Search the Community

Hello, and welcome! I have not been banded yet, so my answers are based on what I have learned from my surgeon, and other banders on here. As you get closer to restriction, and your band gets tighter, it will be harder (if not impossible) to chug Water or other liquids. As for wine, and other alcohol, I look at it this way, the lap band is for life so you have to learn how to fit it into a lifestyle that can be maintained, and although most doctors will tell you that you shouldn't comsume alcohol (liquid calories) I absolutely plan to from time to time. I'm only 24, and well my friends like to go out and have a good time, so will I comsume alcohol, absolutely! I've also heard somewhere here that the "buzz" sets on faster after banding, I assume it has something to do with less food in your stomach. Hope this helps a little.

Hi Everyone, Hope all of your bands are doing well!! I was wondering if anyone else experiences nightly or frequant evening band tightness. Also, does Alcohol burn anyone's band? Anytime I sip Alcohol it burns right where the band is. Anyone have good drink ideas that aren't carbonated? Hard A and juices from now on? Anyone have any good meal ideas? I'm getting bored with chicken. Anyone have any tips let me know Thanks you guys! Good luck everyone!

I have to reply to this because I am this situation right now. I am a 28 month "veteran" of the band and have never been really tight until now. Dr Kuri always did my fills, but the last two(one was just 16 days ago) were with Dr Billy who does only blind fills(no flouro) I must start off by saying that I was(and still am) in the camp that I would rather be looser and just work out more than suffer with a tight fill...so here I am stuck with a tight fill. Why do I not get an unfill yet? Well..first off..besides my two doctors not being in the area (one would be a 4 hr car drive away and the other a 9 hr with border crossing), this fill has thrown me for a loop and I cannot really say if it really is too tight or if I am just fighting the restriction. This fill started out snug..it was not tight, but noticably different. I was able to drink liquids, eat liquids and small amount of solids.. After a few days I clamped tighter and could barely keep down liquids..but I did. The next day, my DH and I go to Culinary Institue for a cooking demo and fabulous 4 course meal. I was able to eat the small beef wellington from the demo, 30 minutes later..go to dinner..have a nice cocktail, a cheese course(with its own wine), some salad, two braised beef short ribs(meat MELTED in your mouth) with mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts AND some of my dessert. Whew..yeah..a band buster for sure..but I ate it all and felt fine. The alcohol usually opens me up so that may have made it easier for food to go down! Next day..my band clamps up again..back on liquids only..what the heck? I contributed that to mid cycle. I bloat during mid cycle AND PMS. It relaxed a bit after that. I am back to nibbling tiny amounts of food..just had 1/2 a chicken enchilada with a few bites of rice and Beans. But then later..I am feeling liquids back up on me! The restriction has loosened up in the morning and gotten tighter as the day progressed..wierd..usually happens the opposite for most of us! So..with all that..you struggle with the decision..do I get an unfill? Do I wait it out? Will it loosen as I lose weight? I have dropped 8-9lbs this last 16 days! Most ever! Has it been worth it? well..almost not really. I have known bandsters who have been so tight they cannot keep their own saliva down..they immediately go for an unfill. I have been on what I consider a pretty loose fill last year and from January to July..I stretched my esophagus out..so I don't think ONLY a tight fill will cause problems..I can pouch pack alot easier on a looser fill! So..since my tight fill has been so irregular..I am still not convinced of an unfill yet. As long as I am getting in solids and fluids, I will tough this one out. I do think I am just fighting it more because I like to eat alot..now I can't.. So until you are really in this situation..it is hard to see how you REALLY would react to it. Patty 8/13/02 Dr Kuri

That's probably the best plan. Some doctors aren't as restrictive about the alcohol, but anything bubbly is bad. It's also generally pretty high in calories, and it can affect you pretty quickly because you can't really have a lot of food in your stomach to absorb it. One bite of cake would probably be fine except for the sugar rush, but if you have any sort of carb sensitivity (which a lot of people who need this surgery have), it's just going to make you want more more more and it's best to avoid it. Have a happy birthday, and enjoy all the non-food-and-drink things that are great about life!

Terry, that is pretty typical with alcohol.

