hurting - darks hurt my throat). I have been able to work myself off of the dew 3 times. The first time I was completely soda free (Mt. Dew/7up) for over a year. The last time I got off of it- I did it in stages. I bought a soda stream. Once I got that, and I started with strong flavor of ginger-ale, but then got to where I was making green tea soda and carbonated water with natural fruit flavors. Now - I have been 2 months without any carbonation at all. I started with heavier flavors and more bubbles, and each week lowered the intensity of both. I have been reading and leaning on this website for support and strength! There are AMAZING FOLKS here!! I still don't know what I will do as for wls. The last day or so I have been contemplating trying to follow the bariatric/wls way of eating just without the surgery. Odds are totally against me being able to do this. But I had started a couple of weeks ago trying to change 2 of my meals to the thick protein and a small real food meal, heavy in protein and above-ground vegetables and a crap ton of water. The surgeon I was initially working with gave me diet plan for the month before surgery, and 2 weeks of clear liquid diet before surgery (this is the clear liquids with 3-4 thick protein shakes - powder protein of 30g or more in only 2-3 oz water). I was using this month before stage to get my head in the right place for the clear liquid time... I can't manage the 3oz of water in the protein powder but I have worked myself down to 4 oz. I am up to 50-60oz of water/clear liquid a day (the goal was 80). I am no longer having the surgery as planned.... but even though I was so disappointed... I gain hope and support from reading the posts on this site!!! Reading others who are in your same situation, many folks reply to do the pouch rest (I may have the wording/spelling wrong) but go back and start with the food plan after surgery. Not for as long because you don't have to wait for anything to heal but .... back the the protein shakes, water, and high protein foods... and try limiting sugars. I am sure that others will reply in time to your thread who can help more and know more about the "reset". Or... look through some of the threads here and you will find others!!! I just wanted to reach out because I know first hand how hard it is to kick Mt. Dew. I swear it was harder for me to kick the Dew then it was to give up alcohol (and at one point I did like my hard liquor so that says a lot)! Good luck!!! YOU CAN DO THIS!!! The mountain always look bigger before you take the first step. - and YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

Here’s something my dietician provided me for the pre-op diet, the basic and alternative if you can’t do all liquid. The Diet: 1. Drink at least 64 ounces of fluids per day (all must be sugar-free, calorie free, and non-carbonated) 2. One multi-Vitamin with essential minerals per day. 3. Consume 1000 - 1200 mg of Calcium per day 4. No Alcoholic beverages 5. Drink 4 - 6 no sugar added Meal Replacement shakes each day (recommends Adkins Advantage even though it has 1 gram of sugar. They taste great and have 15 grams of Protein and 24 essential nutrients plus calcium and no trans fats) Sample Day: Breakfast: 1 shake Lunch: 1 Shake 4pm: 1 Shake (optional) Dinner: 1 Shake Bedtime: 1 Shake (optional) What if you break the liquid fast or just cannot follow a liquid diet for 2 weeks? Plan B - A shake and food meal plan that will keep the fat extremely low. The goal is still to lose as much weight as possible before surgery. The Meal Plan: 2-4 8-11 ounce high Protein Shakes a day 1 meal a day, composed of 3 oz seafood, turkey or chicken (no skin) Or 1 cup Non-fat/low-fat yogurt, cottage cheese or ricotta cheese And Non-starchy vegetables - up to one cup No corn, peas, potatoes, sweet potatoes or baked Beans Fresh Fruit - 1 piece (1 cup) per day Olive oil - 1 tablespoon a day, no salad dressing, no mayonnaise Eat only 1 meal a day. Limited to 20 minutes per meal. Sample Day 1: Breakfast: 1 Shake Lunch: 1 Shake Dinner: Stir-fry 3 oz chicken ? cup broccoli ? cup mushrooms 1 tbsp Mrs. Dash 10-minute Mesquite Marinade 1 tbsp Olive oil Snack: 1 Shake Sample Day 2: Breakfast: 1 cup 2% Cottage Cheese 1 cup fresh peaches 1 cup Lettuce Lunch: 1 Shake Dinner: 1 Shake Snack: 1 Shake Sample Day 3: Breakfast: 1 Shake Lunch: 3 oz shrimp Lettuce 1 cup zucchini 1 tbsp Olive Oil Salsa 1 Pear Dinner: 1 Shake Snack: 1 Shake Hope this gives you some alternatives. Hugs, JoAnne

