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Looked at your profile and you were sleeved in Jan of this year? You are far enough out that you shouldn't have a problem but I would highly recommend you try something small at home first such as a few sips of wine. Since you are just turning 21 I am assuming you don't have much alcohol experience? It will likely hit you fast you don't know how your body will react. Stay away from anything with lots of sugars such as premixed margaritas and the likes, they may go right through you and that could be embarrassing. Happy 21st! Be safe and you know the drill about drinking and driving. Sorry, it's the mom in me. Can't help it.

21st birthday is in about 15 days ... What drinks doesn't upset your stomach?

I confess that: 1. Ten days postop I ate (melted) a snack Reese cup; 2. I have become a nutrition a*****e with my poor (and healthy/fit) wife, and made her start using MFP; 3. I throw my fat clothes in the trash rather than give them away; 4. I feel superior to my fat friends; 5. I don't care one whit about never drinking alcohol again, but I started recreationally smoking (not tobacco) ASAP. It calms my stomach, makes me NOT hungry, and motivates me to exercise. Don't knock it until you try it; 6. Even though I've told everyone about the surgery, I'm not sharing/posting any photos because I want to milk EVERY drop of WOW factor from the first time they see me.

1. I confess that I am afraid of losing too much weight. I feel so protected by my fat, finally being able to see my collar bones reminds me that the weight is coming off. Plus, my dad points it out. A lot. SMH, I can't win, I'm first too fat, now to thin, what next? My heads too big? 2. I confess that I enjoy the attention from men that I get now a little too much. I would flirt with a pole if it had a penis. 3. I confess that I am afraid of finally being visible. When I was 300+ pounds, I could walk into a room and everyone would ignore me. I now walk into a room and I am greeted and pulled into conversations. 4. I confess that I often get depressed over the fact that the same people I knew preop treat me a lot better now. It really hurts to have the harsh reality of people treat you better based on the way you look thrown in my face. 5. I confess that I drink a lot. I am afraid of crossing my food addiction to alcohol addiction. When I go out, i tend to have the "go hard or go home" mentality and keep up with my peers as far as drinks go. However, I am drunk with 2 drinks. My peers- 5-7 drinks. A lot of times I get blacked out drunk and it's starting to freak me out as I've made some stupid decisions while drunk. 6. I confess that I monitor what I eat really closely and I have a fear of developing an eating disorder. The signs are all there.

I agree, we will probably all be put in situations where we question old friendships. Recovering alcoholics and drug addicts have to revisit the foundation of friendships too.

I eat out all the time and order everything except fried foods. i will taste a fried item but not as my meal. I never order a drink but have one in the car for my ride home and it will be after 1/2 hour after eating. I order according to the type of restaurant. Where I live the Chinese restaurants have combos all day and I bring 1/2 home and order brown rice with it. ​Italian the other day I had a salad, 2 end pieces of bread (I don't have the doughy parts) with butter or oil, meatballs and pasta. I took home most of the whole wheat pasta. I order salmon a lot with veggies and bring home 1/2. For burgers, I may have 1 to bites of the bottom of the roll and eat about 4-5 oz. I have pizza, thin crust 2 slices or 1/2 of a bar pizza, which is big in my area. They are very small and thin crust. I never have alcohol. That was a no-no I was told but talk to your doctor. Up to him/her. One thing I can't chew anymore and being from NE, is lobster. I can eat shrimp, though. Also for red meat, filet is the most tender and the only one I can chew real well. Hope I helped you.

Hi there, I'm starting the second week of my pre-op liquid diet so naturally I am thinking about what it will be like to go out to dinner once banded. Granted this is a fantasy for a couple of months down the line after I am healed up completely and understand how my band works, etc. Let's say I'm in the green zone. So, is this in any way what it's like to go out to a restaurant? We sit down, the waitress comes over and we order drinks. I am not eating and drinking together, nor am I having alcohol very often, so the drink is a big deal. Maybe it's a glass of wine or perhaps a cocktail. If it's a cocktail I don't chew on the lime or eat the slice of orange. I sip the drink and enjoy every moment of it because it's a big treat. My spouse orders an appetizer and I finish sipping my drink. I need to clock it so that at least twenty minutes have elapsed before I have anything to eat. I order something high in Protein and soft -- something that will absolutely positively not cause me to get stuck. Perhaps I have ordered an appetizer. If it is an entree I will likely need to divide it to take some home or pass it over to my husband or son who will gladly absorb the extra from my plate. When the food arrives, I take a good hard look at it to determine the best approach. I am only going to have 1/2 to 1 cup and I need to listen especially hard to my body so I don't overdo it. Plus I've had a drink so I need to be extra mindful. I have ordered something very high in protein but I love veggies, too. I may need to move things around on the little plate so I am able to go very slowly and be sure to put the fork down. Am I over-thinking this, LOL? I will still be able to eat out, I know, but I guess it's that week two pre-op and minor anxiety about upcoming surgery that is bringing up these little worries.....What's it like when you go out to dinner?

