Search the Community

I had my first PB after a night of drinking. I lost my mind and ate a piece of ham in two bites and wound up PBing the parking lot of a Krispy Kreme. NOT PRETTY. What I've discovered is that alcohol makes my band sore. I can actually feel my stomach after I drink- if I have more than one or two. It also makes me loose my mind- see above as an example. What I do have is a glass of wine or two in an evening...or one vodka cranberry or something with no carbonation. But I do this once a month at the most. Megan

Hey Babs, you know what? Normally I love this board and I think its members are truly supportive and good-hearted. But this was a little harsh. My immediate reaction was wanting to yell something not very nice in your direction. It's not like I'm sitting around drinking nonstop all weekend; yes, being healthy is important to me, but the reason it's important to me is so that I can live my life the way I want. And I don't want to (or need to, in my opinion) completely give up alcohol in order to be healthy. I resent the fact that you are throwing alcohol consumption in my face as proof that the band doesn't mean enough to me. Where do you get off? Do you really think telling me how successful others are being and suggesting I "keep my eye on the prize" because I don't want this enough, or whatever other judgmental comment you're not so subtly making, is an effective way to help me reach my goals? Just because I have a drink or two on the weekends does not mean that I'm a couch potato sitting on my ass eating bon-bons. And let me help you out since your reading and math skills seem to be limited: I was banded January 5th, which means I've been banded less than 3 months. My doctor does not even allow a fill until 2 months post op. And yes, I am having problems with my restriction; namely, I don't have any. Think twice before you publicly call someone's motivations into question next time.

Surgery set for next Monday, July 11th. So today was my Pre-op and Nut class. After surgery diet: Stage 1 Day 1-21 Full liquid including Protein supplements (only liquids that go easily through a strainer) No Jello. Fruit juices, protein supplements, cream Soups (thinned), broth, Skim or 1% milk, sugar free drink mixes, Water, SF popsicles, and decaf tea/coffee. Stage 2 Day 22-42 Soft solid foods Stage 3 After day 43 Regular bariatric diet ********************************** Try to consume: 60 oz of liquid per day 60 gms of Protein per day Protein supplements: per 8 oz, 200 or less calories, at least 15 gms of protein (whey, egg, casein or soy based) and less than 5 grams of sugar. The paperworks says to AVOID alcohol, caffeine and carbonation. The nut says to NEVER have them for the rest of your life. The room of people started to freak out. NEVER, ever again???? It was almost comical. Her reasoning is that it can cause ulcers. ****************************** Vitamins and Minerals NO GUMMIES. What? No gummies. I went out and bought my adult gummie vitamins this past weekend. Now I can't have them. The thought of chewing up a chalky Vitamin just makes me gag. But I guess no choice now. Anyone have one they love? LOL Take 2 Multivitamin per day Take 1500-2000 mg pre day of Calcium. Chewable calcium citrate plus Vitamin D and magnesium. You are only suppose to take 500 mg at a time. So take it throughout the day. Vitamin B12: 1000 mcg sublingual once per week. All the above vitamins are to be taken FOREVER! I guess that is when it hit me...Forever? Really? Not sure what I was thinking, but this statement made it REAL for me. Part of my stomach is removed and now I have to take this stuff forever to be healthy. Also Decaf FOREVER!! That was kinda hard to hear for me. I can do without the soda's, but if I wanted some good coffee, it has to be decaf PRE-OP class was interesting too. Like most have said, No nail polish, toes or fingers. Lots of good info on what to expect at the facility I'll be at. We also got a tour of the hospital. Oh and no straws....forever. LOL I'm still very excited about my surgery. A little more scared and nervous than before. I guess this just all made it more real for me. I'm also interested if others surgeons or nuts gave you similar info on the above or not. I know alot of docs are different. And I know the info they gave us today was to help us work the sleeve to the best we can to not only lose the weight but to keep off the weight.

The New Whey are the ones I use to get too, the grape was the 'best' to me, but I didn't 'drink' any of them.. they all tasted disgusting, and the thought of mixing them in another drink which meant I had to drink it for a while was a horrible idea to me. I would 'shoot' 1/2 at a time. Once in the morning, once in the evening. Much like alcohol, shoot half and chased it with water..

Cowgirl Jane you are one of my favorite ladys to listen to for words of wisdom. Today is a new day and it starts "Right Now" this meal, limit you carb intake and know that when you have alcohol it take 3 days to clear out of your system so you will start seeing the weight loss come back on the scale. Thought a cold beer does sound good it is a treat and you enjoyed it, simple. Dont beat your self up over it. Now that is a new day just get back on track and be encouraged all your hard work will keep you going on the path you were meant to be on!!

