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I must say that I am almost a year out and had my first drinks about 3 weeks ago. Never has alcohol hot me so hard. I've never been a big drinker. Maybe a beer once every 6 months. Well needless to say I went out with some friends after a funeral and after my third beer I don't remember much. I thought ok if I do it again I'll be able to just drink a couple...but again I drank more than I knew and as well blacked out. I've learned that if I am going to go out which will be fairly rare I need to make sure I have a friend with me to make sure I stop or ask the bartender to cut me off. This was never a problem for me before but after much stress lately I found it relaxing. Bad habit I need to break.

What are grits? Sounds intriguing! To answer the drink question I've been having lots of Water, green tea. If I want something sweet mango or apple juice. Not bothered by alcohol much but did have a glass of red wine. To be honest I think my taste buds have changed as I used to love it and now it doesn't feel right

I live in Denver and do use mj recreationally. I waited for several weeks after surgery but my doctor and nut said it was fine. I DO get the munchies and am sad about that. It DOES settle my stomach when I'm nauseous. It has A LOT less calories than alcohol. So while I'm sure everyone is different, I won't be using mj regularly anymore after I move out of state next month. Not to say I won't occasionally partake, but the munchies are enough to deter me from being a regular user. Plus, it's illegal in Texas.

My birthday is coming up and I've been scouring the internet for low calorie, non carbonated alcoholic drinks. So far, it appears there are several low cal vodkas available, I'm just having trouble finding mixers. I've read clamato is healthy and low cal but is just sounds disgusting. If anyone has suggestions, I'm all ears. And yes, my Dr. has said it's okay to have an adult beverage on special occasions as long as I track it into my daily calorie intake.

I am 5 weeks out and have 3 to go before I am supposed to have carbs like chips or food that is not soft. I eat a few chips a day 4-5, because I like the crunch and salt. I eat a few cashews a day, not for the Protein but because they taste good. I also drink while eating and it really does limit what I can eat. The rule I want to break is having alcohol. I am not a big drinker and can go without any for months. The problem is I have a guys weekend coming up next week and for the last 10 years it has been drinking , cards, gambling, movies etc. I do all the cooking so my food will not be an issue but I do want to get a buzz on. I am 5 weeks out and Dr says no alcohol for 6 months. I think that is a weight loss thing not a recovery thing, but still I want to follow the rules.

I suffered with gout prior to having surgery. I was on Indomethecin for arthritis and it never really helped with the gout. I had to go off of it in July of last year (one month prior to 8/5 surgery) and haven't taken it since. Luckily, I haven't had a bout of gout in over 2 years now, but it is probably the most painful thing I went through. I had it at the same time that I had a stress fracture in the same foot. needless to say, the boot I had to wear for the fracture was hell on the gout pain! I have been cautious about red meat. I still eat too much, but I was told that played into the gout a lot. Also, if you drink alcohol, that will increase your chances of a gout attack. My podiatrist calls it "vacation gout", as many peopel drink on vacation and come back with it. Good luck and hopefully we won't experience it again !!!!

PrincessErin, you can order virgin drinks that look and taste as good as having alcohol. If you are a beer drinker unfortunately carbonation is bad too. Having one normal drink will make you legally drunk so maybe that is a good thing for some people. My big issue is my diet caffeine free Pepsi, I will truly be mourning that!!!!

My class went really well yesterday. I had a pre-admission appointment as well. They did blood work and an EKG. I also received a bottle of soap to wash my abdomen the night before and the morning of surgery. The class I wish I had taken earlier. It was very informative and gastric bypass specific. I finally learned what my DR expected as far as straws, caffeine, alcohol, etc. I am not going to lie. I am a little nervous about not being able to drink alcohol for a year.

Me tooooo!! I'm so "not ready" in a way... I'm worried about all of the following: A. My apron tummy B. My boobs C. The skin on my upper thighs D. My love of alcohol E. My love of delicious, rich food F. What if it doesn't work? Will my new body be pretty? Will I be pissed that I can't drink? Will I be pissed that I can't eat? What if I try and screw everything up? Is it worth having the body that I want or should I just let it go? But then again, I really hate that I get winded on stairs and can't tie my own shoes or see parts of my body without hurting myself. It sucks that it has to be this drastic. The other part of me is super excited...