For starters, I have never believed everything I read on here. Don't think anyone should. Secondly, It seems like everyone has different instructions from their Surgeons and NUTS. After all, we trusted them enough to remove 80% of our stomach so why would we NOT do as they instruct? That said, I believe the different surgeons instructions come from this; first, medical fact, second, medical opinion, third, serving the lowest common denominator, and lastly, covering their asses. Caffeine is fine? No caffeine ever again? Straws ok? No straws ever? Alcohol ok? No alcohol ever? Carbonation ok? No carbonation ever? I think lots of surgeons say these things because lets face it, we didn't get morbidly obese doing all the right things so many think that there is no wiggle room in their patients and they don't want someone suing them because they used a straw and gained all the weight back and we not warned about it. I do follow my surgeon's and NUT's instructions but I also think they use a common sense approach. My only no no according to them is carbonation. I can live with that. Had I been instructed to never have caffeine, alcohol, use a straw, or consume a carbohydrate I would not have had this surgery. I got this surgery to live a long, healthy and normal life not spend the rest of it being afraid every time I put something in my mouth. I'm sure there are some WLS patient who need that strict set of rules but I think for the most part, we can all use our common sense along with our medical advice and make the right decisions that work for us.

Oh and the straw thing.. I was able to use one 6 weeks out. Dr says you get just as much air drinking straight from a bottle. It will not expand your stomach. I haven't bothered asking about carbonation because I know I don't need soda and beer. And alcohol he says just be careful and its empty calories.. but I don't drink either. I barely did before surgery.

Hi Tiffany, I am in the same boat as you - going through the pre-op stuff and hoping against hope that this works! I have been to other boards and have seen some absolutely amazing before and after photos. I would say that whether or not it works for you depends on how well you stick to your program. I've seen that some people have had slow weight loss or have gained weight back by drinking their calories (shakes, ice cream, alcohol...that sort of thing) or making poor food choices. I can't imagine you won't lose weight with the sleeve. I fantasize about shopping at Target for "regular" clothes and not needing a seatbelt extender when we go on vacation next summer. That helps to keep some of the negative thoughts away. Good luck with your process! Autumn

At the end of the day, you have to decide. I don't think you'll find a doctor that would say you were at low risk for all sorts of morbidities with a BMI of 35. When I started the process of getting approved, I only had mild hypertension and was 36. However, every time I went for a physical, I was terrified I was going to be told I had developed Type II diabetes. Every time, the doctor told me I was at high risk for it. I too had tried most diets: Atkins, medifast, nutrisystem, normal and regular dieting. All worked in the short term but eventually I regained my losses plus more to the point I had a BMI of 47. All without having anything that a low level blood pressure medicine couldn't take care of. After my last physical in which I was terrified of being diagnosed with diabetes and having gone through another post-diet regain, I decided enough was enough. I couldn't let my fear of diabetes motivate me to lose and keep off any weight and I was tired of letting my size be the first thing people noticed about me. I started looking at lap band and quickly realized sleeve was the better option for me. One of the big draws for me was that I was not a snacker or grazer; I liked large meals. And looking at many posts here and seeing what other sleevers eat in person, I don't think it would be a big deal socially. Many guys eat a 4-6 ounces at a meal, which would be a decent dent in a plate at a meal. It is tough for the first couple months as we ease back into normal foods and getting to the 4-6 ounces we can eat at a meal. I'm still in that process right now and it is still odd. The other night, I went to dinner with friends, ordered some bisque and ate about 3 ounces of the liquid. Same thing at lunch last week. I'm only 13 days postop though. I'm realizing that socializing and eating huge meals are completely independent on each other. In fact, I have enjoyed it more as I am less focused on devouring the huge plate in front of me and more on chatting up friends. I too am very social. In fact, my very first post on these forums was in the Man Room asking about socializing after the sleeve. I love going out to bars, clubs, concerts, sporting events, etc. I do it all still without any issues. I haven't started back on any alcohol yet and likely won't for a while because in my mind, if I made this huge decision, I'm doing it right. I enjoy alcohol like most of us, but I've enjoyed it plenty on my way to a high BMI. Many, many sleevers drink and I will again eventually. But I still go out and have fun at bars and whatnot. At the end of the day you have to decide whether you want it or not. It's a hell of a decision and one that everyone naturally questions during the process. Socializing is one that I think you will find ends up not being an issue folks worry about.