All encouraging and great things to hear! Europe does have a different culture around alcohol, my parents believed that if a wine was very high quality, it was perfectly fine to serve a 12 year old! In the states that's child abuse. I intend to cautiouslyreintroduce wine at week 6 or so, I don't think alcohol is great on a fresh healing stomach so better to wait til I'm on solids.

Ugh, so sorry. I have had small cheats here and there and been fine which i view as good and bad. . I don't want to push it eating a large amount of sweets for fear of getting ill. Have you tried alcohol? Not that I am encouraging that, just curious if you tolerated it since you didn't tolerate the sweets. I haven't and don't plan to anytime soon but someday would like to enjoy a half a glass of wine twice a year. Are you back to eating your normal meals post surgery?

I use them. I do not tolerate artificial sugars and do not want to switch bad habits for other bad habits (chemical laden artificial sugars), and I HATE the taste of stevia. I do err on the side of caution and use as little as possible because extracts typically contain 2-3% alcohol.

I have been hoping and looking forward to your next post and it did not disappoint! Congrats. You are very motivating, with truth and positivity! So my question this time is .. You are young and I am sure friends go out a lot how have you dealt with alcohol and social settings going out to eat???

The Word of Wisdom is the commandment that Mormons follow which talk about keeping our bodies healthy. This is why Mormons dont drink alcohol, coffee, do drugs, etc., but it also discusses that we should eat heathly grains and fruits and veggies while they're in season and that we should eat meat sparingly. The last point is why this has been discussed on this Latter-Day Saint (Mormon) sub-forum: that we should be eating meat sparingly per the Word of Wisdom, but with being banded there is a need to eat so much protien. I hope this helps.

https://www.rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov/How-much-is-too-much/Whats-the-harm/What-Are-The-Risks.aspx Ok this is the site where that graphic came from. The website describes the problems of heavy drinking from a mental and physical health point of view. (Dependence, liver disease, etc.) The BBC describes limits as well.... and theirs are based on consumption levels that keep risk of alcohol-related death to 1%. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/amp/uk-35255384

After 3 weeks could you have just one drink of alcohol or would it make you sick Sent from my LG-H811 using the BariatricPal App

I drank this weekend for the first time since surgery. I never really drank much before surgery, but maybe a few times a year. I am about 4.5 post-op and it didn't kill me. Or make me sick. I even stayed in my calorie range. I didn't plan on drinking but it was my birthday and I was thrown a surprise Birthday party so I decided to try it out. Worse case, sick at my own party. I was bought a shot of fireball. (My favorite but ALL sugar) I drank and 1/3 of it rather than the entire shot and then waited to see what would happen. Nothing, so I drank another 1/3 waited a few and then the last of the shot. Then.... was I buzzed? I don't even know, I felt buzzed but off of 1/1.5 oz? I know they say it hits you faster but I am still not even sure what it was. It felt different, but still buzzed. Lasted about 10 minutes. LAME..haha So I ended up having a total of 4 shots all night, buzzed for sure at the end of the night but again. It went away FAST. Like 30 minutes later I was sober. I woke up in the middle of the night with a headache, probably dehydrated. Drank a bottle of water with some Tylenol and went back to sleep. Next day, perfectly fine and back to my protein rich days. I doubt I will drink again for awhile. But I enjoyed my Birthday, guilt free without any issues.

I'm seven months out and have had alcohol several times. My surgeon said no alcohol for 6 months, but I had a few glasses of wine at a party at 5 months out. I don't drink on a regular basis, and never more than a few glasses of wine, but I haven't noticed it has a differnet affect than before surgery.

I'm more surprised about the wine than the food...lol. My doc said no alcohol for at least a year after surgery. I recall one lady in our support group that said the first time she had a glass of wine (after a year out) that it pretty much got her drunk off half a glass.