I was told no alcohol for a year. The reason for this is your liver is working overtime to process all the toxins released from the fat you're burning, and most of that fat is lost in the first year. If you drink alcohol when your liver is already stressed it could cause liver failure. The second reason for the alcohol restriction is the high risk of cross-addiction. We all suffer from some sort of food addiction. When you remove the substance a person was addicted to, they will be susceptible to other forms of addiction like alcohol, drugs, sex, or shopping. After a year we've learned new coping skills and it may be safe to have alcohol in moderation with less risk.

Sometimes on the weight loss journey, the scale stops moving... Our bodies may be taking a break and we just need to persist... Yet sometimes its helpful to mix things up... You Control 3 Variables: Fitness, food, & supplements... Fitness: - There are 3 variables we control: frequency, duration, and intensity - Frequency: how many times per week are you working out? Might be time to bump it up to 5 days per week. - Duration: how long are your workouts? Might be time to bump the workout from 30 mins to 45 mins. - Intensity: how focused and intense are your workouts? Might be time to weave in some interval training, super-sets, CrossFit, etc. important variables are frequency and intensity; high quality workouts 4-5 days per week is a recipe for success - are you doing that? Nutrition & Lifestyle: - Food: getting in enough calories and all your Protein? - Water: being hydrated helps your metabolism by around 25% - Wine? Alcohol is a "volumizer", you'll retain Water and your metabolism will function slower. You may want to abstain or minimize until your goal is achieved, then it's about moderation for maintenance. Supplements: Are you making sure you are getting in your Vitamins and minerals and enough protein? If not make sure you are supplementing.

Hi guys! Just caught up and I am so glad I am up to date with this busy thread - I get busy during the day and tell myself I need to login or I am going to have a heck of a time catching up - I am sure is it the same for us all. Okay first off - does anyone have our list of names - I spent 45 minutes one day trying to dig through our massive thread and find it to no avail - I would be hugely grateful if anyone could share Or even give me an idea of what number of pages it might be located. Coops thanks so much for the Amazon link to the menopause book - I am going through it though I still am having somewhat regular periods - gonna be 50 this year in October woo It really feels like an emotional rollercoaster somedays - just like I have lost my mind haha. Beautiful corsets ladies - Feed and Jane you look lovely! I am still getting used to having anything touch my middle with clothing - I spent so long in tent-sized clothing, right at the edge of 5x and needing specialty clothes that I think that only now am I realizing what clothing that actually fits looks and feels like - even things that fit perfectly sometimes make me feel very exposed and afraid people will stare and make fun on me (when my squishy is very well hidden in clothes.) As hubby says "no more hobo clothes" (you must image the little designer from The Incredibles saying this lol.) Sarah - I am so sad to hear that your dear friend is struggling with drugs. My ex before my husband, whom I was with for many years was a recovering heroin addict - we lived in NYC and I experienced him falling off the sobriety/clean wagon which was agony for all of us around him (an episode of Intervention is about the level of madness I am talking about). I also grew up in a home with alcoholic family members - I seriously believe I am an addict with food - its just my drug of choice. Know that she is the one who has to want it - no matter what, she will be the one that does it for herself. I know that if I can quit smoking after 28 years of 2 packs a day then anyone on the face of this earth can stop their addictions too. One day at a time. That same partner also came out of the closet during that time - (I call this time my floral dress era - desperately trying to feel pretty again) and within a year he had contracted AIDS - he is still living with aids but doing much better - living in L.A. and seems happy. I feel like I dodged a serous bullet with that one. Speaking of one day at a time - I went to my very first Overeaters Anonymous meeting last weekend. I enjoyed it very much and plan to keep going - I was inspired by the honesty and sharing of the group - when I spoke I bawled like a little baby haha (maybe its those pesky menopause demons) and the group was very accepting of the fact that I had surgery - they were very interested in hearing about my experience. There were big folks and little ones - many had lost 100's of lbs and gained them back - some had maintained - just like all of us. I will check out other meetings around my area and see what those are like - it felt like a good reboot and have been seriously detoxing from the sugar since that meeting last Saturday. Here's a question, what are your guys bounces ranges and how to do determine them? Florinda - I am sorry you felt that you had to conceal your losses, but I am thrilled that you have lost your regain and then some! Learning to be kind to ourselves is just as big a part of all of this as anything. Lets all work on seeing how far we have come - I know I look to all of you as wonderful, inspiring successes, each and everyone one I can confide in and reveal the best and worst - the hardest of my struggles. I had great success off the bat with 5:2 then have struggled a lot with the holidays - it is my own fault really - it has been an orgy of baked carbs...I never used to like this stuff, but now it is the easiest thin to crunch up and goes down easy -I then I get lightheaded and woozy, oftentimes sick...just like a needle in the arm lol. I never got a goal weight from my docs or nutritionists, but one of them did mentioned that he thought I would end up at around 175. So that has been my upper limit with this recent gaining frenzy - or I should say that is my freak out weight lol. My husband just wants me to be happy at any weight around where I am - he seems to love my body - squishy and all - trying to come around to his viewpoint. I have noticed that cutting out even a bit of the sugar has helped tremendously this week with cravings - I have a milk issue with lattes, and when you get right down to it milk is a carb/sugar even if it is loaded with good stuff - I swear I would go drink milk from a cow on the side of the road if it was an emergency haha. I feel very successful at not having latte's on the way to work, at work, or on the way home from work every day this week - remember this is Seattle, that is a HUGE deal haha Love you guys