I agree that it works for some people, and some people want to be able to eat a more varied diet. But for me, I literally didn't have room for carbs(even an apple) if I wanted to get in my Protein grams in 4 meals per day which is what was prescribed by my surgeon. As for carbs on labels, it's hard to screw up carbs on fresh or frozen (no preservatives, no salt, nothing added) on green Beans, broccoli, pinto/black beans(which I made from raw form) and romaine lettuce which is pretty much the veggies I ate through my losing stage. I even skipped using mayo/miracle whip and subbed in greek yogurt for a lot of my meals for chicken/tuna/egg salad, with a little mustard, or dry ranch dressing. I also relied on the glycemic index for veggies/fruits intake for counts. If it was over 55 points on the glycemic index, I never ate it in my losing stage. My goal was to lose as quick as possible. I won't deny that at all. For me, my goal was to hit goal, and worry about maintenance when I got there. I should add that because eating carbs even the "good ones" didn't work for me in the past. I was diligent with weight watchers, and my body fought to lose with eating little portions of "good foods". I did the points system and the "whole foods" program numerous times, and both had minimal results. I didn't see it as a diet, I never felt deprived so that could be why I was so stringent on my intake. I think people just have to find what works for them, and how they want to lose weight, change their relationship with food, and really change their habits. My losing stage taught me a lot about what I was able to tolerate, what I could eat without feeling deprived, and I learned tricks to make food more "sleeve-friendly" while not losing flavor. I live an extreme life of moderation in maintenance because it's what works for me. I drink soda, I eat bread, Pasta, rice, potatoes, all veggies, alcoholic beverages are weekly indulgences (before the pregnancy) so by no means do I live a life of dieting or monitoring all my intake like I did during my losing stage. For me moderation in maintenance is what works for me, also that moderation can easily get out of hand, and luckily, I can go back to "better choices" cutting carbs to an extent, and still lose weight. I should add that I had another driving force to losing quickly. My husband was deployed during my revision. After my complications, and a slow start with weight loss (I was fed 1800 calories a day for almost 2 weeks via a TPN bag/picc line so I didn't lose a ton of weight), a 2nd hospitalization that resulted in weight gain again, I had a goal to lose 60lbs before his return in 4 months from the day of my revision. Because I was so stringent on my intake, I had dropped about 80lbs by the time he came home and he walked right by me at the airport. So, there were some other driving forces to me losing quickly, getting healthy, and making a full recovery after extensive complications. I had to "get better" before he came home. He wasn't allowed to come home during my complications, he was in a shithole of Afghanistan, dealing with the the mental issues of deployment on top of his wife nearly dying due to complications, he was worried that I was going to be "sickly" and not myself. Sorry for the ramble, I just thought I should clarify some of my reasoning and what all went into my decision-making process during my losing stage.

My surgeon told all of us during our 1st orientation meeting that smoking cigarettes or weed is never allowed after surgery due to the deadly effects it will have. Smoking will narrow the blood flow and cause harm and weed will make you very hungry and force you to overeat and train your brain to be in constant food mode. Don't use a drug whether it's weed, alcohol or other calming substances to calm your nerves. Go exercise, paint, work with clay, learn to do active things that will give your mind other things to think about. See a therapist if your stress is too much. But relying on a drug only increases the need for even more to calm you. Even food is a drug and look how many of us use it to get us by. Sent from my SM-N900V using BariatricPal mobile app

Drink alcohol but just 2 times at month? is bad?!! if feel FULL even when i had a Total unfill?!! that could be an SLIP?? i eat really good! i dont PB at all!! What can i do

Last time I posted a lot of bad stuff was going on with me health wise..here is the link to my last post to catch you up with what i'm talking about. http://verticalsleevetalk.com/post-operation-vertical-sleeve-gastric-surgery-vsg-questions-answers/7593-help-has-happened-anyone.html Now the good news! This is day 4 of me really trying to get in Protein as well as Fluid since I have been feeling better. I have not thrown up during these 4 days. The only thing I do notice is first thing in the morning when I wake up I feel really sick. But once I drink/eat something, about 30 mins after I feel better. I've never had this before so I don't know if the sick feeling is my body telling me I need to eat or what. I have been doing really well with the eating protein part. I am now getting anywhere between 60-100g a day! I have 6-7 small high protein meals a day. I think my tummy is stretching a little bit (which the doctor said is good) because I can be comfortable after eating half of a turkey sandwich. For dinner I had a turkey burger patty and was able to finish all by two bites of it. But everything seems to be going well I am not dizzy/ light-headed like I was before and I am still loosing. My Questions: 1. When do you think I will be able to have sushi? I AM DYING HERE! HAHA 2. They doctors told me to stop drinking 30 mins before my meals, not to drink during my meals, and to wait 30 mins after my meals before drinking. I have been doing this, but i find it annoying and hard to do at time. Is this something that I will always have to do? Or is it mostly in the first X amount of months that I have to do this? 3. Will I ever be able to have Sprite or 7up ever in the future. I am not much of a soda drinker at all, and I realize it does stretch your sleeve. I'm talking a soda every once in a while. The only time I had soda was when I would go out to resturaunts or something. Lately I have been craving sprite (it's wierd), but do any of you down the road (6+ months post op) have soda at all? Also wondering for New Years about the soda thing cause I usually mix alcohol with soda, by then i will be almost 7 months post op. My surgery date was June 11th,2010, I am down 80 pounds. Thanks everyone