It’s been three years and, as I did a year ago, I wanted to post my annual update. The two year update, which includes the one year update is linked below. Enjoy. What's changed from year 2-3? No longer a fat guy. I changed jobs and met a lot of new people over the year. Combined with the fact that I'm 3 years out from surgery meant being a fat guy, both in my head and as reflected by people around me, is a very faint memory. I had the surgery when my kids were 3 and 6. They don’t really even remember me being fat, until they see pictures which just makes them giggle. This is a good thing, but when I reflect back on the 35 years of being overweight, it still blows me away. Portions Normalized. I really am just a normal (for a non-fat person) eater. I eat whatever I want, just normal portions of it. Breakfast might be 2 eggs and a piece of toast, lunch is a half sandwich and some Soup (or a whole sandwich without the bread), dinner is frozen dinner from trader joes or a small portion of just about anything. For those of you yet to have the surgery and can't imagine eating so little or those of you who just recently had surgery and can't imagine eating so much, I know it sounds very strange. Between years 2 and 3, I'd say the portion sizes really seemed to normalize. Here's the best way to describe it: Look at the nutritional information on something -- like a package of ravioli or a can of chili, etc. and find the serving size. That's pretty much what I can eat until I feel full and happy. In the olden days pre-surgery -- those suggested serving sizes always seemed like some sort of hostile joke! Battling 10 Extra Pounds. I feel like I have to watch my weight and need to lose 10 pounds. This is new. I weigh 194 on a 5'11" frame, wear medium or large shirts and have a waist of 34 or 35 inches depending on the brand. Don't get me wrong, that's amazing. BUT, last year, I weighed 185, which did feel a bit better. I'd like to say that my weight has finally normalized, but that wouldn't be totally in line with how I feel. The point is that, just like about everyone else I know, I'm working on losing those extra 10! For the first year of surgery, I couldn't stop LOSING weight. In the second year, I rarely thought about my weight. Now, in the third year, I feel like I need to lose 10. Health is Excellent. I just had my annual physical and everything is great. Blood sugar: Normal. Cholesterol: Normal. Same with everything else. I still take 20mg of Omeprazole for heartburn at least 5 out of 7 nights. It doesn't have any noticeable side effects and if I don't take it, I definitely get mild to medium heartburn. Some Advice to Those on the Fence: If you can, do it. Like a lot of people on this site, I'd say my only regret is not doing the surgery sooner. I honestly think (no scientific proof) that there is just simply something wrong between my head and stomach that resulted in me NOT having and "off" switch when it came to food. I'd watch other people that seemed to like food, get a plate at the buffet and then just eat a normal portion and stop. I'd go to the buffet, fill up a big plate and then get seconds and thirds. Even then, I'd probably just stop eating because I felt disgusted with myself or embarrassed, rather than feeling satisfied. This surgery really helped me in that way. As I noted above, I'm one of those small one-plate people now. By weighing a regular weight, life has completely changed. I wear normal clothes, can participate in all sorts of activities, happily sit in the back of the plane, etc, etc, etc. I wish I would have done the surgery when I was 21, not 39. VSG helps Quantity, Not Rate or Frequency. You engineers might appreciate this. Basically, VSG allows me to eat much less quantity at any one sitting. It doesn't tell me which foods to eat. You will need to find ways to eat steamed salmon vs. fried chicken, broccoli vs. mashed potatoes, etc. In the very early days, I really disgusted by really fatty food and was also worried about Protein intake. As a result, I directed my eating towards healthier foods. Three years out, VSG no longer helps with those types of decisions. Furthermore, if you like to graze, VSG doesn't help that at all. I work in an office that has Snacks all over the place. It's super easy to grab a handful of mm's or a bag of doritos every time I pass by the snack area (actually that's part of the reason I'm up 9 pounds from last year). I just want to set expectations about what you’re getting and NOT getting. Alcohol drinkers: Watch out. You can't eat much with VSG, but drinking is even easier than before. About 6 months ago, I felt like I was drinking too much and have limited my intake by a lot (1 or 2 drinks per night, not 5 or 6). I know, I know, still too much. My point is that this is a real risk area and something that needs to be considered. This post is getting long enough, so I'll stop here. If any of you would like to reach out with a PM, I'd be happy to chat. Good luck. http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/355438-two-year-post-opp-upda/

yes i definitely don’t mind being unremarkable in this regard lol!! i’ve had scoliosis probably since i was like 8, so no surprise there. and i knew i had a little bit of reflux (as in if i eat spicy/acidic food i get reflux) so i wasn’t surprised by any of the findings. My next step is to attend a young adult meeting on april 26 and in the mean time cut down on my coffee/alcohol/weed intake (the coffee and alcohol have been fairly easy to cut down on) definitely easier to go through the process with others, i will keep updating as things move along! best of luck to you as well!!!

Skinny girl makes all kinds of low fat alcohol beverages including wines. None of them are carbonated.

