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I trashed my pre-op diet 5 days prior to surgery due to a long standing business arrangement. I resisted all alcohol but I did enjoy a small fillet steak with spinach and grilled tomato on the side followed by good blue cheese and two crackers. 1400 calories by my best estimate. After my surgery 2 days ago my consultant commented on how well my pre-op had prepared my liver and so I smiled and agreed. Your mileage may vary...

@gaudjosl - Hi there - I just saw my doc a few days ago & we were just having this conversation.. I think part of my success is that i do not eat any Pasta, rice, bread, wraps or pork products of any kind. Also any products that have the first ingredient white flour - i normally don't eat it. (no breads of any kind) I was a HUGE bread & pasta girl before WLS - but i do not like the taste of it or how it feels in my tiny stomach now. Pork - yeah you know how they say you can have a change in taste or reactions to food... well if i try to eat pork or even smell it.. i get sick - like projectile... I have tried it twice and NEITHER time were pretty... so i am just staying away from pork. which is so weird cause i love BACON (well use to) lol cause the smell now is gross. Beverages: I only drink Water, skim milk, unsweetened tea, G2 - NO SODA... i haven't had soda since NOV of last year. Also I have hardly any alcohol - I have a drink maybe once a month - and nothing carbonated at all. which means no beer... (sigh) my day to day (Monday through Friday) are pretty much the same - on the weekends I tend to go longer periods of time without eating or drinking (i know very bad, but i am being honest) every morning i have 2-3 egg whites scrambled with a very thin slice of white Am cheese (every day - weekends too) Mid morning i have a few slices of apple with 2 slices of crackle barrel cheese or half banana or some kind of fruit or a yogurt, low sugar oatmeal - or sugar free applesauce with added Protein, nuts - or a Protein Bar lunch - normally leftovers from the night before or chicken salad, shrimp, steak with a small veggie mid afternoon - i will have a the rest of my lunch, or a repeat of mid morning snack, sliced oven roasted turkey - or maybe even a little Cereal dinner - always some kind of protein fish, chicken, steak, with veggies and either mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes or a small salad (i still use baby plates with the dividers) dessert - could be anything from some fruit, frozen yogurt, even a cookie - i don't have dessert every day maybe 2 or 3 times a week if that... (now during my phantom period week - i could have dessert 5 nights LOL ) On the weekends - i have my egg whites every morning, but i get busy and don't have my mid or afternoon snack - and sometimes i forget to have lunch. If we are heading out, i try to pack a little cooler with some Snacks, chicken salad or a Protein shake or protein bar - i don't have too many shakes anymore - i just keep them for when i am on the run. not all days are perfect - i have been struggling these last 2 months to get my water in... So i am to drink water every time i think i am hungry and i have to say this little trick has helped... *******But the one thing i want to say, is don't measure your success to anyone else's this is your Journey and you will have to find out what works best for you. what worked for someone else didn't work for me.. Go to the post op meetings - Listen to your doc & nut, i am very lucky, i have a doc & nut that are very involved in my success. ****************** Feel free to message me, wishing you much success in your loss

I actually had the dual challenge of not only not stress eating, but also stress drinking. I used to have a large (or 2 or 3) cocktails everyday after work. Most of my social activities involved drinking, too. I don't have a magic formula as to how I stopped, I just did. I still have shitty days at work and I still have emotional issues in my private life, I just don't drink or eat my way through them anymore. Surprisingly, learning how to celebrate the good things without food and alcohol was just as hard. I read Cynthia's book, too, and that did help get my head in the right place. And I realized after a few times of not drinking and binge eating when I wanted to that the world was not going to come crashing down. Dealing with life without my crutches has gotten easier as time goes on. And as for socializing, I still do eat and drink at parties, it's just in extreme moderation.

Welcome, and congrats getting to the looser bench. What does your plan say wbout consuming alcohol after surgery? I ask because over here, in the US, there are as many pre and post op plans as there are doctors preforming the surgery. My surgeon wants no alcohol for the first six months, if you feel you have to have it. After that I was told to proceed with extreme caution, because I am a few times a year wine drinker. She stared I would feel the effects very quickly. Best.

