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same here!!! it takes a lot for someone to truly admit to themselves the ugly truth. sometimes denial can cross over into an uncontrollable state of delusion. i commend you on your honesty and i wish you the best of success on your weight loss journey. i have seen people who are 30-50lbs overweight due to medication, metabolic disorders, etc but to be honest i have never seen anybody who was 100lbs+ overweight from medication and/or metabolic disorders and I've spent over 15 years studying both psychology and metabolism (on a cellular level/biology). you know, you can lead a horse to water but you can not make them drink even if they are dying. and when it comes to issues of morbid obesity, it really is a life or death matter. some people are unable to cope with what they have done to themselves. i've taken prednisone, and was unable to walk for 2 years after some injuries that i had. i would ride in my medical transport van and we would go to a fast food place and get 3 meat shwaramas, poutine (fries with all types of delicious stuff layered on it and topped in cheese and gravy), 4 pieces of baklava, then have a few pieces of cheese pizza at physical therapy. i would still go home and have what my household considered a healthy balanced meal. Grilled chicken, green beans, tomatoes, cabbage, rice, and a banana. i would often have seconds. my eating was so secret. even people who LIVED with me thought that i was just overweight based on having seconds at most meals and not being active. because i gained most of my weight after my injuries (i went from about 175 to 375 in just over a year and a half then another 150 crept on over 4 years) my mother in law was from Somalia and she was quite large and i added rice and banana to almost every meal (which is a very Somalian tradition). people would actually defend me and say 'she doesnt eat that much - i have seconds too and i havent gained as much as she has, it has to be her metabolism'. because people try to make the illogical logical so they can cope with it. but it's just PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE to gain massive weight unless you are consuming and storing those calories. if you are in a coma and no one gives you nourishment you are going to waste away. no matter what type of crazy medications you are on, no matter what type of crazy edema you have. it's physically impossible. it is a whole lot to mentally deal with and maybe the OP is just not there yet. as frustrating as it is to witness a person in that dangerous of a state, no one can FORCE her to see the light, you know? it just really hurts my heart because people out here are trying so hard to get this surgery to save their lives. people are mortgaging their homes or taking out loans to even go out of the country to get this surgery. and then when you see someone so defiant and abrasive and unappreciative of it...that just breaks my heart. and then when they become HOSTILE to the point of wanting to pipe off at a community dedicated towards getting healthy it's just so painful. obviously the OP is just unaware. and you know, hey. it is what it is. imagine going to an AA meeting or an NA meeting and you have that one person there who wants to rant at everybody like "Oh, yeah...I have 100 DUIs, I ran into a few houses, I drove my car into a lake, but I do not have an alcohol problem, I do not have a drug problem. Every DUI I got was because I had just used Listerine right before I drove. I always drink in moderation. My body just doesn't process alcohol well so that is not my fault but yet I am going to keep drinking. I don't know why I am here I am sick of hearing about being clean and sober." You'd want to pull your hair out! Well, maybe not after the sleeve LOL. I want to keep each and every strand I currently have.

yes i think alcohol is a billion times worse. it's the only ingestible thing that is poisonous to every single cell in your body. that's crazy, eh? i dont drink. i never have even sipped alcohol honestly but i will probably always smoke. even my family overseas smoke and they live in a muslim country. i think it's just natural and okay. i also have a prescription for it so it's fine for me

alcohol has affected my weight loss, I'm definitely limiting myself to 1 day at week. after the surgery I was feeling depressed and found myself drinking 3 - 4 times per week, n 9 months Ive only lost 60lbs. which makes me sad to know, i let my emotions take over. I will definitely think twice about drinking during the week n try to workout instead of thinking of drinking.

alcohol has affected my weight loss, I'm definitely limiting myself to 1 day at week. after the surgery I was feeling depressed and found myself drinking 3 - 4 times per week, n 9 months Ive only lost 60lbs. which makes me sad to know, i let my emotions take over.

I have my follow-up visit with the doctor tomorrow and I'm developing a list of questions to ask. Here is what I have come up with so far: 1) when can I expect to have a bowel movement (gross but have not had one since day before surgery)? 2) when can I return to normal physical activity such as working out, bending, lifting, etc 3) when can I go off Clear liquids and start to introduce Protein shakes and other liquids or dairy? 4) when can I go swimming 5) other than ibuprofen and aspirin what medications can I not take (malaria pills, any antibiotics, etc) 6) when can I introduce certain things into my diet - coffee, alcohol, spicy foods 7) when can I expect for the pain to be gone 8) when will my stomach be considered completely healed Is there anything else I should ask?