I came across this article about a woman who says she regrets her decision to get weight loss surgery 10 years ago. She had the gastric bypass at the age of 22 when her weight was 274 lbs. She lost 146 lbs., and then her life spiraled. She abused drugs, alcohol, and sex, could not hold a job, and even tried to kill herself. She also gained back 100 lbs. Here is the link to the article on Fox News. After being forced into treatment due to an arrest for driving while intoxicated, this woman was able to make the choice to turn her life around. She finished her college degree, got sober, and got the mental health she needed. She now has lost 100 lbs. through changing her diet and ballroom dancing. This young woman regrets getting the gastric bypass because she replaced a food addiction with even more destructive addictions. First and most important, I am glad she has turned her life around! Now, I have some questions for general discussion. I’d like to get your opinions. Do you think she may have been too young for gastric bypass? This is a hard question in my opinion. On the one hand, people in their lower 20s do not have much life experience. On the other hand, I was fairly young when I got WLS, and I have never regretted the decision. So, when should a very young adult get WLS? What do you think about her decision not to have psychotherapy? I think it underscores the importance of appropriate mental help. Maybe it would have prevented her from getting surgery in the first place and instead helped her work through some of the underlying issues. Or, maybe it would have helped prevent her from transferring her food addiction to other addictions. Now, she is losing weight by making the right food decisions. WLS or not, that is the only way to lose weight. I wonder whether her gastric bypass surgery is helping now. It could be helping with portion restriction and nutrient malabsorption. So….what are your thoughts on this story? Here is the link to the article on Fox News.

"A food addiction addict". Hahahaha. Redundant, much? That's like saying, "an alcoholism alcoholic". By the way, addicts aren't "pathetic". There are many, many studies that prove beyond reproach that addiction is a disease just like cancer or diabetes. People like yourself who insult addicts are the truly pathetic ones. Tell me something, genius. Where did you get your psychology degree? I assume you have one since you're playing armchair psychologist and pretending you're qualified to make these statements. As someone who does have bachelor's and master's degrees in psychology and will be finishing up my doctorate soon, I actually am qualified to diagnose and treat. I can see clearly that you're a rude, lonely, bitter, uneducated, uninformed, judgmental idiot who thinks they know it all, but actually knows nothing. I'm also guessing you're probably quite old, which likely contributed to your bitterness. Bummer. On June 12, 2017 I had my gallbladder removed, my lapband removed and revised to an RNY. HW: 402, SW 306, CW 257, GW 185

Comicbookguy, Great question! I love this way of looking at it, because a “new hobby” to replace food as a hobby sounds so much better than replacing a food addiction with a “replacement addiction” like alcohol or drugs! Let’s see. I suppose I have replaced my food focus with work and family. I now work way more than I used to, but it doesn’t feel like work since it’s BariatricPal and I love it! I also get to spend quality time with my kids rather than just watching them. Of course, there’s working out, but I always have done that to some extent. I guess work and family don’t count as true “hobbies,” but they’re what I fill my time with.

I'm two years post surgery and I tolerate wine very well. A little too well. :-( I can tolerate beer but it makes me feel bloated so I don't enjoy it. Hard liquor (which is >20% alcohol for me) I can't handle. I get very sloppy very quickly. My suggestion to the original poster is to take a sip rather than a full shot at once. If you tolerate a sip or two, then do what you're going to do. But if you can't tolerate a sip, you definitely can't tolerate a full shot at once. Be careful. Good luck to you!

I have two sisters that had the surgery one of them turned to alcohol and she never drank before Chelsea got very conceited and almost lost her husband cuz she was being promiscuous with other men Luckily everything got better for her and she's doing well now I've heard that people will replace one addiction with another I am positive that I will be a gym rat because that's what happened last time I lost a lot of weight. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using the BariatricPal App

So here is the deal with me and Alcohol. I am a drinker...period. Not an abuser but as you it is very cultural for me also. I can pretty much drink as I did before except at way lower amounts/drinks/shots...I am now a size 6. Before surgery I could drink several drinks..or a whole bottle for that matter....NOT NOW! I only drink on the weekends..usually only one night fri or sat. Sometimes I can drink 2 drinks in a couple hours sometimes 3 or 4......pretty much not more than that or I end up dancing on tables! I have also never gotten dumping from the alcohol either...so that is a plus. Now that being said since I have had surg have I over drank...yes I have, oops my bad, but I am human .....so watch at the beginning.....over doing comes very fast now. Also I did not start drinking again till I was 3 months post op..which was New Years Eve. FYI i am not a judge to anyone......... so many people seem to think that's ok.....FYI...it's not!

I drink two cups of coffee daily and alcoholic beverages (mainly white wine, bloody Mary's, straight liquor or low calorie mixers) several times a month. 6.5 months out and have lost 104 pounds. I make sure to include the calories/carbs in my daily totals. Oh...and my surgeon warned me also of the possibility of alcohol being more "potent" after surgery. SO NOT TRUE FOR ME. I just like the taste. ????