Hello everyone and what a great site this is. Had my sleeve done last Monday over here in England. Feel really good and not in any real pain so consider myself quite lucky. The question I have is for the veteran sleeved, when did they first have a drink of alcohol and what was it. Liked the socialising aspect of drinking before my op and just wondered if it's possible to still drink in moderation after the operation. Thanks.

@@sleeve 4 me. I am 10 months out and at my lowest weight (-100 pounds and 12 pounds below goal) But here are my weight "gains" since VSG.... Gained at least 5 pounds immediately post op. Took 11 days to get back to my surgery day weight. Gained 3 pounds at 6 weeks out for no apparent reason, stalled for a month and then continued to lose. Gained 11 pounds in 1 day at 2 1/2 months out after receiving IV fluids when I was severely dehydrated from diarrhea due to a clostridium infection. Gained 4 pounds on vacation at 9 1/2 months out. (Probably water weight from all the alcohol I drank) Dropped those 4 pounds plus 1 extra within 10 days of returning home. Not sure if this is what you were looking for.

God give me patience and give it to me NOW. Up 0.8. This, after a week of decent food choices, no alcohol, no food at the movies, some (not enough) walking, and clean fasting days. My clothes are falling off and I had to replace several items this week. Well, I will just keep on plugging along. I'll have a good day of outdoor exercise with some friends today and we have great weather for it. I will just keep the food clean and keep tracking faithfully. Oh, just noticed this. I just reread my MyFitnessPal diary for the last seven days. My week of so-called decent food choices averaged out to 1,770 calories for a non-fasting day. I'm supposed to be aiming for 1,000. Maybe a little less hummus this week as a meal, and a little more solid Protein. And in my food diary I just noticed also that five different days this week I either went to a restaurant or ate restaurant takeout food. My old nemesis fried food is back. Thai food twice, once being last night. Hmm. My daughter was in town for a couple of those days, but that "special" eating sure explains a lot. Ok. Well, clean up the food choices, eat more solid protein and less hummus, cook more, eat out less, and get more walking in. I gotta WORK for my pass through the Onederland gates, huh? Mission accepted.

You're going to need support after the surgery; everything will (should) be different especially your capacity to absorb alcohol. There are the post-op phases too, one of which is. ..liquids. I had to have a heart felt talk with the person I live with who wants the benefits of the surgery for me, but doesn't really want to do anything in a contributory manner. I really had to spill my guts about all the reasons I had decided to have the surgery. The feedback was " Good for you, but I'm not doing it!" was annoyed at first but stayed focused and determined and made small changes as far as how the rest of the house will be eating. As the primary grocery shopper, I slowly stopped bringing in crap into the house, and stopped cooking anything that would go against my new tummy and lifestyle. Even with the support of spouses and loved ones,the bulk of the effort and work has to come from us. I have to be okay with this multi-phasic diet, the incisions, the risks, etc; no one else really has to be on board but me.

Shoulder slowly improving. Weird. I went to the movies yesterday with friends and reeeeaaaallllyy wanted the free popcorn I had a coupon for. Well I didn't really want that small free popcorn. I wanted the giant tub of it. And I didn't really want the lousy crapcorn that movies have nowadays. I wanted the old real oil popped corn from my youth. And I didn't want the butter flavored chemical concoction they offer now. I wanted real butter. And even though I was truly slightly hungry, nothing healthy would satisfy my "wants". So I just watched the movie. When I got home later I was truly hungry, so I had 10 almonds and went to bed. I read somewhere to do an apple test to figure out if you are actually hungry or head hungry. Think, "Would one crisp apple satisfy me completely right now?" If yes, have one crisp apple. If no, it's not stomach hunger so figure something else out instead of eating. I'm on track and deliberately didn't go out with my friends for drinks after the movie. First of all I had taken a pain pill for my shoulder so alcohol is a no-no. Secondly, my Saturday night outings have no doubt slowed my weight loss. Wine has calories, and I'm not losing as fast by having it every weekend. So last night I passed. Tomorrow is my weigh-in followed by a rigorous outdoor day of walking (about three hours) with two other friends. So close to Onederland. Maybe tomorrow!?

