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Do I have to stop drinking after the surgery.. I mean forever? I usually like to drink vodka and slimline tonic when I'm gigging, so I have a fair few of those once a week... I do enjoy the occasional drink. I assume that as tonic is carbonated, I will have to find a different mixer, maybe a juice, but I'm keen to know whether I have to give up alcohol altogether?. At gigs I have to admit I do get a little merry every now and then, would be a shame to give it up altogether so I just need to understand what having the sleeve means in terms of alcohol consumption post surgery? Thanks.

Sugar is on of the most toxic chemical we can put in our body. I am a sugar addict and struggle with this all the time. I do have to read all labels for 5 different types of sugar. I even avoid food products with sugar alcohol in there. If I do eat something sweet, I crave more of it.....it's really dangerous for me. I find that if I stick to things like organic meats, spaghetti sauces that are organic no sugar listed I am ok. I realize that I can only eat organically grown foods that are not processed due to needing the nutrition value from that food. This is a choice that I have to make and I do fail at times and have to recoop my focus and start over........

My favorite are Supreme Protein bars (the Peanut Butter and the caramel nut are my favorites). They are about 200 calories I think and have a small amount of sugar (some sugar alcohols). My nutritionist approved them. I have them for breakfast when I'm loose enough, along with a yogurt mixed with a little fruit - other mornings I need to do a smoothie. These have a great taste - not the taste a lot of Protein Bars have. The peanut butter is my top choice, easier to chew than the caramel nut some days. I live in the Midwest and get these from my local grocery store, Hy-Vee. HTH!

Hi everybody! I had a question - it may be silly, but I was just wondering... My surgery is on Monday, and two days ago I had 2 glasses of wine. I didn't even think about the fact that alcohol is a blood thinner. Is there a possibility that this could adversely affect my surgery?? I'm having nightmare visions of me bleeding out on the table or something. HELP!

Can we have alcohol during the liquid diet phase. I don't need a lecture, I'm just curious. My 1-week starts Friday.

The shot does NOT have to be in the stomach. It can be anywhere on the body as long as that portion of the body is meaty. Arm, leg or butt. I personally take it in the arm. Be careful tho not to rub it or it will turn into a lump. After you inject just wipe the area with the alcohol pad lightly. Don't rub, squeeze or press down on it. I REPEAT "Don't rub, squeeze or press down on it." those lumps will remain there for about few days to a week and they are bothersome. Gluck

The issues raised by my surgeon (and nutritionist) is that consuming alcohol is empty calories. Our caloric intake is so limited, after surgery, that wasting (or worse, adding) calories in the form of alcohol will hinder your weight loss process. Best of luck to you with your surgery!

Hi everyone. I thought I would give an update on my progress .. my surgery was three months ago today. All I can say is that it was a complete life-changing experience. I am not someone who suffered any pain or acid reflex post-op and with what I have read here, I am a rarity to some degree. To me, my weight has literally fallen off so far (82 pounds today) and with that loss comes zero desire to eat any junk (sugar/carbs were my downfall) and eating healthy is so easy. I love it. I have lost 5 sizes and my wardrobe (which was very impressive at the start of this *lol*) has diminished to almost nothing. I was sure I would have gotten about 6 months out of it but come September, it's time for new clothes. I have my three-month post-surgical appt in a couple of weeks so I am excited about seeing the surgeon again. I am eating about 5-6 times a day and it's very small portions .. maximum about 2/3 cup at any time. My day typically looks like this: Fibre One Cereal with a few berries & milk Greek yogurt for a snack Soup, tuna salad, chicken or some other high Protein lunch Protein Drink More high protein and veggies for dinner High fibre snack in the evening That's it pretty much every day. I am not bored and I do mix it up once in awhile but food isn't my focus but rather a necessity. I take all of my Vitamins every day as well about 8 glasses of Water. It's a struggle some days because I may be tired or just simply not hungry but I focus on protein (60-70 grams), water and fibre. I calculate an approximate intake of about 800 calories, of average. Sometimes a bit more .. but never over 900 calories. I tend to gravitate towards Soups and 'easy' foods because as soon as protein hits my stomach, it's like a dam and I eat very little after that. I want to chew, you know? *lol* Physically, I can do quite a bit more yet I still struggle with tiredness. I have had no sugar or caffeine since March so maybe this it the 'true' me in terms of my energy level. I realize little food and rapid weight loss plays a big part but exercise remains a bit of a chore. I need to work at it more. I sleep more now than when I did as a teenager. I am looking to lose another 100 pounds however I am feeling pretty good even now. I told no one except family. Friends and co-workers are noticing now. I am not someone who really lacked confidence but talk about a boost! Since my surgery, I have had two very stressful events happen to me .. the end of a personal relationship and also the unexpected death of one of my siblings. Healing was a challenge at first but I learned that my emotions are front and centre when it comes to dealing with myself. I have read a lot about people's emotional eating and how they handle it post-op and for me, I didn't feel compelled to race to the kitchen. I cried and let it out. Talk to people .. it works. I have had very little hair loss ... a little .. but not much. I have a lot of hair to begin with so perhaps I had 'spare' to lose but so far, so good. I 'fit' differently into chairs, my car, my shoes .. there are differences all around me. It's been exciting to see and feel these changes and I know the best is yet to come. Socially, I have been out a few times as I am in the 'let's do lunch' environment and I am constantly amazed how much people eat vs. what I now eat. I can't imagine my life prior to surgery anymore .. my capacity to fill myself is so little. My desire is even less. I have had no alcohol to date and plan to stay away from it for at least 6 months. Again, no desire or pressure to even have it so it's not an issue for me. I am razzed a bit by dinner companions who wonder how I can 'get by' with just a bowl of soup but I find that soup is the easiest thing for me to order and consume without getting immediately stuffed by a chicken breast or salmon, etc. Anyway, that is my two cents. Thanks for reading and I wish continued success to the other sleevers :thumbup1:

Thanks everyone, i'm feeling fine at the moment, the doctor isn't open over the weekend so i can't call anyway, but if I do feel like something's wrong I won't hesitate to call someone. Yes will definitely limit my alcohol intake, I was planning on it anyway, only to drink occasionally

Well i know having alcohol is bad after surgery but for the past 5 yrs i have turned to drinking and food for my comfort (this is why i am overweight).my husband passed away 5 yrs ago so this has been my comfort.what am i going to do without this after when i get stressed out?does anyone on here occasionally have a drink or how does it work?ive been told you can only drink a very small amount cause it gets you very drunk. My cousin had the bypass 5 yrs ago and i seen her downing margaritas lile nothing..any info on this would help

What has your doctor recommended? If your bone loss & calcium absorption level is poor they should have you on appropriate meds, etc. to help you better manage it. A friend was put a high calcium diet (including more dairy, oily fish, tinned fish with soft bones -salmon, mackerel, beans, etc.) to support hers. She walks a fine line though as she also has a heart condition & too much calcium cause heart issues. How are your vitamin D levels? Your body needs D to help absorb calcium. Not sure if you drink alcohol but it impedes the body’s ability to absorb calcium & vitamin D. I was prescribed Creons (pancreatic enzymes) to help with my protein malabsorption issues. I believe they can help many malabsorption issues. Worth asking your doctor.

Just to mention this since I don't see it above, pay attention the sugar alcohols in whatever shakes you buy. Too much of those have a laxative effect. Ask me how I know...

Sounds like addiction transference. I worry about it all the time. I don't drink a lot (once or twice a month) but I wonder if I ever kick this food addiction if I'll switch to something else. Some people transfer their food addictions to alcohol, some to drugs, some to sex, and some to exercise. I'm hoping for the exercise one! (Hah!)

I'm 5'5" and started at 208. I originally set my goal weight at 145 - I'm big-boned and have a decent amount of muscle mass - but I actually got as low as 136. I couldn't really maintain that weight, since it required no desserts, alcohol, or any other sins, and I wasn't really willing to give those up. I leveled out at like 140-141 and at this weight, I can eat anything. My closet has clothes ranging from XS/4 to M/10, depending on the brand. I weighed 145 in like Grade 9, but I had a totally different body composition back then - I never in my life wore a size Small in ANYTHING until the sleeve, let alone X-small.

When I quit smoking I went through almost a year of depression and anxiety. Finally, my body became adjusted to the intense change I had put it through by breaking an addiction. I fully expect to face the same problems with weight loss. If it were easy to break an addiction, everyone would just toss their cigarettes, drugs, alcohol and chocolate cake and take up knitting! Even if you can mentally adjust it takes many months, even years, for your body chemistry to calm down. I would not be surprised to hear that there is an increase in chemical imbalance after weight surgery but I have not found any legitimate studies that indicate an increase in suicide. Can you please provide a link to these studies that you mention? Otherwise, it seems a bit irresponsible to drop a subject line like that on a message board like this.

