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Thank you for the site to visit for bariatric recipes and the words of encouragement. I have barely been eating anything... not because I am not hungry but because I am afraid I won't lose weight. It is good to hear of your yummy menu and this will encourage me to try more food rather than just sticking to a few basic items. I tried to cook a large buffet style menu for guests with all healthy type of menu and it was good but seemed very strange to me to be thinking that way. It may take some practice believing that healthy recipes can taste as good as the ones with all the cream and butter! But I will stick to my plan which of course is to lose weight. TOday I saw the gp for my first post op check at 6 weeks and wow. The results were somewhat shocking. Off all meds since surgery yet my BP, cholesterol and sugar levels are WAY down compared to when I was on the meds. What an improvement. She believes my gout may also no longer be a problem although I had no testing done to show that. She tried to claim that this is due to not being able to drink alcohol but I pointed out (silly md) that I used to only have a few drinks once every couple of months so I don't think that small amount of liquor contributed to my having gout. It is amazing to see the change in medical results and the improvements and I remind myself that these are worth even more than the improved appearance. Thanks again.

Bubbles are our friend. Had me a nice glass at my daughter's wedding two weekends ago. It was mighty nice. Oh and at her bridal shower about a month before the wedding had me a nice glass of wine and a nice glass of Jamaican Rum Cream on ice. Can we say sloshed? And the games we played at this shower. Let's just say the cake was anatomically correct. And I have pictures to prove it. LOL!!!! Putting a rubber on a cucumber while blind folded and being timed was something to see just let me tell you. I broke my rubber but not after letting one fly off the end first. LOLOLOL!!! GOod time was had by all and the alcohol helped ALOT. And don't get me started on the Bachelorette Party now. WHOO HOO!! Gracie the room is spinning and I want to get off.

For some reason, I'm thinking/assuming you're a female. My phone won't let me check your profile. With that being said, and again it's empty calories, but I'll take a sip or two from my fiancé's beer when we're out. He usually gets it on draft and my nut told us that usually has lower carbonation. Also, I'll wait till he's drank a bit of it to try to let some more of the bubbles go away. I tried to order a cider one time and that was purely painful. My nut also recommended with sodas to open them and let them sit for a while till they are much flatter to just flat period. I think I've had a mojito and that was fine. Don't care for margaritas but I'm assuming that should be fine too. Keep in mind, mojito has a lot of sugar. You're putting in empty calories. It should not be a substitute for food calories and this will cause you to go over your daily calories. When I reduce my alcohol my weight drops faster, when I drink the weight reduction is slower.

I waited 90 days to drink any alcohol, but that was my decision. My doc said alcohol would be okay after one month. I typically drink wine. But occassionally I'll drink vodka straight or mixed with Crystal Light. And I don't get buzzed any quicker than I did pre-banding.

You can sip if you need to. It's not going to hurt you. Just try to stick to non-carbonated and non-alcoholic drinks.

Im just curious why so many bariatric plans (diet) vary so much. The surgery is the same, so why do some doctors allow some things on ones diet plan and others don't .One Example: there was a huge debate over drinking alcohol. Im not seeing a standard across the board with these doctors like one would think there would be. I was told never to drink, but I read that one woman said her doctor said she could drink 3 month out. I just find this strange. Any thoughts..... Sent from my SM-N920P using the BariatricPal App

Since your weight loss is obvious, it's not unrealistic to say that you lost weight by totally changing your eating habits...no starches, no alcohol, lots of protein. I eat out all the time and nobody has ever questioned me. (Only my husband know of my surgery) I take tiny sips of water and take home 3/4 of my meal all the time. I joke and say my 14 year old is so happy I eat less because he always looks forward to my leftovers!

You may not want to tell everyone, but why is it a secret. If these are your friends then they will support your WLS and efforts to do better for yourself. I just got back from vaca - if my family or friends were eating something I couldn't I found an alternative or just didn't go out to eat. My husband and friends drink, but I don't. I'm still social- but no alcohol. I think your friends could be a great support. Low carb dieting could be a valid excuse but in this case when they see u losing fast u could be caught in a lie.