I agree with Chelly. I used to drink before surgery, but since I have sworn it off entirely. Though I know plenty of people drink after surgery, my doctor strictly says no, and after everything I went through to get my body back I am not going to risk it over alcohol. With that being said, to each his own. Here is just some thoughts to think about. Like Chelly said, the alcohol will accumulate faster in your blood stream due to the small size of your stomach. This may seem nice since it wont take some many drinks to get drunk, but it wont take so many drinks to get drunk. Some people don't realize that and can get themselves into trouble. Another thing to consider is that there is virtually no nutritional value to a cocktail or alcohol of any kind. Even for regular people nutritionists talk about it being empty calories, but with how few calories we are able to take in after surgery, do you really want to wastes 20% or more of them in a day on a drink that will do nothing to strengthen and energize your body? The last and most serious reason that alcohol should be avoided post surgery is the possibility of addiction. Most all of us wound up needing the surgery because to varying degrees we were all addicted to food. With that addition no longer a possibility, many surgery patients become alcoholics due to the the quick high and cheap nature of getting drunk with a smaller stomach. Weather you think you can handle the drinks without getting addicted over time is up to you, but why risk the possibility. In the end the choice to drink or not too is personal. It is the reasoning above that I do not. I worked too hard and went through too much, to throw it all away possibly with alcohol. Alcohol is not inherently bad and you could probably have a few cocktails without issue, I just don't want to open myself up to the possibility of losing everything I worked for. My line in the sand is to just not play with fire. I hope these facts were helpful in aiding you in a decision. No matter what you decide, keep up the amazing work. You are going through a time of discover you will never again have and the journey is absolutely amazing. You will find yourself able to do things you never thought you could or would be able to do again. For that, I am so excited for you . If you have any additional questions or I can help in any way, please let me know. My contact information is below.

I'm actually able to have MANY cocktails without feeling sick. I didn't have my first alcohol (wine) until 4 months out or so. I've had multiple drinks (rum, whiskey, vodka, etc) a few times since then with no problems. I could pretty much out drink a football team before surgery, and I am not affected by alcohol any differently now. Three weeks ago I was on vacation and had 1-2 cocktails nearly everyday. I did notice I started getting a little indigestion, so I took Prilosec for 10 days and my tummy feels fine now. And if you're looking for a really yummy (but very high calorie) cocktail, I just discovered Rumchata while on vacation...OMG!! Oops, just saw this was in the bypass forum, and I had VSG? But a friend of mine has had bypass and she has a rum and coke a couple times/month. I can't do carbonation at all.

Wow Eli! I finally found some one who's my age and did the sleeve while being in college! I would really love to contact with you because I really have a lot of questions to make you since we are basically in the same page going through the same things! I am in my 5th month post-up. I was 215 the day of my surgery and now I am 158/160. I feel i could be less though, but alcohol on weekend has been a huge challenge for me! Also being in college is very hard to follow a specific meal plan but i always try to eat as healthier as possible. I started drinking alcohol my third month post-op since I read i could start drinking after the 3rd month but i know i shouldnt do it and every one here keeps telling me not to do it but its very hard (you understand me because you are in college as well) i have a verg active social life, always had always did and always will.. I know alcohol is not needed to be social and have fun.. But lets not bullshit here but a party with out having alcohol is just not the same fun! Anyway .. I am scared about every thing that awaits because i dont know if i'll keep loosing weight or im staying stuck in this weight like the past month. Hope we can really get in contact! Here are pictures of me before and now so you have an idea of my change!

I don't like soda pop at all, I have 1 alcoholic drink every month or 2, and the smell of coffee makes me nauseous, so I've never had a cup of coffee in my entire life ! ( Im 56). I have 1 cup of reg tea in the AM, and when that caffeine hits me Im bouncing off the walls ! ( I know, I know........ Im weird, but obviously very sensitive to caffeine and alcohol, etc....) After that, its decaf tea, Swiss Miss cocoa w/ water, and a little Propel water.

Don't bother with the Arial "de-alcoholized" Chardonnay. It sucks!