I live in Texas and mj is still ilegal here, I am against using it recreational but for using medically if needed. I respect that, I actually do like to hear others point of views as long as they aren't attacking someone else's way of life. Like my personal opinion is I'm against the consumption of alcohol period. Even though it is legal I'm against it. Marijuana is legal here for medicinal purposes (soon to be recreational) and it has improved my quality of life drastically.

I was dreaming about drinking last nigh...lol. I wonder what my doctors guidelines are for drinking, he seems to be pretty easy going. I mean, I was drinking coffee maybe 11 days out, eating a regular diet at 2.5 weeks out, keeping in mind that I was tolerating everything wonderfully (thank God). I wonder if I could even tolerate alcohol at this point, because when I ate a raw onion? It burned my tummy and I felt a little nausea.

Hey sleevers I just took a dose of Musinex's new Multi symptom cold relief(no ibuprofen) and the second it went down and burnt and made me have hot flashes! I am now slightly shaky and unnerved by the incident! It's the day time formula and the night one went down ok the last two nights so I figured I'd try this. Do you think it was the alcohol in it? I won't be taking it again this I know! This is a two part post question and warning to proceed with caution, it's a horrible feeling!

It probably shouldn't be a surprise at this point that our doctors and their NUTs all have a different plan for what we can eat and when we can eat it. My Dr. says no alcohol for one year (they also warn that we will much more susceptible to alcohol with our smaller stomachs). At this point my Dr. has sleevers on somewhat soft foods- mostly protein (meat loaf, meats that aren't stringy, cottage cheese, cheese, cauliflower, green beans, refried beans, etc., no corn, peas and other carb based veggies) from weeks 4-8. I can really only get the protein part of my meal in at this point and the PA at the Drs office said that was fine as long as I was taking the vitamins. I really enjoyed reading the information from the Brigham hospital, it seemed similar to what my Dr recommends. The alcohol will be much harder for me come summer and our beach trip! Like others, I have been in a stall for about a week now, this too will pass!

I don't think anybody would recommend you to consume alcohol only under 10 weeks post op. Your stomach is still healing from inside. It is wise to talk to your doctor about this. He/she will give you the correct guidance.