I could have written your post in the past. In fact I HAVE written something VERY similar. I just recommitted to my band a few months ago... and wow.. what a difference it is to work with the band when I am MENTALLY ready and on board. You have to be proactive in the choices you are making. Pasta and ice cream shouldn't be in your diet right now. Period. Down the line, when you are in maintenance... sure... add them in, but right now you need to focus on Protein and low sugar and carbs. Period. Small portions. Exercise. Water. Lots of water! YOU need to do these things. The band is there to help keep you satiated on smaller portions.... it isn't there to stop you from eating. I can always eat around the band. Trust me, I am an ice cream addict... and ice cream will ALWAYS go down. So I forbid it now. I treat it like an alcoholic treats alcohol. You say you can't eat protein. Then you are either too tight, not chewing well enough, or eating too fast. I too thought... I can't eat chicken, I can't eat beef, I can't get these healthy foods down. I was mad and angry, and blamed the band for my poor food choices. In reality... I WASN'T READY! Well guess what... I COULD eat those things... when I slowed waaaay down, kept my band at a looser restriction, and really focused on pre-measuring my portions and STOPPING when the food was done. Did I want to eat more? HECK ya! Do I stil? Heck ya! I ALWAYS want more food. That is why I am FAT. I have to trust that the head hunger will pass (it does) and that the small portions will keep my body satiated (they do). Start over. Go back to basics. you are still so fresh into this! The sleeve is another restrictive surgery. If you still make poor food choices, you will get poor results. I too thought of revising. Hell I scheduled a revision at one time!! But after a lot of soul searching I decided to give it one more HARD try. I have lost 32 pounds in the past few months. I FEEL great. I FEEL supper motivated. It has NOT been easy. This is NOT what I thought being banded would be like. I thought it would be easy. Effortless. Boy what a shock when it wasn't. YOU CAN DO THIS! Sit down and really think about what you have been doing so far. Are you following the rules? Are you measuring your portions? Are you chewing slowly? Are you not drinking with meals? Are you exercising? We are all here for you. For support. Hang in there!! If there is nothing medically wrong with your band... please... give it another shot. It can really be a great tool if used properly!!

I usually do Net Carbs...from all my days either on Atkins, South Beach, The Belly Fat Cure, I think I even remember something about this from WW... You basically subtract the Sugar alcohols and Fiber from the total Carbs. A label from an Atkins Protein bar: Total Carb: 29g Fiber: 11g Sugar Alcohols: 15g Net carbs: 3g Protein: 15g (pretty good for the carbs) I agree with others, you just have to find what your body responds too. I try not too do many bars, but when I'm on the road and don't have access to cold foods, its a good sub. Plus, when I get to eat fruits again...I want to make sure I am not feeling guilty about using all my carbs on one piece. I dont' think anyone got fat eating too many fruits and vegetables.

Look into zollipops they’re made with xylitol a sugar alcohol which also helps with dental health. My kids like them.

Written communication can be easily misinterpreted since there are no vocal inflections or facial expressions. Other times a person's response is as subtle as a sledgehammer so there is no misinterpretation. Some people are practicing in behaviors which could be counter productive to a successful weight loss, weight maintenance or could have an impact on their health. Coddling is not always the best answer but having compassion is important. We all have read about behaviors here (ex. eating foods that are absolutely wrong for that early of a post WLS stage or drinking larger quantities of alcohol extremely early on) that could have dangerous consequences to their health. In those cases sometimes "tough love" gets the point home. If they knowingly are going against what their surgeon or every respectable published article says not to do, perhaps "tough love" is not the answer and some of "Darwin's theory" should be allowed to prevail. A few of those people complain the loudest to replies that don't condone their behaviors. For the ones that are misinformed or were not provided detailed plans (although they can search on the internet for reputable sources of information by healthcare professionals or ask their surgeon's nurses) they are usually more accepting of the feedback. In some cases the person replying is just an a$$hole and all they want to do is be cruel. I guess the block feature can come in handy when dealing with them.

According to this: https://myhealth.alberta.ca/bariatric-surgery/after-your-surgery/smoking-vaping-and-drinking-alcohol-after-bariatric-surgery it says : Can I smoke or vape after bariatric surgery? It’s best not to smoke or vape any substance after surgery. This includes tobacco, tobacco-like products, and cannabis. These products can cause problems with your heart and lungs. Smoking after bariatric surgery can also cause stomach ulcers.

