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I am 5 foot 2 inches, I am a nurse so I am very active and walk a few miles a week in addition to work. I have just started riding a stationary bike as well. My calories fall around 800 a day with about 70 to 80 grams of protein. I don't drink alcohol. I was pre diabetic before surgery.

At a starting weight of 216lb your weight loss is going to be lower and slower than someone whose starting weight was much higher. What is your height? Are you exercising? What exercise are you doing? How many calories are you consuming a day now? How much protein do you eat daily? Carbs? Do you drink alcohol? Do you do a lot of incidental activity? Getting plenty of fluids? All this (and others) factor into your weight loss patterns, we are all different and lose weight differently. If you are able answer these though, I am sure you will get some very helpful suggestions regarding weight loss. Has your dietician or surgeon made any suggestions for you?

My experience with alcohol (wine) and the lapband is that I don't feel the effects of the booze immediately. Then like someone flipped the switch and I am bombed, almost passed out (have passed out). I also purchased an alcohol breath testing machine. It takes 3 times as long to the booze to leave my system as my husbands when having the same amount of drinks. The machine will read triple zeros for him and I will have a .045 blood alcohol level. We are wondering with the band is the alcohol residue is staying above the band longer.

There are margaritaville drink mixes (like crystal light). They have margarita, strawberry daiquiri and pina colada sold in a set on Amazon. You could mix that with alcohol??

With my surgeons blessing I tried alcohol just recently (4.5 months out) keeping in mind that it is empty calories. My preferred drink was rum and Diet Coke so I had rum and crystal light. Well, it tasted so bad that I couldn’t even get it down fast enough to get a buzz. So for me, knowing that I was just drinking a ton of empty calories that tasted bad, it wasn’t even worth it. But no, it definitely did not hit me harder or faster??

Honestly I think alcohol was the downfall of my maintenance phase. My body metabolize it faster and a drink or two when you get it. This led to me wanting to drink more and over the years I definitely added weight to my body because my eating habits haven’t changed much

I agree a lot with what @Creekimp13 says, but I also would say this: cut out the alcohol. Completely. It is empty calories AND it lowers your inhibitions so you are more likely to make poor food choices. I think you look AMAZE-BALLS! But, you want to keep looking amaze-balls and not get to where your weight keeps creeping up and you're back where you started. But maybe you shouldn't listen to me since I haven't even had surgery yet and I don't drink at all. I'm just speaking from watching the food choices I see my friends and family make when they are drinking vs when they are sober, plus a number of things I have read including nutrition textbooks.

I agree with what everyone said, but I will also add this... alcohol lowers your inhibitions, so you might eat things that aren't great choices and end up not feeling great and that would ruin the celebration... Focus on making the graduates and your family and friends the things you celebrate, not food and drinks. Become the group photographer if you need to keep your hands busy. (you can just use your cell phone for this) Or dance up a storm in a new outfit that fits your new fab self!

Doctors' philosophy on this vary from a few weeks to never again depending upon their experiences. The basic issues are: Healing - alcohol is somewhat corrosive to the stomach lining so one needs to give things a chance to heal first, Typically we see a few weeks to a few months sited for this. Alcohol tolerance - rapid stomach emptying means it tends to hit faster, and with less (i.e., a "cheap drunk") so care must be taken there, Transfer addiction - we can no longer satisfy whatever addictive tendencies we have with food, so it is easy to transfer that addiction to something else, like alcohol, drugs, shopping, gambling, etc. What was a casual habit of a glass of wine with dinner occasionally can easily turn into full blown alcoholism. Liver health - starting as morbidly obese, or worse, our livers are not usually in very good shape to begin with (hence the "liver shrinking" pre-op diets that are often prescribed) and the liver is further stressed from its role in metabolizing all that fat that we are rapidly losing. It doesn't need any more stress from ingesting a known liver toxin like alcohol (not a judgemental thing, just our physiology at work). My surgeon is also a biliopancreatic (livers and pancreas) transplant surgeon, so he is in the no alcohol as long as we are losing weight camp (and ideally forever) and indeed we sign a contract to that effect - he doesn't want any of his bariatric patients coming back onto his transplant table! Those are the issues in play, and some aspects bother different surgeons to different degrees, so they have different policies. Check with what your surgeon's policy is, and decide for yourself - we are all adults here.