I have absolutelly no problem with alcohol. I drink on the weekends when i go out and the only different thing is the tolerance, in other words i get drunk with almost nothing. Take it slow and always drink with moderation (and don't drive hehe)

How soon has anyone had alcohol post op? I admit my social drinking habits were a little extreme. i'm in my 30's and I'm quite a partier. Not having any kind of alcohol in about 3 weeks is killing me. Is it too soon for me to have a glass of wine or something? Anything? Or maybe a pina colada! whew!

Cyn, I was told that you can drink alcohol, but it's considered "empty" calories. So if you drink, maybe just one won't hurt your calorie intake. You'll do good. I was afraid too, but I needed the help. I haven't had a fill yet (surgery 8/10 and fill 9/11) but I have a friend that had surgery too and we sort of help each other. This website is wonderful and everyone will be a big help.

No that shouldn't effect the outcome of your evaluation. What they are looking for is unaddressed issues that could prevent you from being able to do the weight loss or other issues that would cause you to choose another addiction such drugs, alcohol or smoking. Don't stress about the Psyche evaluation. It's not as scary as it seems.

Also alcohol makes your body retain Water so that "gain" is really just water weight that will come off just as fast as it came on. Increase your water drinking. Now stop reading this and go for that walk. Scarlett, I think your right about the water falling back off. I was 180.2 this morning. So I feel alittle better, soon as I stop tyoing ill go walk!!

Mickey, at least it's an incision at your bra line. I've read that some women have had their port placed there! I read that prior to my surgery, and it prompted me to ask the surgeon where my incisions would likely be and where he placed the port. I know at least one woman said she had to have a second surgery to have her port moved. Good grief, you'd think they'd know better. I hope your incision heals quickly and you that you can start to wear your bra comfortably. About the sutures. I had one that popped out too, and I was told I could cut it myself if it was really bothering me, or I could come in and they'd do it. I put alcohol on my skin around the suture and on the scissors. Then I pressed down gently to make the suture stick up better, and snipped it. The place where the suture popped through stayed red until I clipped it.

Hello to fellow sleevers, I just had my sleeve done on March 8th at UCSD (La Jolla, CA) with Dr. Santiago Horgan and his wonderful CTO team. Prior to surgery I was put through an extremely strict and regimented program and diet plan. I also had blood tests galore, Upper GI's, Lower GI's, Middle GI's (jk) - everything under the sun to make sure I was READY. They had a series of Group Therapy classes I went to as well. After surgery, I began having this burning feeling in my chest and it still hasn't gone away yet but I continue to drink my fluids and take Prilosec. They did another Barium Swallow the day after to confirm there were no leaks. I also had a liver biopsy done at the same time. 1- for the study they're doing to track Fatty Liver Disease (or in my case NASH) - Non-alcoholic Steatosis Hepatitis (another term for unexplained liver inflammation); and 2- b/c my PCP required it! Other than the feeling of having spasms in my esophagus and burning in my throat and chest, I guess I'm in pretty good shape. They have me on a VERY rigid 4-level eating/drinking plan for the next 6-8 wks but right now I'm doing the "full liquids" thing. Glad to be part of this group!

Actually, I was told not to have any alcohol at dinner but I CHOSE to anyway. I know bad me, but I didn't think my f*cking story was going to be dissected by obnoxious downers with no life!!!! Who the he11 are you to question me and my actions? Like I said this was my experience and would I recommend Dr. Aceves to others? Absolutely!!! So my suggestion would be for you to get over yourselves and allow this to be a support board again.