I really didn't think I'd do it. My goal was -88. I've been hovering right around -98-99 for awhile but wasn't trying to lose anymore. Then I went on a carb binge (ice cream, bread, muffins, chips, chocolate, Cookies, potatoes and LOTS of alcohol) while traveling to visit family and attend a conference and gained 4 pounds. I was totally OK with it, since I was still below goal. But after just 10 days back to my normal eating routine, I lost that 4 pounds plus 1 extra to hit the magic number 100. I'm not real big on the scale numbers, but this one does feel kinda cool

I drank alcohol 4 weeks after surgery and still do every week or two. No problems. It's all liquor...no beer....no carbs.

Hope they didnt spend a fortune on this study. People with major depression use all kinds of substances to numb out...food, drugs, alcohol, sex, ...food releases endorphins (ergo comfort food) it affects the hypothalmus the pleasure center. You can feel, numb. sleepy, coma like, comforted for the moment. All addictive substances work the same way. However a person with a MDD will not overeat lettuce and an alcholic will not overdrink milk. Each chooses chemically altering , brain altering things Psych med hugely affect weight gain and metabolism. I added a med that I totally forgot about and then gaimed ike 60lbs. But I wasnt eating more. I went to all kinds of doctors, who either ruled out hypothyroidism or frankly didnt beleive me that I was not overeating. "Calories in Calories out" PAHLEEZE. They I remembered this drug that was added, research it, caused weight gain, removed it and weight came off. It affect sex drive too...so save that study money. Depression can make people eat..then eating wheat flour and sugar for an addict will set up a chemical dependency and then the depression/wt gain vicious cycle is in motion. Then your in chicken or egg territory. Basically its addiction and when you a depressed you want to alter your feelings fast and often. And if you are a sugar addict, the quicket way to get the sugar craving going is drinking alcohol. Its like injecting sugar right into your veins. If you are not an alcoholic, you will then be off on a food binge from a drink. . HOW DO YOU GET PAID TO DO THESE STUDIES???? HIRE ME PLEASE

Definitely change the dressing at least once a day and additionally after the bandages get wet. Swab with alcohol wipes each time around the drain site and the tube. Did they show you how to sterilize the drain opening after you empty it?

I don't understand why you'd want to get this if it hasn't been around for a long time. The sleeve is very safe, without a lot of surgical connections/re-routing. I was sleeved on Sept. 26th. My diabetes was gone in 2 days! The other co-morbidities, sleep apnea & non-alcoholic fatty liver will go away in 3 - 4 months.

Yep that's more than 10lbs a month which is fantastic. I agree with Jessiquoi. We need measurable data. You also should consider curbing any alcohol for awhile. Reason being that it is carby and when your body burns, it will burn the alcohol before it burns any fat. Our rule is always Protein first. If you're sticking to that, you should be fine. Your loss is GREAT. I know it's hard but try not to compare yourself to others, especially because a person losing 70 lbs in 5 months may have started MUCH heavier than you did and therefore they have more to lose. Eventually EVERYONE slows down... there's no race, so do it right, not fast!

With doing the boot camp exercising, your body is changing; and a weight gain is not uncommon as you are building muscle, not fat. That being said, STOP the alcohol as much as possible; all empty calories!!! Have Water with some fruit in it (or bring one of those flavor dispenser/packets with you)...be the designated driver... that stuff is not doing you ANY favors... Next find out if there is a bariatric center near you and if they have meetings, a lot of centers have to have a monthly meeting for post-bariatric members to keep their certification. It has been proven that if you attend these meetings you are more likely to succeed in your endeavor! Helpful hints are always given at these, including easy recipes! try "The World According to Eggface" for recipes, she's got some great stuff... your weight loss is nothing to sneeze at...it's great! when was the last time you lost that much weight in that amount of time?!?! If you are like the rest of us, the answer is "never"! Don't discount yourself...you can't compare yourself to others! And lastly, remember, Protein FIRST! Good luck, you've got this!