This will do... The most commonly consumed slider foods include pretzels, crackers (saltines, graham, Ritz, etc.) filled cracker Snacks such as Ritz Bits, popcorn, cheese snacks (Cheetos) or cheese crackers, tortilla chips with salsa, potato chips, sugar-free Cookies, cakes, and candy. You will notice these slider foods are often salty and cause dry mouth so they must be ingested with liquid to be palatable. This is how they become slider foods. They are also, most often, void of nutritional value. For weight loss surgery patients the process of digestion is different than those who have not undergone gastric surgery. When slider foods are consumed they go into the stomach pouch and exit directly into the jejunum where the simple carbohydrate slurry is quickly absorbed and stored by the body. There is little thermic effect in the digestion of simple carbohydrates like there is in the digestion of Protein so little metabolic energy is expended. In most cases patients in the phase of weight loss who eat slider foods will experience a weight loss plateau and possibly the setback of weight gain. And sadly, they will begin to believe their surgical stomach pouch is not functioning properly because they never feel fullness or restriction like they experience when eating protein. The very nature of the surgical gastric pouch is to cause feelings of tightness or restriction when one has eaten enough food. However, when soft simple carbohydrates are eaten this tightness or restriction does not result and one can continue to eat, unmeasured, copious amounts of non-nutritional food without ever feeling uncomfortable. Many patients turn to slider foods for this very reason. They do not like the discomfort that results when the pouch is full from eating a measured portion of lean animal or dairy protein without liquids. Yet it is this very restriction that is the desired result of the surgery. The discomfort is intended to signal the cessation of eating. Remembering the "Protein First" rule is crucial to weight management with bariatric surgery. Gastric bypass, gastric banding (lap-band) and gastric sleeve patients are instructed to follow a high protein diet to facilitate healing and promote weight loss. Bariatric centers advise what is commonly known among weight loss surgery patients as the "Four Rules" the most important of which is "Protein First." That means of all nutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fat and alcohol) the patient is required to eat protein first. Protein is not always the most comfortable food choice for weight loss surgery patients who feel restriction after eating a very small amount of food. However, for the surgical tool to work correctly a diet rich in protein and low in simple carbohydrate slider foods must be observed. The high protein diet must be followed even after healthy body weight has been achieved in order to maintain a healthy weight and avoid weight regain.

I might have LOL'd just a bit as well -- it's a whole new world out there! No but truly, if you've never been much of drinker, starting with 3 drinks in your tiny sleeve might have been too fast a start! Also, drinks have different alcohol content, so that could have been a factor. I love the fact that you were out and having a great time though, and have awesome friends to watch out for you. Bummer about the hangover - that's never a good feeling. I have been a social drinker for years, and I've done 2 wine tastings since surgery. The first time I was very cautious and had exactly 3 sips. I was with friends (but my surgery was a secret so they don't know), so it was my test run to see if I'd feel it. I didn't (I'll admit I was a bit disappointed after all the hype about drinking after surgery). This week was my birthday and I did a flight of 4 wines, but I asked for half pours. It turns out half pours are still too much! At glass 3 I could definitely feel that I'd had alcohol, I was only sipping small amounts and I didn't finish any of the half pours. I probably had 2 sips per glass, but where before my surgery that would have been nothing, this time I could tell it was affecting me by the 3rd wine. So, I feel like my safety must be around 5 or 6 sips total. I like to drink socially, and I try to never get very impaired, so whenever my next social drinking occasion is, I'm going to try for 5 sips and see how it goes. Thanks for sharing your story!