I think the reason my nutritionist stated no alcohol any more was more the empty calories than anything. Call yours and ask the specific reason to be sure. As for the carbonation, i was told to stay away due to the gas pain it can cause. Not a problem here as we don't drink much soda to begin with. Had a sip or two of the hubby's beer last month and i know i don't need that any more. Just didn't taste the same. As for wine & other alcoholic drinks, i think only you can know if those empty calories are worth it. Are you in control of your diet? Can you just have one socially now & then? If you can, then why not. Might mean an extra trip to the gym or a little pre-planning before the event with your diet. Realistically, i am one of those persons that believes if you forbid all empty calories, eventually you are going to want to cave just because you know you shouldn't. If I can do moderation and just sample something now & then, i'm good with that. However, if you know you are the type to fall off the wagon very quickly, then i would look long and hard before taking that step. You need to know your strengths and weaknesses. One of my weakness.....cream cheese fill cupcakes. I love them & can eat them like nothing. Of course my youngest has a birthday this week & wants those in cake form for his family party. NOT happening. So instead i'm making 24 cupcakes that morning & sending them into school with a note saying "throw extras away, do not send home!". Temptation avoided. For his family party he's getting homemade ice cream cake made from fat free cookies, fat free ice cream and fat free cool whip. They've NEVER known the difference & I can have a sliver & not feel guilty.

Alcohol intake in access amount will definitely affect on ones oral health. That's why Dentists Carlisle PAsuggested to avoid alcohol in accessive amount.

I am 3 weeks post op and this weekend I did everything wrong. My husband and kids took me to a resort. I had half an alcoholic drink per day and I had some solids, tomatoes and a bite of lobster, but I chewed forever. I had no issues. I was expecting to get sick but I didn’t. I did this twice and now I am going back to my comfort zone. Only going to have one soup per day and my trusted protein shakes. I had lost 14 lbs but I will not weigh myself for a few days. I do not want to get depressed if I went up. I knew this would be a struggle. Gastric sleeve is only a tool to get you where you want to go. Real changes have to happen anf now I know how I gained the weight. 60lbs in 1 year. I am shocked it wasn’t more.

Yep. If I want to keep losing. Don't get me wrong. My eating got sloppy around the one year mark. I was eating greasy fried food and carbs and buckets of movie crapcorn. And drinking wine. And I started to gain again. So I got serious, cleaned up the food, planned and tracked my portions, dumped the alcohol and carbs, and lost what I gained and got back on track. With smaller portions, my band once again felt tighter. So now I have to chew well and eat small bites or I'll get stuck. But don't kid yourself. Eating around the band is very possible and the bigger your meals get the more used to it you get. The good news is that the reverse is also true. I am very grateful for my band and that I learned this lesson early without too much wasted time or without stretching out my insides and causing a slip. The better I adhere to the rules the easier it gets. The more exceptions I make, the harder it is to get back on track. Good luck! JustWatchMe

@@charley27 There was a lot of stuff I thought I would never eat after surgery, but in reality my diet is pretty much the same. I would probably go for carby things. When I was eating on 4th of July before I started my pre-op I had sugar things, which was weird because I didn't even eat sugar at that point and hadn't in years. I had a funnel cake, a huge thing fo fries, a cheese steak and I think I got an alcoholic drink even though I didn't drink. So I took a few bites of funnel cake, didn't drink the liquor, ate 1/2 the fries, and made a decent dent in the cheese steak. I was really too hot to eat and I wasn't even mentally in a pig out space, even though I wanted to be. What is your favorite meal?

Hi everyone, hope everyone is doing great. I was banded in October 2014, with my pre-op diet and first two months post-op I was able to lose a bit over 30lbs. That's where the number is since December 2014, I have not lost any weight since. My band adjustments have been very small 0.3-0.4cc each time so I'm still not in a green zone as the Dr.s here in Canada do not give big fills. I have 7cc in my 10cc band and I'm hungry all the time, I can pretty much eat anything and everything if I want to. My coworker that had the band at the same time she has been tight from the day one and lost 70lbs so far but I know everyone is different so I'm just hoping to get in to green zone soon. It's hard now being summer and camping season not to drink alcoholic beverages but I hope once I get in to green zone that I will start losing again I do workout 4-5 times/week Just wondering if anyone was in the same boat and how did you overcome frustration and started losing again