If you have c-diff one of the worst things you can do is to take immodium or something to prevent you from having bowel movements. I hope you do not have it. I have had it twice and it is nasty sh**. It can be difficult to get rid of hence the name difficile. Good luck. Flagyl is one antibiotic to treat it. It is one of those pills that dissolves very quickly and tastes pretty bad. You cannot drink any alcohol with it. I forgot and took a sip of communion wine and got sick. I am allergic to flagyl so have to take vancomycin when I get it. Vanco is avaiable in capsule form. The first time I got it, it was only available in oral suspension. Vanco is very expensive prescription. In 2005 the last time I had to take it was $1,600 for a two week supply. If the test comes back negative but the symptoms still persist, ask for a retest. I have had tests say negative and then retest shows positive.

That can seem like a lot of sacrifice, but success depends largely on your attitude. The difference between rapid, healthy weight loss and a bumpy road filled with complications and struggle may be as simple as the difference between saying “I can’t have that” and “I get to have that.” Here are examples of changing your attitude to improve your weight loss journey. From “I Can’t” to “I Can” There are plenty of things that you can’t safely do after weight loss surgery, such as overeating, eating high-fat and high-sugar foods, and drinking alcohol without restriction. Instead of thinking “I can’t” eat that when you are at a dinner party or restaurant, think “I can” have a better time than I used to before weight loss surgery by focusing on the people instead of the food. Don’t think, “I can’t” order a large popcorn and soda while at the movie theater with my friends. Instead, think “I can” fit in the seat now and enjoy the movie! From “I Have To” to “I Get To” Some of the daily tasks after weight loss surgery can seem like tedious chores, but think of them in terms of the benefits you get. For example, measuring each serving of food can be a nuisance and is something that you “must” do, but it is also something you “get” to do to help you lose weight, learn portion sizes, and stay in control. Similarly, taking your daily vitamin and mineral supplements and monitoring your health is something that you “have to” do, but you also “get to” enjoy better energy and improved health numbers, such as blood sugar and cholesterol, when you visit the doctor. It’s not that you “have to” go to the gym; more accurately, you “get to” go to the gym to enjoy your new, healthier body and make it stronger and leaner. From “I Lost” to “I Gained” You might lose some alone or family time each day when you go to the gym, but you gain it right back in quality. When you are in shape, you can keep up with your children, spouse, and friends. The time you spend with them is higher quality than when you might have been too heavy and out of breath to do anything but sit and watch from the sidelines. And, you can say that “I lost” the chance to go to the donut shop on the way to work each morning, but it is more accurate to say that “I gained” time and money from not going to the donut store, and also the self-respect from skipping the morning sugar load. From “Never-Ending” to “Constant Progress” The post-weight loss surgery journey is long…the rest of your life! You are bound to get discouraged if you think about the journey as a “never-ending” struggle. Instead, stay motivated by looking at your constant progress. For the first year and more, your progress can include regular weight loss, smaller body measurements and smaller clothing sizes. For years afterward, progress can include improved fitness or certain athletic milestones, such as completing a 5k run. Other progress might be reduced cravings for sugar, better relationships with your family and having improved health. Eliminate Doubts One of the most important attitude shifts you can make is from being doubtful to being confident. When you know that you are going to make the right decision, you do make the right decision. When you let doubt creep in, you are far more likely to make a regrettable decision. Each day, be confident that you will make the right choices. Think about what you will do, and not whether you will do it. If it helps, attach a reason to each statement. You will go to the gym as planned because it will give you momentum for the rest of the day. You will take your healthy breakfast, lunch and snacks to work so that you can get the protein and other nutrients that you need. You will walk past the secretary’s desk without slowing to look at the chocolates so that you can feel proud of yourself as you work in your office. You will drink the amount of water that you are supposed to because it will help you lose weight, stay awake, and be less hungry. As with so many other things in life, successful weight loss depends on you following certain rules and actions. Beyond that, your attitude makes the difference between being able to make the right decisions, and making decisions that you will regret later. Will weight loss surgery be a burden to endure, or will it be a privilege to appreciate? It’s up to you…and your waistline and happiness may depend on your answer!