I went to school for and hold a degree in addiction counseling. You would think someone who has taken these classes, learned ways to help clients cope and recover from addiction could herself fight her own addiction. Just like the difficulty people have admitting they are addicted to drugs and alcohol I had difficulty admitting I was addicted to food. Just like people who abuse drugs and alcohol try to validate their addiction I have tried to validate mine. But, the truth is an addiction is an addiction and there is validation for it, it is a problem that must be overcome in order for us to become a better more effective person. I have been over weight since I was 5 years old. Before that I was very thin and tiny- everyone always talked about how cute I was. Then the month before I started school the pounds started packing on. Apparently this was the start of my emotional eating and it never went away. As each year progressed my waist line expanded. By high school I was wearing size 22 jeans and was picked on all the time. My self esteem was low and I spent a lot of time alone- the only lead to more eating. I would frequently eat behind my families back so they wouldn't know how much I consumed and then tried to block it from my mind. As a senior in high school I had an accident that required surgery and then months of physical therapy. During that time I lost weight- down to 201 and a size 18. I remained at that size until the last 2 years when my weight balloned up to 247 and I knew something had to change. 5 high school friends have had some type of weight loss surgery with varying degrees of success, but all have managed to loose weight and keep it off. I decided that maybe this is what I needed to get control of my addiction. Likely if I could have controlled my addiction I could have lost weight without the surgery, but I couldn't. I was a slave to food. June 22, 2012 I had my lapband put in. The first week was hell - I felt like crap the entire time. Once I was back on mushy food I started to feel better and gain energy back. I began working out and counting calories and did great. I really felt like I had things under control. In October my Grandmother passed away after a long illness. She was one of my best friends and always someone I could count on. During that time I stopped counting calories due to being away from home, eating things I didn't prepare, and not being where I could get on the internet (my family lives deep in the country of Virgina) and I also stopped working out. When I got back home I though surely I had gained - well low and behold I had lost 3 lbs- WOW. In my screwed up mind this gave me permission to stop working out and counting calories. I know- WRONG thing to do. However, I have continue to lose steadily, but I know this is not a good way to do things. I do move more to burn more calories since getting my fitbit, but I know that can't take the place of the workouts I was doing. This passed weekend I had my first of serveral Christmas parties. I did pretty well, I help my portions down and ate only two cookies (my mom's homemade Christmas cookies - they are small tea cakes). My BFF's mom brought her homemade party mix and gave me a bag to go home. Here is the problem, this party mix for me is like putting a bottle of beer in front of an alcoholic. I love it- so yummy. She gave me a gallon zip lock bag of it. I brought it home and told myself I would only eat one handful a day. Well, it's been 3 days and half the bag is gone. I screwed up!!!!! The salt content alone in this stuff had increase my water retention- I have gained 3 lbs since Sunday- which isn't possible since I am not eating much. (the party mix has been my breakfast and my snacks) I feel like my face is puffy- I know I am retaining. I feel like crap, I can't believe I allowed myself to fall back in to a pattern that is negative. There are so many awesome people on this site who have been so strong and wonderful since surgery and are kicking butt. Why the hell did I think I could allow myself to do this and not have a negitive consequence- insanity. So, today, I am back on the game. I am going to be accountable to myself. Back to counting calories, back to the workouts, back to eating only what I need to live. The party mix as much as it pains me, but go to the garbage. This morning, I have had a Slim fast protein shake (not bad 180 calories and 20 grams of protein and taste like a yohoo). To my suprise I drink it two hours ago and I am not hungry. Now that I have retriction maybe I can do the shakes for breakfast. This afternoon I will get on my elliptical for 30 min. I WILL get back on track. I will not allow insanity to set in. To those of you who have been my support and encouraged me thank you and I am sorry for allowing my old ways to creep in. Thankfully, I didn't allow them to hang around long enough to do any major damage. Today I admit that I am an addict and I can not do this alone. I must be accountable to myself and others.

Here's my two cents on alcohol: My background with alcohol is very familiar to yours. When I started my six month pre-op diet program, I had 3 different visitors come to town (I live in New Orleans where everyone likes to visit) within the first month. I knew that if I didn't cut the alcohol out, I was never going to get anywhere. So I did that. I didn't drink for the remainder of my six month diet program (where I lost 100 pounds pre-op), and for the first 3 months post-op (in order to give my stomach time to start the healing process). My partner and I went on a 3.5 week tour of SE Asia in December and January, and I had very limited drinks on that trip after talking about it with my surgeon. Now, at 7.5 months post-op, I'll have drinks every now and then. The issue is that I have to account for those calories, and when I do have drinks, that is food that I can't have. Trust me, when you only eat 1200 calories or so per day, you notice if food is missing. (The sleeve doesn't eradicate hunger forever.) On days when I know we'll have drinks, I have to use protein shakes to meet my protein goals and sometimes, that leaves me hungry later in the day. So, it's really up to you and how you want to spend your calorie resources. I have decided to put alcohol completely on the shelf until I get under 200 pounds. (I'm hoping to get there in the next couple of weeks.) And even then, it is a once every-other-week kind of thing for me now. Good luck!