It is a bit early for any type of alcoholic beverages. I would check with my insurance company to see if you could meet with an in network nutritionist that specializes in WLS patients. I would then find a physician familiar with WLS to do the necessary F/U's and bloodwork. It's a shame that you weren't provided with after care.

do not drink any type of alcohol this soon!

Nope, your body cannot absorb sugar alcohols. But be careful! Too much of it can cause bloating and painful gas. It also can have a laxative affect. Sometimes i'll have an Atkins bar if my chia seeds and miralax don't work. :-)

Just a quick comment. Anyone who suffers from an addiction and goes through a twelve step program with AA, NA, OA etc is given tough love. They are also given experience, strength and hope from other 'vet' recovering addicts. They are told to 'stick with the winners'. As a recovering alkie, smoker and glutton (hence being the recipient of WLS) I can only speak from my experience personally from AA and my alcoholism. The tough love and vets from the Fellowship of AA served me well. I would probably be dead by now if I hadn't taken the cotton wool out of my ears and listened, and shoved it in my gob so that I couldn't spout excuses and crap!!! I got very ruffled feathers when I was a newby as I thought that I knew better on many occasions. I was given some tough 'suggestions' as to what I should be doing to get sober. I equate this site as the WLS version of AA. I love the fact that there is so much humour (we laugh at ourselves, not at our disease of overeating) and I also stick with the winners here. You know who you are. For heaven's sake, stick around and carry on giving me the support that I have had (in shed loads) over the months since my surgery. If anyone offends me I just form an opinion and share it through private messages. That's when you discover like minded folks. I'm sure that there are people who are upset by what I post but they have the facility to have a private moan to their like minded chums. So, the long and the short of this rambling post is that if you don't like my forthright comments, go away and have a moan or just ignore me. I'm not going anywhere by the way and I remain, a miserable, b!tchy old git.

I just had my surgery on 7/25. My brother is getting married in Colorado (in the mountains about 5 hours away from Denver and civilization) on 8/10. I'm supposed to fly up there on the 8th and I've got this horrible internal battle going on over whether or not I should go. My whole family says it's ok if I don't feel up to it, but I'd feel guilty and sad if I didn't go. At the same time, I'm still dealing with pain in my incisions, some pretty foul smelling gas, and I'm an emotional wreck. I don't want to get up there and ruin everything because I can't hardly do anything for myself and I get very irritable very easily. Just the thought of traveling and airports stresses me out right now, which sucks because I usually love flying and traveling. Not to mention the struggles of still being on a liquid/puréed diet at a wedding. No dinner, no cake, no alcohol. Sounds pretty miserable. I'm just so torn. It feels like a bad idea to go, like everything added together equals disaster. But, it is my brother's wedding. I don't want to miss it. I've made it to all my other brothers' weddings (five weddings total, including this brother's first wedding and my baby bro's who had it in Hawaii) and I would just feel sooo guilty if I didn't make it. Anybody have any advice? Sorry about the rambling of this post, it kinda reflects my brain right now.

Many people will die without liver transplants. But there are conditions for getting a transplant. You have to remain alcohol free for a set period of time to qualify for a liver transplant to save your life. If you screw up and have drink...you don't get a transplant. And you die. And that's on you. YOU have responsibility in the process. Many people do elect to die. Just like weight loss surgery. You can elect to comply, or you can elect to die. It's up to you. To qualify, you have to be accountable and prove that you're serious about changing the behavior that contributed to the damage. Without behavior changes, weight loss surgery is not only a waste of resources, it also can cause more harm. Particularly, if a patient cannot get hold of their eating habits enough to keep themselves safe. Yes, you have to lose weight before surgery and prove you can break your addiction JUST EXACTLY like liver transplant patients must give up alcohol. Liver transplant patients get their blood alcohol tested....weight loss patients get weighed. If you screw it up, the next step is therapy, not surgery. If the fact that "you're going to die" without surgery is not enough to inspire you to comply with a few months of pre-surgical requirements....you will very likely get a referral to a psychologist to help you work on these issues first. Not being unkind, just telling you the truth.