I am a November bander also, and down about thirty pounds. I went into this knowing that the weight loss might be slow at times, especially once closer to goal. I long for Onederland and I know I will get there but it does feel a bit slow just now. The January blahs don't make it easier. It's so cold! I remind myself that losing slowly and steadily is just the kind of healthy weight loss I want. That's why I got the band. Now let another thirty drop off, pronto! As for hunger, I am still sorting that out. I didn't go to my last fill appointment because it felt too soon, but I will probably get a small fill at my next appointment because I don't have the duration we are looking for (4-5 hours). I do fill up after a cup or so but think I could eat more. I have to be careful of grazing, and I need to mastermind some strategies for socializing so I don't have empty calories like alcohol, cheese, etc. I'm discovering what my slider foods are and cheese may be one of them. I need to up my exercise again -- I've been a bit of a slacker there. But all in all I feel good. My self esteem is so much better and I'm loving my size 14 jeans. Yes I could be dropping faster but for me this is not a diet; it is a lifestyle change and I know that's going to take me more than two or three months. My hair is thick and lustrous. Glad for that and if my body needs a plateau to balance out after an initial loss then so be it. We are in this for the long game. Yes it can always be nuanced -- but I need to thank myself for how well I've done and not beat myself up for not doing better. That was then, pre-band, the hard hard work with small result then setbacks and plummeting self worth. This is now. Thirty pounds down and happy! Way to go, me!

It's only 10 am and I feel like I have already over eaten. I had an uber high carb day yesterday and boy is my body responding - saying FEED ME!!!! What a difference it makes if you can control those carbs... so, yesterday was interesting. Don't know if you remember, but over a month ago I had a very embarrassing incident of going out with someone I had met just a few times and having too many martinis. He swore I was fine, but, it was not a proud next morning because we made out and it was only like the 3rd time I had met him and I just didn't like that - and it was alcohol induced...not good. Anyway, we finally got together again. Spent the day in Seattle, took a walk along Alki Beach etc. We watched a movie and just hung out and talked. It was a nice time, but this guy is really high stressed out and I am feeling that energy even today. He used to live in Asia and came home 6 years ago to care for his aging parents. His dad passed away last summer and his 95 year old mom has parkinsons. There are financial matters, a house, caregivers and all sorts of stressors. He likes to talk to me because i went through similiar things with my mother, a couple of stepdads and of course my sister. That is all in my past, but I must still hold some trauma - it was HARD - because I "feel" it this morning - a bit shaken up over his stress. I need to think about this - nice guy, cool guy, loves adventure and travel - but i am not sure I need this in my world anytime soon. I have stopped dating for now, while I sort things out with getting my EX moved out and moved on, so it was kinda on a whim that I agreed to hang out with him anyway. He also eats really high carb food and I felt like just spending the day with him encouraged me to overeat. I don't blame HIM for that, but I definately try to keep company of people who are less food oriented usually.

My surgeon explained that any alcohol will pass through your pouch so quickly , like dumping due to the high sugar content! And thus causing you to become very drunk due to the rapid absorption.. It is a huge no no for his patients! Your only such a short time out... Major healing still occurring.. Can't imagine vomiting would be wise

I tried life chioce from walmart. They were ok at first, but now I can taste the sugar alcohols. Can't do protien drinks because they turn my stomach!!

My surgeon said no alcohol for one year post-op and that's exactly what I did. That said, I seldom drink anything other than a glass of wine before dinner and I've had no problem with that. Tropical drinks and eggnog with rum are definitely out - late stage dumping. A very high percentage of folks experience a dramatically lower tolerance for alcohol following surgery. Always a good idea to be at home the first time you try it and you never want to drive after even one drink. There are some real horror stories of patients getting DUIs after a single drink. It should be noted too that surgery patients as a whole are at a considerably greater risk for becoming alcohol dependent following the surgery. Moderation is more important than ever.

I wonder when you started with alcohol again.. I'm kind of afraid to try. Hope my tolerance is a lot lower now, getting a buzz cost me a fortune:p And of course, the only time I have a party with an open bar was when i wasn't drinking. You get to hear a lot of interesting things though when your friends are drunk, and you're the only sober one;)