I've heard of PLENTY of post-sleevers drinking post op. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm sure I will because like you I do enjoy a drink socially. Looking forward to my first cider this summer! Caveats: 1. Wait awhile post surgery. I really doubt booze is good for post-op healing. Surgeons typically have guidelines on that one, which vary, so just follow their advice at the very least LOL. 2. Drink at home your first time because your tolerance may be completely different and lbr, if you're gonna get sloppy drunk off of one wine cooler it's probably best to do it at home. 3. Most post ops have a policy of never driving after drinking, not even after one. Not worth the risk. 4. Go slow and stick to lower alcohol options until you feel out your new alcohol tolerance. 5. Alcohol is liquid calories. You can sabotage your weight loss just as well with beer as with milkshakes... so keep that in mind. 6. Watch out for signs of alcoholism. It's a common transfer addiction among post bariatric surgery patients. 7. Continue to enjoy responsibly!

I don't drink so it's easy for me to say this. I can't imagine wasting calories on alcohol. If I was to drink I would measure it out like I do everything else that's high in calories. Like with a measuring cup. If you don't you will underestimate how much you are drinking. Alcohol messes with your judgement by definition.

I am now two months post-op and it has been quite a learning experience dealing with my binge eating disorder. I have found a few things to be true: Drinking alcohol is not good for my eating. It lowers my inhibitions and I'm more likely to go get food I don't need. I still eat foods I don't need but I can't eat very much of them so it's an improvement. Still, it slows my weight loss and so I try very hard to keep those things to a minimum. I will always have an eating disorder and the surgery did not "cure" my desire for food. I am doing well (48 pounds down so far) but every day is a challenge to eat on plan (healthy, Protein, fiber). I'm so happy I did this surgery. It is nice to have a full feeling after just 5-6 ounces of food. I love food but I'm learning to be happy with just a taste or two and then move on to some other thing that brings me joy. Don't beat yourself up. You will have many opportunities to do well as you go along.

I have always been fat, hitting 275 in highschool. In college I lost a lot of weight. Simple calorie counting. I yoyoed a little but managed to be between 220 and 250. Especially as I started Drinking. It was going great until I started taking Phentermine. Which I wish I was exaggerating when I say I am lucky to have survived what that doctor did to me. Since college I have gotten back on track. It took many years to recover emotionally to the effects of the different medications also I have been alcohol free for 2 years. Cig free for 4. Managed with the help of a Pavlok bracelet to ditch sugar. (hypoglycemic, I crave that stuff bad) A year ago I was in California, doing crossfit, and paleo. got back down to 240ish. Walking 8 miles with my dog in the summer on weekends.. Moved back home with the folks away from that healthy lifestyle. Took a job at an abusive startup, quit and been doing freelancing.. and a year later now I am at 275 again. At the least I can deadlift 350 lbs, unlike me in highschool, but I am at the same 40 in waist line. I went from doing workouts like FRAN to now having a hard time with a mild hike. Sad. I even had a chart. I never missed a week, and on average I did 3.4 sessions per week over 8 months. About 115 sessions in a chain. I was looking at POSE but that is not in the US. (6 years and counting... oh FDA). The balloon in the stomach looks interesting, but I don't need a short term solution. The rest looks scary as ****. I have no interest in having half my stomach cut out. I just need help eating less. I am also not interested in anything that would cut my caloric intake to under 1400 a day. I believe doing so will only irreversibly damage your metabolism. Not to mention kill me in the gym. I guess my only option is to get the balloon as a jump start and stop making escuses to why I cannot be what I was just 18 months ago.

Thanks! I did call about the chest pain. They said it was all normal. My pills are sometimes getting stuck in my throat. That's why I can cough them up. I would love to find a Calcium chewable that does not contain the sugar alcohols. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hi: In my experience, any addiction, no matter what type, alcohol. drugs, or food is a bummer to try and control. Unfortuantely for me, I seem to have the addiction to salt and fats. My GP insists I weigh in every Saturday and when I visit him he records it. His interest is what keeps me going knowing I have to account to not only myself but him. Have fun at the gym and high energy is my wish to you.