Hello bariatric family, Let me start by saying that I am 21 years old and im a college student currently in San Antonio, Texas. I am from Nicaragua (im an international student) just came to the US for college, im blessed to have parents that could afford paying a superior education. I had my surgery on May 30 2014 back in Nicaragua. It was a big deal because over there people are very close-minded and no one was pro my decision.. Little i cared. I am about 5 month post op and have only lost 53 lbs. Ive read that people are losing 70 lbs in 5 month and cool things like that. To be honest I dont follow a specific diet. I am a college student with budget so I can't be paying a nutrionist here to be controlling me, plus my doctor back home said to prioritize Proteins and just eat what makes me happy but in small portions, obviously always choosing healthy first.. And so ive been doing. Ive been stalled for the past month. I feel I am talking this too chill, I started drinking my third month, it just seems impossible not to drink when you are in your early 20's and in college. I used to be a party animal as back home we are known for Nicaraguans to be party animals.. I have lowered my party level though. I started by just drinking one day each weekend and only whiskey and Water or vodka water, since i read they are the ones with less calories. And i feel i have the same alcohol resistance as i did before. But the past two weekends i drank thursday friday and saturday and i drank basically everything they offered me, speacially last weekend that i was turning 21 and went to Austin City Limits festival. (Im regreting this so badly but I did this surgery to be happier therefor i must enjoy moments) I started boot camp last week with High- Intensity Interval Training and I can't stop thinking on food! Im hungry all the time and this past week I gained 3 lbs. I am flipping out! The trainer told me and my friends its totally normal to feel hungrier because our metabolism is going faster. I am scared i am doing a normal person with normal stomach exercise, i mean my friends eat normal quantities but i dont and still doing such intense things.. But i love it and i feel i am able to do that and more. I just dont know if im going the right track I need some one to kind of call my attention and tell me if they know some one or some thing about what im going through. I need y'alls help! My friends and family dont know much about this surgery, and my doctor back home just dont seem as strict and good as all of yours here in the USA. I feel like every one in this app talks about Protein protein protein and measuring portions etc.. I have NEVER measured a meal and i dont drink Protein shakes. What do you guys recommend me to do? I am feeling like im loosing it! And that my surgery is failing! I have to guidance whatsoever and i havent tell many friends i did this surgery because i find it something personal.

I was banded for 12 years and in those 12 years I got to know a lot of WLS patients and I think his stats are probably true. I think if you are predisposed to an addictive personality you have a higher risk of being addicted to something regardless. I have alcoholics in my family so I am cautious with booze. I drink, but I moderate heavily and always have it is nothing for me to go to a bar and not drink or stop drinking for dry January to cleanse post party season. I never want to lose control of my drinking and make it a need not a like. I respect your surgeon for warning you about booze. I do know people who have gone nuts with booze the other area I have seen people struggle with is interpersonal relationships/romantic relationships especially women. All the sudden they look fantastic and men start paying attention to them and they loose their minds, I have seen a lot of marriages break up. Women who have been obese for a long time aren't trained to deal with the flattery and attention and it overwhelms them and goes straight to their heads and not in a good way.

Let me rephrase this a little... Because my doctor didn't just say, "You will become an alcoholic." He was basically giving me facts, about how most of us have an addiction an it's food, that's our comfort an go to. When we can't have certain thing we try to replace them with sonething else.. Like alcohol. Statistics show that 34% of wls patients that drink to early after surgery continue to keep drinking more than they had prior to surgery, an 15% end up doing rehabilitation programs for alcohol instead of over eating. He basically was giving me facts an letting me know the statistics of what others have gone through. I have been looking for these statistics online to post link but I can't seem to find.... Sooooo idk if dr was pulling my leg or not, but to be honest I really dnt care. It's not a crime to have a drink every now an then, so I will continue. #BottomsUp

People feel they can criticize our method of losing weight there's a real lack of compassion for food addicts u have rehab for drugs and alcohol I feel like this our "rehab" so to speak much the same as drugs and alcohol if u don't work the program u will fail as obses ppl we can sometimes take a lot of crap that others wouldn't take the ppl with all the negative " opinions" are often the biggest offenders of shaming us and acting superior to us well if we lose weight what are they going to be able to insult us about? I've had ppl in my family say things to me like well "just don't eat so much ... Really? if it were that simple no one would be overwieght or offering to "cook my meals" lol that almost made fall over laughing considering I've been cooking since I was 10 yrs old taught them to cook fed them as children and adults still do who do they come to for holidays party's etc? Me! it's not a matter of not being able to cook or not understanding nutrishion it's a matter of wanting to eat too much food too often much like drugs and alcohol it's an addiction the skinny ppl just don't seem to get it