timmytommy, ColieCallwell, I'm surprised you wouldn't be approved if you lost too much weight durring the process. I thought insurance used your starting weight for approval. This just proves how everyone's path to surgery and requirements are different. timmytommy, what you'll need to accomplish during your six-month pre-op depends on what your insurance requires and what your doctor/ surgeon wants/needs to prove that you're physically and mentally ready for surgery. You may be required to do the following: Begin a medical weight loss program Lose weight Have psychological evaluation See a registered dietician (RD) See an exercise therapist or get on an exercise plan Attend a support group for bariatric patients Reduce soda/ alcohol Stop smoking/ using tobacco products Make dietary changes Increase protein Start a vitamin/ Supplement routine Sleep studies/ Maintain CPAP/BiPAP compliance Labs/ Tests: blood panel for CBC, thyroid function, B12, HgbA1--for prediabetes/diabetes, other vitamins EKG/ cardiac stress test EDG (esophagogastroduodenoscopy) Good luck!

Well said @The Greater Fool. One of the reasons, we’re encouraged to avoid alcohol (besides the high calories of course) is to avoid the risk of swapping your food addiction to another addiction like alcohol. I watched my friend’s drinking increase very noticeably after her surgery. She did eventually realise but we were concerned for her. Not saying that’s you but it is something to be conscious of. Honestly, I had my first drink at 2 months for my cousin’s 40th. I nursed that gin & tonic for hours. I wasn’t really enjoying it as I did before surgery., plus my taste buds had changed & I was conscious of the gas in the tonic upsetting me. I only have a glass of alcohol about once a month now & I still take ages to drink it. My friends like a glass or several but my not drinking or drinking very little doesn’t affect how we socialise or celebrate together at all. Remember if you’re drinking you’re not eating & eating is way more important & even more so especially at a month post surgery. Alcohol is empty calories & you should be concentrating on nutritionally dense calories while you are losing. Because of your low calorie intake, any alcohol you do consume will have a greater impact on you. But, ultimately it is your choice.

Most surgeons are different, but the minimum is usually 6 months. My surgeon's office was 1 year. Alcohol hits you harder after surgery and is also empty calories. They also worry that food addiction will transfer to alcohol as it's very common in WLS patients. So maybe ask your surgeons office what their guidelines are and decide from there.

Every surgeon is different. My program is avoid for 6 months. Definitely not this early on. I was told for the first 3 months to stick to the the program while the stomach is still healing. Your body reacts differently to alcohol post Surgery.

Hi! I was wondering if anyone knew when it was ok to start drinking alcohol again after surgery? It seems like everyone's saying different things regarding drinking post surgery. I'm 2 weeks postop right now but was wondering if I could drink by the end of July? I want to be able to celebrate graduations and birthdays with my friends again ):

Hi! I'm enjoying reading where everyone is so I will check in too -- I had surgery on 5/20 so I'm about 7.5 weeks out. The worst part about this for me has been no caffeine. I'm really looking forward to being cleared for step 4 which includes caffeine allowed at my appointment in about a week. I'm also really missing wine but I think I need to stay away from alcohol for as long as possible. I'm 50 lbs down overall (355 to 305ish -- I lost a LOT during the 3 week liver-shrink) and about 25 of that is post-surgery. I'm definitely noticing that it's easier to move around and my clothes are looking different on me, which has been great. In terms of taste, shredded cheese tastes a little weird to me, milk is disgusting, and butter tastes a little... off. I'm really interested to know if I'll dump/if I can ever have sugar again, but I'm not going to mess with trying something until I hit the step 4 diet. I'm REALLY stressed out about the hair loss that people say starts at around 4 months. But the only way out is through..... and it'll be worth it. I'm just worried I'll have bald spots!!!!! 😧

Have you tried Deep Eddy's vodka? I LOVE Ruby Red (grapefruit) with a splash of soda (about 1/8 of a can) and I hear that the Sweet Tea mixed with Crystal Light is amazing as an alcoholic Arnold Palmer. (I am not a sweet tea fan).