I caught myself sleeping on my stomach the other night and well im a big tummy sleeper, I did change to my side just because im still a bit tender. As far as alcohol there is a video that explains about that. I do have to say its all up to u. If u go thru this journey do u really want to still hVe the bad habits we had before?

Three and a half drinks last night over a 5-6 hour period.. Lots of water and some food in between and I STILL promised the Irish boy sitting next to me that I'll be his NEW BFF and I'm pretty sure I kissed a man with Maori tattoos on his chin. I'm 40 years old and up until last night, I've never been intoxicated... EVER.... I thought I was doing good with pacing myself and eating bits of food etc....WRONG. So glad I looped in my friends PRIOR to going out of the possibility of alcohol affecting me differently because BOY, did it EVER....but fortunately they kept me in check and took me home and tucked me in... BUT now as a special added bonus..Now I'm hungover and ridiculously nauseated... Who gets hungover on three and a half drinks???? OK, just wanted to share the experience. If you choose to drink post sleeve, please be sure that you have friends who will watch out for you.. or drink at home.

There are many challenges. will you think ahead and not put yourself in a place where you have few options but to eat poorly? how much alcohol is in your life? ( no judgement, just huge amounts of calories and bad choices if alot has been imbibed). will you tire of the limitation and being unable to eat like your friends and therefore stretch out your sleeve or will you eat slider foods? there have been very successful young people but they were willing to change their attitude to food and exercise. for me it was "am i willing to do whatever it takes?" i waited years to get the surgery until the answer was a resounding yes. I wish you the best of luck.

Glad you jumped back in LV. You have a lot to contribute here, and sometimes, for me, contribution is what helps me get to the next day. I don't have a lot of drugs and alcohol use in my family (my dads dad was a long time member of AA) but lots of mental illness. People have their problems, families have their problems, its just part of being human, we are not alone in that.

Been thinking about you girls... I've read all the posts that I've missed, and I truly love you all! My mind is foggy and I'm not sure I remember how to type! It sounds like some exciting news for some (vacations yay) and weight loss for others hooray! And holding steady for others (which is a feat in itself sometimes) an adventures in dating for others! Daisy he sounds like a superficial judgmental guy that lacks a filter. Trust me don't settle! Ok my week, it's been a mind game. I have had a rough time with food. I've done my fasts. I went over a little bit but trust me my mind wanted me to go over all the way! I've fought hard this week with insatiable hunger. I've talked about the "hole" and the need to fill it before, this week the hole was bottomless it seemed, and there were plenty of times I felt like falling into the abyss of it. I've been in a depression. Losing weight does not change everything as you know. I think part of the mind, mouth stomach struggle this week is a combo of things. The foods I ate last weekend just fueled my appetite that's for sure! And that in itself is so depressing! I'm coming up on my year, and it's a heady time. thinking about where I have been, where I still need to go and the struggle that I will always live with. It's not so easy for some of us huh? Just like life, it's the luck of the draw sometimes. Halloween is next week. It is driven by candy yeah? and I'm hoping to avoiding buying anything I like... So sweet tarts it is. Halloween is also my brothers birthday.. Addiction..... What can I say here, he was addicted to drugs and alcohol, he was also a successful man. Who fought his addictions tooth and nail so successfully sometimes.. a lot of the times actually. One day he got tired of fighting... He plays on my mind, because he was the stronger of the two of us I always felt. He was also my other half we knew each other's demons more so than anybody else. We were each other's witness to our past. You know our addictions were different, but actually he was fat as a child and it was most unacceptable to him. It was worse than drugs or alcohol to him.. His weight fluctuated a bit as an adult but like I said it was unacceptable. As long as he looked good that's all that matter and he did look good he spared no expense on his upkeep and went to spas and anti aging centers. He presented to the world, a very accomplished, well groomed, fit man. But behind the scenes the "hole" existed for him too. That hole scares me. It's about so much more than food, food is just what I fill it with. Even with the years of therapy it still exists.. Wow. If you read this far I applaud you! It has been a rough week. I have my anchors that help keep my from going to far adrift my husband my children (ok the are more like albatrosses sometimes ) And you guys... So here I am to fight another day.