I was taking in bet 400 & 900 cal per day. Having alot of touble with many foods I moved to Protein shakes. I forget to eat and have to choose between drinking liquids and having a meal. My family has said I should go have my band loosened but in the two years since getting my band i have only lost abt 30 lbs. My body fights weight loss. I will tell you though I went from wearing a size 26 pants to a size 18. A size 4 x shirt to an xl so I am not unhappy. I dont understand but not unhappy. My youngest son watches me like a hawk because of my forgetfulness of meals and my getting stuck at dinner. I have finally figured out that there are definately things I just cannot eat and have stopped trying. I have a brother in law who got banded, list 170lbs but the band slipped n he had it removed back up to well over 350 again n fast. My sister still has hers but says it doesnt work. Eats what she wants and drinks alcohol so i am thinking the diet mentality they told me I need to lose is prob the reason i have lost what I have. Now to figure out how to lose more.

Hi everyone. I was sleeved on 4/19- down 28 pounds but more importantly my excema is gone, my face is no longer bloated, my blood pressure is back to normal, and my depression has lifted. My current hurdle is handling social situations without alcohol- geez, without food or booze, I have no idea how to do that yet! I'm learning that behavior change is a major part of this surgery, and changing behavior is hard! I also have a slipped disc in my back so I can no longer enjoy the types of exercise that I used to, so I have to accept that bike riding (which I can do) is going to be my main form of exercise. Overall I'm just plain excited to get my life back...on a separate note I want to offer a word of caution. I want to reach out to you all who had surgery on the same day as me, but I know there is going to be an element of comparison which we cannot help. Everyone's journey is going to be different but we are all losing weight and getting our lives back!!!

My surgeon was very frank about the reasons to not go with the band, the biggest reason being its too hard to cheat and has the lowest long term success rate. Basically no matter how filled you are you can still get fat if you transfer addiction toward alcohol or milkshakes. Either way, my decision was based on the long term information on the procedures and was not ready to remove part of my stomache.

I've been trying them out and they make me gassy. My body doesn't like the sugar alcohols, I think.

I was cleared for alcohol after 6 weeks. I regularly drink now with no issues.

I went out ordered a small cocktail and requested the alcohol in a separate glass. This way I controlled what I drank. Almost no tolerance. Didnt finish the drink.

I guess that's the hard part on these alcohol threads we are all at different stages! When I speak I speak as someone 6+ months out! I should always include that when I'm talking about having a drink...

If you want my opinion over your doctors, which I do not recommend, I would say wait 6 weeks if you absolutely must have a very small amount. Otherwise, wait 6 months until you have a reasonable amount like 1/2 a glass or more. Alcohol may slow down your weight loss so it is best to not start drinking until after you have lost a lot of weight. And even then, it is still good to drink in light moderation because you will get tipsy much faster and the calories are not helping you. At least make sure you are drinking something you really enjoy or is high quality to offset any negative effects from the extra calories. I started at 6 months and finished weight loss at 7 months. I have 1-2 drinks a month and am 11 months post op.

Why not have a "virgin" drink? Then, you're still being sociable with your friends, no one will question that you're not drinking because you have a drink in front of you. Unless, of course, the purpose of the drink is to get buzzed or drunk, but then, you're not really drinking for the social aspect but to get drunk. So my advice...really THINK about why you're wanting to drink. It's empty calories, it can be hazardous to your healthy, etc. If it really is to be sociable, you can do that without the alcohol.

Wow I can’t believe yesterday has been one month since I got banded. I am happy to say that I have lost 27 pounds and I feel amazing. I really didn’t have any plans yesterday I just made me some coffee and use Atkins French Vanilla protein shake as creamer and worked out for 15 minutes until I received a phone call from my Bestie Mandy. She stated that she had a surprise for me. Mandy had tickets to the St. Louis Cardinal game! I was a little bit excited until my fears kicked in. So what were my fears? Yesterday I was able it start drinking alcohol but will I be tempted to have a beer or mix drink. What if I get hungry and Busch Stadium didn’t have 5 week post op friendly food. Unfortunately I did not have time to research their menus and I need a better cell phone. My least favorite fear was am I ready to do this? I decided to not shelter myself because I am banded I need to live and learn. Mandy brought her cooler and added 4 bottles of water. At the stadium we found an Asian stir fry place and they had shrimp. I ask the hostess if I can just order a side a shrimp because I am lap band patient but they charge me $10.50 anyway. Mandy didn’t care about the price and paid for it. The cool part about it was they gave me a Large Chinese to go box full of shrimp! We got more than $10.50 worth of shrimp. Mandy stated laughing at me because I got full of 12 pieces of shrimp. She ended up taking the leftover home. It was a great game because the Cardinals won! After the game me and Mandy met up with our friend Jessica. I haven’t seen Jessica since she came over and made me homemade soup for day one of my 2 post op diet. Jessica complimented me on my lap band success and told me that I look amazing. I have to admit I felt pretty good. We went to our first bar and I had a glass of water with lemon. I wanted to have a drink at the second bar we were at. I was thinking shot of grey goose with water and I was going to add a crystal light packet in it or maybe a beer and let it fizz out for a bit before drinking. I had all these scenarios going through my head and I decided to drink at home first to see how it feels before I drink in public. So water was my drink of choice last night and I was okay with that. If felt good going out last night and just having fun. I am so bless to have great friends in my life. Thanks for reading.