Make yourself some low sugar sangria with dry red wine and diet orange soda. The bubbles from the orange soda are minimal to non-existent when mixed with the wine. I like about 60-40 wine to soda mix, but adjust to suit your tastes. This was just my go to while camping over the 4th. Alcohol hits me way harder these days, so use caution.

I used to have a large glass of wine every night. I loved gin & scotch & champagne & a good martini. Since surgery I only have a drink about once a month. I don’t miss it at all. My friends all enjoy a drink or several but it doesn’t stop me socialising with them at all. I spend time with them to spend time with them not to drink. I take ages to drink a glass of alcohol now & often don’t finish it all. Sometimes I agree to a glass but only have a sip or two & really just hold the glass. I had my first drink at about 6 weeks post surgery - my cousin’s 40th. It took me hours to drink that gin & tonic - at least the tonic became super flat. My taste buds have changed & a lot of alcohol is too sweet now - even non sweet alcohol. Honestly I don’t enjoy it in the same way. I don’t enjoy champagne much anymore - the shock the horror! I haven’t had a martini in two years. I find gin & tonic best because of the bitterness of the tonic I think. I had my first scotch last month (I always drink it neat) & it was ok.

I see people mix vodka or their other favorite alcohol with crystal light. Before surgery, I used to mix vodka with lemonade crystal light… a sugar free vodka lemonade!

Yes, I know all about transfer addiction. I know about watching the sugar content. I know that MOST docs suggest NOT drinking while in the losing phase (if ever). I know we shouldn't have carbonated drinks. I know we have to watch with how quick drinks hit us. I know we should try a drink at home before trying one outside of the home. Etc, etc, etc. I get it! But for those of us/you who HAVE had a drink or drink on occasion, what is your go to? Since surgery I have missed out on several parties, anniversaries (including my own), birthdays (including my own), holidays and even a wedding. I knew it was too soon to celebrate any of those things due to where I was in my food stage, mostly. The alcohol I could avoid if I have to. But now I am on regular foods and 7 weeks out and soon I will be having a family reunion with several family members I may not see again for years, if at all ever (as they live across the country). Anyway, I would like to have a drink or two with them during their visit. BEFORE surgery I would drink occasionally. Maybe once or twice a month on weekends, around a fire or dinner out. My drink of choice before surgery was the Bud Light Out Of Office seltzer drinks. But I DO NOT see them as a go to now cause of the carbonation. I'm trying to think of some OTHER drink choices ahead of time so that I can try it at home before this reunion. I DO NOT like Whisky, Gin or Tequila. I also DO NOT like drinking the alcohols I do like (i.e., Vodka) straight. So, having said that, IF YOU DRINK or HAVE HAD A DRINK SINCE SURGERY, what kind of drink did you have? I am DEFINITELY looking to avoid anything sugary. I made a HUGE mistake over the 4th weekend and has a small milkshake and thought I was gonna puke, die, something. LOL MY heart was racing and I got all clammy. Ugh! I'm assuming it was the high sugar content that got me/spiked my sugar. I have not had sugar like that in about 4 months. So yeah, NEVER AGAIN!! LOL I USED to drink (just to give you an idea of my tastes so that you may be able to better suggest something to me)........... Wine (the sweeter the better, sadly)/Sangrias Bloody Mary's Seltzer Drinks (some) Fruity Drinks (pina coladas and the like) Beer once in a while I recently had a SIP of a drink my husband bought to try. It was called BeatBox. It wasn't bad at all but seems kind of expensive. Especially if I won't be drinking often (but they do have singles you can buy). https://beatboxbeverages.com/collections/zero-sugar Either way I'd like some other suggestions too. Oh and, I'm that person who DOES NOT like to taste the alcohol in their drinks. LOL Which is probably why I can't drink anything straight or even just mixed with plain water. Anyway, if after all of that you still have suggestions, lol, please let me know! Thanks!