I'm over a year and a half and I haven't tried a drink yet. Not because I'm scared of the side affects but because I hear of WLS patients turning into big drinkers. Socially we are out more and partying more so naturally we would have a drink or 4 before surgery. It's even more important to control that behavior and ask yourself, do I really need an alcoholic drink to bring on the new year? Not worth ruining your night or developing a bad habit. Take it easy and enjoy your healthier life. I'm glad you asked this question because I'm sure there are tons of people who wanted to. Enjoy your new year!!!

James is right…the walking was the key to no pain. I came out of surgery around 4 pm and was walking at 7 pm and did walk every 2 hours, with no pain. The only "pain" was dragging the IV around. They will send you to have do a "leak" test and that required drinking a little Fluid so they could see if it went through without leaks. The beds aren't very cushy, so I sat up in a chair in the room a lot because the bed hurt my bottom. Made it easier to get up to walk also. While I had someone stay in the room with me, I found the staff to be really kind and attentive and sent my mom back to the hotel so she could sleep. My surgical location was 4 hours from where i live, so the journey home was a bit arduous - had to stop every 45 minutes to walk for 15 to prevent blood clots. Once home, my incisions never hurt (they were all laparoscopic and small), and getting up and down wasn't difficult either. I was on Protein shakes for 2 weeks after and I think that was the most difficult part. Everything tasted super sweet but I plugged my nose and drank 4 oz 4 times a day! I was also sent home with medication for my gall bladder (for some docs,it's standard procedure) to prevent any gall bladder issues. You will have some trouble getting in all the Vitamins, Water and protein to being with just because your tummy is so small. Just be diligent every 15 minutes or so to drink water and take a Vitamin or pill when you do. Once I was on soft foods (2 weeks out of surgery), I had to focus on getting in 92 g of protein. I had a hard time doing so because my tummy was so small - had to really plan! I went back on all foods on August 15th however, I have kept out of my diet anything but lean protein, fruit, veggies and sugar free popsicles. I was a carb eater and so I have left out bread, tortillas, crackers, Cereal etc..and my weight continues to decline. Started at 368 prior to surgery and am now at 298. I am eating Quest Protein Bars and have found them a great help in getting in all my daily protein. These were recommended by my nutritionist. I order them on quest.com and they are shipped to my door in about 3 days. They are made with sugar alcohol and can be pretty sweet. I eat half a bar at a time because they really fill me up and are so sweet. I did have some odd sensations when it came to smelling food because my appetite is gone. Some smells nauseate me and I don't like things I used to , but all in all it's a good thing! My head likes to tell me I am hungry when I am not, so I have been really paying attention to that issue. My goal is to be down 100 pounds total by Christmas and down an additional 75 by June. Again - good luck!! Clarissa

I have a friend who had surgery about ten years ago. She drinks alcohol (she never was a big beer drinker) but still to this day gets drunk very quickly only takes one drink to get her tipsy.

New me 2008, I am so glad you posted this question and I thank everyone for their responses. I come from a family that travels and parties and has fun, and somehow alcohol is usually involved. I need to know that I can still enjoy myself with my band. My surgery date is 3/14/07 and I want to know that I can have a few drinks every now and then without vommiting, or having some sort of adverse effect. I would love for you to keep me posted on your experience on your trip and how you made out. My family is planning a trip to Cabo as well and I want to make sure I can enjoy a few drinks with them during our trip.

I went to Mexico last month, and had GREAT time. I was never told you can't drink Alcohol with the band, My surgeon said use moderation - keep in mind the liquid calories. Superbowl Sunday was my first "bad band" margarita drinker day....No sickness to the stomach, just the head. I know I can't hold my liquor like in the past - just be mindful that it may not take many too get tipsy. HAVE FUN!!

You're not supposed to drink with the band (it's liquid calories, and ALOT of them.) There are 97 calories in a 1.5 oz shot of tequila source: calorieking.com. However...you should be allowed to treat yourself while in Mexico, just don't over do it. Know your limit. As soon as you start to feel the effects of the alcohol stop drinking. You don't want to get sick and throw up, potentially damaging your band. This is just my humble opinion.