Almost all of us are addicts, even if many are in denial before surgery! I was absolutely in denial about my disordered eating. I was certain that surgery was going to be my fix because my issues were completely due to insulin resistance (and type 2 diabetes), hormones and genetics. Fast forward to reality and nope, disordered eating doesn't disappear with surgery. My experience is that it gets much easier to deal with in the early months post op. All the way up to at least a year out, it was very easy to say no to food. Eating was a chore. I was really able to focus on changing my bad habits in for better ones. But the sad truth is that it never goes away. We are truly like alcoholics. We don't get to start binges or poor habits again without repercussions, and possibly a downhill slide that ends with the foulest of post-WLS words: REGAIN. I'm three years out. I was so sure somewhere in my second year that I'd beaten my addiction, that my habits were fully changed and that I was absolutely in charge. And don't get me wrong, because it's still far easier to stay on top of my habits or to break the cycle than it was with my whole stomach. But it's still a challenge sometimes. I used to think I had a skinny girl inside me that wanted out. The truth is more that there's a really hungry fat girl inside me, and she wants to eat all the food, all the time. It doesn't matter to her if I'm physically hungry. My obesity did not stem from actual hunger! It stemmed from years of poor habits, binges, overeating and an absolute inability to walk away from the junk food. And that, my friends, doesn't go away post op. Yes, you can replace those habits and those cravings. And yes, it's much easier to do it immediately post op. But the longer I'm around here the more I see that it's actually a rare few that chug along more than two years post op demon free. The rest of us still fight our food demons, and while it's an easier win than it was pre-op, the sad truth for some of us is that the fight doesn't end. ~Cheri

Try increasing magnesium, as mentioned by others, to improve sleep and many other ailments triggered by magnesium deficiency. I found this a good read (not academic, but still is based on some studies) http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/peak32.htm The article targets magnesium deficiencies as it applies to athletes, but there is also general information for everyone. From the article: Eating Habits Associated With Low Magnesium Intake You tend to eat white flour products instead of wholemeal You have a low intake of green leafy vegetables You don't eat much in the way of nuts and seeds or Beans and lentils You regularly consume sugar or sugary products You drink alcohol regularly You follow a calorie-restricted or high-Protein, low-carbohydrate diet Possible Symptoms Of Sub-Optimal Magnesium Intake Muscle cramps, twitches or tremors Regular or excessive fatigue Feelings of irritability and/or lethargy Frequent mood swings, including depression Pre-menstrual bloating Restless legs at night We generally have an issue with the last eating habit by nature of being a VSG post op. We eat low calorie diets, high protein and low carb diets. My daily protein consumption tends to be above average to support athletic activities. I identify with item 2, 3 and 6 from the eating habit list. The magnesium supplement I am trying is called Natural Calm: http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Vitality-Calm-Raspberry-Lemon/dp/B00BPUY3W0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382710890&sr=8-1&keywords=natural+calm The recommendation is to take 2 tsp (325 mg) daily. Others have mentioned they take 1 tsp in the morning and 1 tsp in the evening. This is consistent with the the body being able to absorb 100-150 mg most efficiently in a single dose. Took it last night for the first time and noticed I woke at 6:30 am, feeling refreshed, after going to bed at 10:30pm. I still use the melatonin to fall asleep, but the increase in magnesium ions in the body will promote a restful sleep. After all this research I have done (sleep is important to me for many reasons!!), it is now clear why I started having sleep issues when increasing protein and working out hard month 5 (now month 15). You can look into increasing magnesium if you like, but as for me, It certainly makes sense. Really helps with constipation if you struggle with that. There are so many ailments that are fixed when the magnesium levels are sufficient in the body. I will let you know how this goes in 1 month.

I'm young and live in the city. I go out to happy hours regulary, and have a glass of wine almost every night. Don't judge me... lol. Just be sure to log the calories and adjust your food for the day accordingly. At first you may feel the effects of alcohol faster, but that didn't last too long for me. I think the original poster's statement: "I still want to be able to live my life with moderation..." is a the perfect attitude. I do and eat pretty much everything I did pre-band, just in moderation. I love my band, but I don't really think about it most days.