Can I have zevia sugar free root beer soda, if I let the carbonation go flat? As far as I can tell there is no sugar or bad substitutes that would be harmful. Unlike some of the ice creams I’ve seen suggested it doesn’t have sugar alcohols in it that I can see anyways. I was told to watch their intake with gastric bypass by my surgery team. I know carbonation is bad. So do any of you drink sugar free drinks like Coke Zero or zevia once in awhile - as long as it goes flat or at least sits a bit to lose some carbonation. I miss the taste of the stuff and the bubbles too. But I’d settle for a few sips as a treat. Just don’t want to hurt myself or Stretch pouch.

Happy Memorial Day Good Mornin :biggrin1: Hope y'all are having a wonderful weekend. I gotta get some pictures of those bunnie because they are sooooo cute and they are hoppin all over the front of my yard. They are as big as if you cupped your hand *giggle* I ate way to much dessert last night at a bbq...lordy can you say oink? Darcy, hope you had fun fishing. If your like me you probably packed a poop load of sun screen. How's the butt today? I was gonna wait until I lost more weight to buy a bike but I don't think I'm gonna wait. I love bike riding and wtf, why should I wait....hope they make em strong LOL. Sherry, good to see you girl. Gee we thought you feel off the lbt wagon and was never comming back (jk). Hope you had fun at the christmas tree shop, I love that place too....hey? how come you didn't paint yer bike red/white/blue? that would have been neet huh. I agree, don't get a bike to powerful....learn first. Patty........those sf chocolates only leave me eating 2x as more calories b/c they aren't satisfying to me...and I get wicked gas from the sugar alcohols. What I need to do is go cold turkey and leave the crap alone....period! Speaking of periods...I think the stress of my DH's party being over is what made my period come again....this sucks lol when do the boys come home? Dianne????????? speaking of parties, how did you manage with DH's party? Annie Bananie..... have a safe trip home and tell us all about your vacation when you get home. We missed you. Mary, sounds like fun....waterguns and rides :huggies: Well I'm gonna go get me some grub (non-chocolate) and I'll talk to you all later. ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAY !!

Hi.... I'm back from our trip home to Connecticut with a stop in Boston. I am so glad to be home. Families are tuff! The trip reinforced my decision to move to Florida. My life here is stressfree and beautiful. My husband did real well with his back while gone. We got the MRI results and he has two hurniated discs. We stayed with my dad and his girlfriend and I took him to the hosp and his tests say one of his kidneys aren't working. Younger son came home from boston for a party we were having for his 21st birthday and my older son leaving for Air Force boot camp. The party was wonderful, but the boys ended up coming to blows!!!! I wish I could say our visit was warm and fuzzy... NOT. My oldest is 22 and has a drinking problem. His girlfriend of a year is in rehab and in my opinion he belongs in one to! He drank all weekend and the police picked him up and took him to the hospital.... They would only release him to someone because even at 1 pm the next afternoon his alcohol level was to high. I did not go get him, nor did I see him before we left. You have to hit bottom in any situation and I have hit mine with him.... it breaks my heart.... the mommy in me wants to fix him, but after 4 years of cleaning up his chit, I AM DONE! The recruiter picks him up at 2pm today... please pray for him! Got to go ... unpack ... go to beach and relax! Can't wait to ride my bike tonight!!! Kisses,

Watch the sugar alcohol content... Sent from my LG-TP260 using BariatricPal mobile app