I'm a little over 4 months post surgery, so I'm back on regular foods. Breakfast is usually a small omelet with egg beaters and some 2% shredded cheese. lunch is either a chicken breast with a few steamed vegetables or maybe another Protein based entree. dinner varies but can be another serving of lean protein with some vegetables, small chicken/cheese quesadilla, lean cuisine or maybe some Soup. If I'm in a rush a meal may be as simple as a piece of string cheese and some raw almonds. I've also found that some of the Lunchables make a good quick meal as long as you go with the ones with higher protein content. i add a Protein Bar or shake every day, and have tried to eliminate most all breads and starches from my diet, focusing on lean protein and vegetables. I will occasionally have part of a sandwich or a tortilla but it is not a daily occurrence. My target right now is to stay under 1,000 calories per day which is pretty easy to do as long as I stay away from any sort of Snacks or slider foods. I try to keep my protein intake at 80 grams or more per day. This is usually plenty of calories and unless I have some type of head hunger issue I don't find myself hungry. As far as liquids I have a couple cups of coffee each day. I've eliminated all carbonated drinks and usually drink Water with some occasional iced tea. At home to switch things up I'll have some Crystal Light. The biggest change here is seriously reducing alcohol intake. Before surgery I was a social drinker having beer a couple days a week. I've had alcohol a handful of times post surgery and found that once I got out of the habit I didn't miss it very much. If the setting is right I will have a cocktail or beer once in a great while but it has gone from a regular part of my routine to a special occasion item. If I do have a beer I need to pour it into a glass and let all of the carbonation escape before enjoying it. Generally not worth the hassle. MyFitnessPal is a great app and website for tracking calorie intake which I have found is the key to managing a successful eating routine. I've looked at various different options and it seems to have the most extensive menu of food choices. Whatever you choose to eat, someone has most always already created an entry for it. I also travel a lot and have found that eating in restaurants is still a little challenging. I can usually find a menu choice that works out okay, knowing I will only eat part of it. For a while I tried ordering off the appetizer menu because the portions are smaller but appetizer items tend to be high fat selections that are lower in protein, so I decided that it was ultimately better to order a good protein item from the regular menu and just leave some of it behind. For air travel I always pack a protein bar in my carryon bag, and if I'm traveling over a meal period will add a Lunchables or a string cheese and some almonds for the meal in the air. Good luck in your journey!

I am so sorry for your loss, I am new to this forum so I will make this comment brief. I have a rule that I have applied to my eating that I hope will help you. it goes like this....Feelings are not right and not wrong they just are, let them be and choose how you will react. Grief, loneliness, and anger are all powerful feelings that will take our control away from us if we let it. Ice cream for you, pizza for me or a drink for the alcoholic will destroy all of us and I really can't believe that this is what your lovely little dog would want for you. Sugar free popsicles would be a better choice for me but if I were you and I kept grieving I would go into a deep depression and just keep eating without knowing what I was doing to myself. I hope this advice helps. God Bless ttfn

A lot really depends on the surgeon that you have. I know a lot of people complain of gas pains, however I had ZERO gas pains after surgery. My surgeon assured me up front that he works very had to get all of the excess gas that they pump in you out before he's done. He also put a drain in for 24 hours which was supposed to help and I felt great. Immediatly after I woke up in recovery I felt nauseous. The nurse was quick to help me out. she gave me some meds for nausua but first she put an alcohol swab on my nose... she said that it would help the nausea and amazing enough... it did. Who knew. I tried it a couple times at home when I had some nausea and it helped then too. I was on a morpine pump for the first day and was allowed to press the button every 10 minutes if I wanted to but to my suprise I probably only used it once an hour. Again, I think that had a lot to do with the surgeon and how good he was. The worst pain that I felt was when I first tried to get out of bed to walk... WOW... It was like my stomach was ripping open. My weight on the incisions really hurt, but I pushed though and it seemed that every time I got up to walk was a little better. I really didn't notice any internal pain until day 3 when my sleeve started "cramping" when I tried to eat or drink or really just about any time it wanted to. I was told that it was normal and would go away... and it did. Day 4 was better and by the middle of week 2 the cramping was all gone. Every day was better and better with the incision pain and I would say that they felt completely better by the end of week 2 post op. Hope this helps, feel free to ask me anything. Gene

The hormone question is still open, and you can find a bunch of info here: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/349114-new-study-about-the-long-term-effectiveness-of-the-sleeve/ I went with the sleeve I was terrified of the dumping issues with the bypass, was leaning toward lap-band but saw the long term costs with adjustments. Some have done very well with the band, but wasn't for me. Some things to consider: Are you taking maintenance drugs? Some don't do well. Ambien no longer works for me. Had to switch from ER meds to breaking up pills. Have you worked through food issues? What is your relationship with alcohol? Do you have a partner? It will change your relationship status. Big issues to discuss in advance. But the long term - you have an 80% chance to change your life significantly by keeping 70% of your current weight off for the next five years with WLS. Less than 2% with the best behavioral modification programs. It's not a guarantee, it's a tool.