I didn't drink during the two week pre-op diet. But I did have one last trip with friends to World of Beers. I love Belgium Trappist ales, so it was my last time to enjoy bottles of Chimay and Rochefort for a long time. I definitely don't plan on giving up drinking forever. That's just crazy talk. Even my doctor told me that eventually I'll be able to drink again, just that I'll be an cheap date since the alcohol will enter my system so much quicker. I'll also only be able to have maybe one drink and have to drink it very slowly. I'm also a fine wine connoisseur and have a decent amount at home. I am not giving up on those bottles since far too much money is invested. Most of the bottles won't reach their peak for a few years, so I've got time on my side.

I don't know much at all about food addiction, but I do know about addiction in general. In most addictions, people do not really want to change until they reach their bottom. Or until the pain of staying the way they are is greater than the fear or pain of changing. When you just know you can't keep doing what you're doing. When you feel you absolutely must stop letting the addiction rule your life. For example, an alcoholic or drug addict craves the next drink or the next fix, but that craving has taken over and someone's life just keeps getting worse and worse. In these addictions, you must want to change, otherwise you're not ready and it won't work. While it's difficult to sabotage the sleeve, I guess if there's a will, there's a way. Unfortunately, some addicts never get ready and wind up dead, in jail or killing someone else. As was said above, you will be able to eat your favorite foods again, most likely, but it will be months before that will happen. One of the many reasons I'm getting the sleeve is because it will take away my hunger to a great extent. I am so tired of being hungry all the time.

I'm not sure if there is already a thread here for cancer survivors or people who currently have cancer, with the sleeve or pre-sleeve? Would love to know that I'm not alone! I am a bladder cancer survivor. I have my 2.5 year scans coming up next week, along with all my pre-testing for my sleeve surgery. I have my story all printed up already because it's a long one...but I wanted to see if others have gone through cancer here? I believe it puts things into a different perspective if you've come through cancer. I was diagnosed with bladder cancer when I was 42. We found out that I was pregnant, surprise! We had already lost two babies, our son Daniel in the second trimester and then an early loss. We are foster parents and had already had three failed adoptions as well. When we found out I was pregnant, they did an ultrasound. They could not see the baby, but did find numerous tumors in my bladder. There started a whirlwind of tests, day surgeries, chemo, and finally major 12 hour surgery in March 2011, to remove my bladder and rebuild a "fake" bladder inside of me. 2.5 years later, I'm recovering still, have a hernia the size of a basketball due to the surgery, and need to lose some weight before I can have my "big" hernia surgery to fix my hernia, and start living again. My story This is what we consider to be our "last chance" at having a child in our lives. I'm 45 now. I've lost three children and two years ago lost my bladder and uterus to cancer. We've fostered children for years and had four failed adoptions. Last chance adoption. If we can afford it. My life reads like a soap opera. When I was 11, my sisters and I were hit by a car while waiting for the school bus. My little sister Kathy didn't survive. I was raised by a wonderful Mom and an abusive alcoholic Father. And then I married an abusive, drug addicted husband. Stayed with him for 12 years until I had the strength to leave. In 2001, I met Mark, the most wonderful man ever. We married in 2003. In 2005, at the age of 37, Mark and I conceived our first child. In 2006, I gave birth to our son Daniel, too early for him to survive. Later that year, we lost our second child. Fast forward to 2010 (time spent between 2006 and 2010 resulted in our becoming foster parents and having three failed adoptions). At the age of 42, I found out I was pregnant. Went for an ultrasound, where they found numerous tumors in my bladder. I lost the baby and started chemotherapy in Dec 2010. In March 2011, I had my bladder surgically removed, along with my uterus....losing any chance of having our own baby. But, in the end, I was/am currently cancer-free. We named our third baby "Angel" for saving my life. We became licensed as foster parents again, and had a 15 month old baby girl placed with us. On March 1, 2013, after living with us for over a year, baby girl was taken and given to an Aunt in another state. Failed adoption number 4. Through all of this, my husband Mark has been the best friend, nurse, Father, husband, caretaker ever. He deserves to have a child. WE deserve to have a child. We've looked into adoption and have started the process, which could take years.

I think that would be like going to an AA meeting and asking if anyone there is an Alcoholic. MOST people get fat by eating which in turn means your addicted. I am sure there is exceptions to the rule however like complications with the surgery itself those numbers are small. Purely my opinion though.