I have late dumping , hypoglycemia , Triggered by large amounts of processed sugar or alcohol sugars. Very symptomatic / scary but treatable and avoidable . Glad I still have my old blood glucose monitor ! Best wishes.

Wow! What a mistake I made! I had my surgery in February of 2020, and have by and large had a successful and unremarkable experience. Recently I had to go through some significant and painful dental procedures. I have not taken any Ibuprofen (Motrin), Alleve or the like since my surgery, but my dentist prescribed it and seemed to suggest he thought it would not be a problem since I had the surgery over a year ago and had no issues. HE WAS WRONG! I blame myself, because I knew better. I took the prescription strength for a couple of days, and then switched to non prescription dose for another 5 or so days. Simultaneously I could not really eat (dental surgery), and was surviving on protein drinks, pudding and mashed potatoes basically. My stomach was not feeling great, but overall ok. Then I started getting some burning and pain in my stomach, radiating into my back and shoulder. These episodes would last a half hour to an hour and then pass. I of course stopped the ibuprofen, and googled stomach lining irritation. I went on a bland diet, and was using mylanta and tums. I thought it was getting better. I WAS WRONG! I had a major attack, and was on the floor of the bathroom, vomiting bile and with severe diarrhea. My blood pressure dropped to the point I could not even sit on the toilet, but had to curl up on the floor while being this sick. I was this acutely ill for over an hour. Foolishly (ok, everything I did in this story was foolish, so continuing my bad choices...) I would not let my husband call an ambulance nor would I go to an urgent care facility because "what can they do? It's a stomach bug). Finally spoke with my PCP's office, who had me call my surgeon's office. They diagnosed an ulcer and started me on 2 medications, one for the symptoms and one to heal my stomach. It could take months to heal. I am on a bland diet, no coffee, alcohol, spicy foods, etc. It has been a week and I have not had any other attacks. I was an IDIOT, but also got lucky that it had not progressed to where it was bleeding or worse. Non WLS practitioners do not understand what really happens with WLS. If you have had the sleeve, and MUST use N-saids for any purpose, talk with your surgeon's office; they can prescribe a course of treatment to minimize the impact on your stomach. I don't know about bi-pass. I have been advised to never use them again at this point due to the damage already done.

Today marks 8 weeks since surgery for me. For the most part I'm feeling good, down about 30lbs since surgery and 50 overall. I'm still having some fatigue especially in the mornings it's a struggle to get moving. I don't get bloodwork done to check my vitamin levels until August so I guess I'll have to wait and see if anything needs to be adjusted. I'm finding I can eat most things without issue. The restriction seems like it's kicked up a notch the past two weeks or so. I've vomited a few times just because the last bite was one too many and it comes back up. I had a rough day following the 4th of July. On the actual day I did pretty well eating and staying hydrated but I was chasing after my son and on my feet for a large portion of the day so that night I totally crashed and even the next day felt like I was hungover despite no alcohol. I think maybe I just wasn't hydrated enough for how active I was plus being outside. I'm hoping to start incorporating some more exercise but I'm definitely lacking energy and motivation in that department. I'm still super pleased with the surgery thus far and happy with how things are progressing.

My surgery is scheduled for 7.14.21! I'm so excited and nervous. Especially because Day 1 of my liquid diet starts tomorrow (JULY 4TH) where I will be surrounded by hot dogs, burgers, and alcohol. lol