It has been great reading your thoughts and experiences on alcohol! Thank you for sharing on this touchy topic and staying civil. My surgeon's practice puts alcohol in the "never or very limited" category. Pre-op I might have a glass or two of red wine per month or I might go months without any. Red wine has many benefits to our health and I am not at risk for addiction or overuse. I am four and a half weeks out and I had a glass of red wine last night at a benefit. (I was happily hydrated prior to and drank water along with it.) It took me 2.5 hours to drink it but I was grateful to enjoy it. At that rate, I felt no effects of the alcohol. My philosophy is that I am gladly giving up many, many things in pursuit of better health. An occasional glass of red wine is beneficial to my heart and my sanity. I am not trying to push my philosophy on anyone else. We all know what is best for ourselves and, beginning with this surgery, we are on each our way to improved lifestyles. I wish every one of you the best and am beyond grateful for this community!

Name, real or screen~ Chasity Goal weight for June 30th~ 240 Weight on June 1st~ 257 Age~ 38 Dietary goal for June~ drink more water - no alcohol Exercise goal for June~ continue walking daily Personal goal for June~ be patient Date banded~ May 24, 2013 Total weight loss since banding/pre op diet~ 13lbs Favorite Summer Activity~ being on the boat

I've had sugar-free hard candy, but should warn that it should only be consumed in limited quantities. The sugar alcohols in some sugar-free products are laxatives, and at the early stages you don't want dehydration issues (not to mention spending all your time on the throne).

Find out when your doc clears you to drink. Alcohol is empty calories so just keep that in the back of your mind. Also crossover addiction is a concern. But one night after doc clears you probably won't be too risky. Beer may make you feel bloated, but it wouldn't stretch your stomach. If any excess gas is stuck you will burp it out just like pre-op. With the fundus removed, the stretchy part is gone. Alcohol on a fresh cut probably doesn't feel too good. So at least six weeks. But again ask your surgeon.

When are we given the clear for alcoholic drinks? I'm 6 months out and I have never thought to even ask my doctor this question LOL

When does your doc allow alcohol? My doc doesn't allow it for 6 months, probably a good thing For me Lol

Alcohol is killer when trying to lose weight. Up until last Sunday, I hadn't had anything for three months. I decided that day would be my day; APPARENTLY to make up for lost time! Yep - feelin' NO pain. Friday nights was our night for drinks and appetizers. I would pick up an assortment of finger foods at Trader Joe's, and we would chill out will plenty of EVERYthing. I miss doing that, but I don't miss the way I felt; the next day, and the steady flow of pounds packed onto my already obese body. We're going to Vegas for three nights over the 4th of July, and I imagine I'll allow myself some drinking then. But I don't think that I'll be repeating the Memorial Day bash anytime soon. It took three days to recover!!! But I do love the red wine..... :wub:

I actually have been using portion control since I started the purée stage. I am eating a balanced diet. I do avoid bread, pasta, soda, sugary drinks, alcohol, rice, and processed foods. I also do use a little sugar and honey, as I don't use any artificial sweeteners. I have been losing steadily which is fine for me. Pre- sleeve I was 250, post- op I am 225. I was sleeved on April 22, 2013. Very happy so far.

I LOVE this quote from your psych! This is one of the things I have learned and the reason I am always mentioning that therapy is a huge help on our weight loss journey. I truly believe that we cannot be mentally healthy after WLS without some time spent dealing with the issues that made us obese, whatever they may be... and it's not all about the food. We've allowed food to have a much larger place in our lives than it ever should have occupied and it's a huge mental shift to put food into the "food is fuel" place that t-dog mentioned earlier. Many of us are just as addicted to food as an alcoholic or drug addict is to their poison of choice. I'm really happy to see that you have recovered without permanent damage and that you are moving forward in a positive manner.

I'm 2 weeks post op and I had a small (1/4 c) of red wine last night. I wasn't sure if I was going to like the taste. I let the wine sit on my pallet and it wasn't bad. It relaxed me...I was afraid it would do damage to my healing process, pouring alcohol in my healing tummy. I felt fine.