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Soda, pop, fizzy drink! You're all wrong... DownUnder we call it "soft drink", as in, not an everyday drink (despite how frequently one may drink it) but not hard liquor (alcohol) either. And like the rest of the world we say "Coke" for any version of that brown coloured soft drink and "Fanta" for any orange coloured soft drink.

I have been where you are. I was banded and due to problems unable to eat almost anything, that is until I discovered that a couple of glasses of wine relaxed things and allowed me to eat. That turned into a bottle or more every night. I grew up in a single parent household with a functional alcoholic. I love my mom but feel we missed out on so much because even though she was physically present she often didn't remember anything. I got a wake up call about six months ago when my eight year old daughter asked me if I thought I was drinking more lately. We were at Disney world and she should have been happy but there she was in my old shoes too worried about her mom. I didn't believe I could stop drinking but I did that day. It was so hard at first. I allowed no alcohol in my house and I had to tell my friends the same. It is much easier now but there are still triggers that I must deal with. I wish you the best of luck. It is not easy but you can stop. You are not alone in this struggle.

I saw that pretty rainbow layered jello cake too but it was filled with shots of alcohol lol

I believe anyone that has 85% of their stomach removed will lose weight. You can't help but lose, if you are limited to 4oz of food every few hours. Now the big question is, where is your hunger coming from? Only you can figure that part out. Is it from emotional eating, boredome, stress, or is it because you have hunger pangs caused by the hormone ghrelin? From my own experience, I knew that my hunger was real (even though I had eaten 2 hours earlier, I'd be hungry again). It wasn't until I talked to my surgeon that he told me that I had an excess of the hormone ghrelin (produced by the stomach). The bigger the stomach, the more of the hormone produced. The surgery stopped my hunger pangs. I have not had that nagging sense of hunger (other than my stomach growling) since surgery 7 weeks ago. And 4 or 5 oz of food keeps me satisfied, whereas before, I could eat 1 lb of steak and know I'd be raiding the fridge in 2 hours. And I don't have any cravings anymore for certain flavors. Whereas before, I'd think about something that would taste good and I couldn't get the thought out of my head until I ate it - and a lot of it, not just a small portion. Don't get me wrong, you can sabotage yourself after surgery. There are foods, called slider foods, that are calorie dense (ice cream, peanut butter) that pass through the stomach quickly, so it's possible to eat more. And it is possible to just graze all day on snacks that are high in calories. The sleeve gave me the control over my eating that I needed. When I eat, I have full control of what I eat. I can pass on the donuts or just have 1 and be satisfied. With the exception of pasta - it triggers my sugar cravings. So I have to be real careful about eating it. But I don't know if I'd the same success if my hunger was tied to my emotions instead of hormones. I really believe food was an addiction - one you can't quit and never touch again. Other addictions can be quit and never touched again. But what if a heroine addict, smoker or alcoholic knew they had to take some every day or their body would die? What if they had 75 TV channels that ran commericals for cigarrets every 10 minutes during their favorite programs? Or had reality programs (like the best places to pig out or the food challenges) devoted to the best places to get their fix and showed people taking drugs and loving it? Could the addicts just reduce the amount they took every day and never over do it or would they give in to the nagging voice in their head telling them how good it was going to feel? Ok, rant over. :-)

I decided to cut back on alcohol especially since I'm still about 60 pounds away from goal. I like fruity drinks like OJ and vodka or diet cranbery and vodka. I also like mikes hard lemonade wine coolers. I love having a drink especially on the weekend but my NUT said that I'm not supposed to drink until 18 months post op, OOPS! lol Also when I drink I tend to have more cravings and less will power. I also like the bud light margaritas.

I'm just ensuring I only eat at meal times and obviously very small amounts. Plenty of fluids In between and strictly no alcohol !! To be honest I'm never hungry and get full very quickly so my sleeve works very well for me Sent from my iPhone using VST

I can't have alcohol till after a year. My family has a low tolerance to alcohol (five out of seven of us are alcoholics) so I don't drink much for that reason. I do like an occasional glass of wine. I was told that with rny you will feel the effects of alcohol faster, get intoxicated on less, and it stays in your system longer (a proven fact). All those things are bad, especially for me, so I may give it up completely. No one has said this to me but I have another reason why I wouldn't want to be drinking, ESPECIALLY while healing. Alcohol impairs judgment and even a little bit can make you not think about what you are doing. I would be afraid of eating or drinking too much too fast, not chewing thoroughly, or eating something I shouldn't. Any of those things would have painful consequences. Even if you don't give up alcohol forever it's best to abstain for whatever amount of YOUR doctor recommends. And your family and friends will benefit from having a designated driver! :-)

Well, and because your still healing. I can have alcohol after a year ..... Oh and empty calories

From what I have read, this particular kind of euphoria is rare, everyone feels good after exercise but this is different. I could count myself lucky to feel such mind bending pleasure from strenuous activity *cough*, but I also think it has something to do with a genetic predisposition toward addiction, basically our brains are overly sensitive to pleasure, we feel pleasure more intensely than normal people. So, some addicts abuse this gift with heroin, others with alcohol. Me, I hit the cheeseburgers. And people can legitimately become addicted to exercise, I'm sure I'm a looong way from that, but I get it.

I believe my sleeve is a tool to keep me from overeating to excess like I did pre-surgery. I want to eat like a "normal" person . . . and most "normal" people I know enjoy treats in moderation - alcohol, sweets, crunchy salty Snacks, etc. Today I ate a healthy lunch, and then stopped by a pitch-in some of the girls from work had and had a couple bites of a brownie and half a chocolate chip cookie. Before my surgery, I would have eaten a huge lunch, and then hit the entire pitch-in buffet and filled a plate or two. I do know that there will always be red-light foods for me (salt & vinegar potato chips, movie theater popcorn) but if I find myself craving one of those things, I get the smallest portion available.

Yipee!! Someone else that's a vet. The coordinator isn't being discouraging about the surgery, she's over the bariatric program and gung ho for the surgery. She just wants me to have it through the VA and not in Mexico, which I can understand. She's done no research about my doctor, about the facility, or about others who have had the procedure there. The only experience my the VA bariatric surgeon has with Mexican surgeons is correcting their complications so he's really not thrilled about people having the procedure there. Which is again understandable. He never sees all the people who are fine. He only sees the ones that have complications. And he forgets that every surgeon has complications. I spoke to the coordinator again today and she's still trying to convince me not to go. She wants me to do the move program, lost 5% of my weight, then have my PCP refer me to the coordinating surgeon in Columbia, then have that surgeon refer me to Charleston, where the surgery is performed. So after I lose 13 lbs in 6 months, not more cause if I drop below a bmi of 35, they won't do the surgery, I have to convince my PCP to refer me, then she has to convince the Columbia surgeon to refer me. Then, if all that is a go, I have to pass the psych eval when I have drug abuse, alcohol abuse, and sexual abuse in my past. That's just going to be lovely. So that's 3 opportunities to be denied the surgery after waiting 6 months to have it, plus another month or two for them to act on my request. OR I can just have my surgery this Wednesday coming and not jump through any hoops. It's a hard choice, believe it or not. A part of me does want to have a program that follows me, and a doctor to call when I'm worried, and it would be awesome to save my money. $4500 isn't much but I really appreciate having it sitting in my savings account, just collecting interest and giving me peace of mind. Of course, I would normally spend 3/4th of that in 6 months eating out but there's something about dribbling the money away that feels ok when spending it all in one big chunk seems crazy. I don't know. I look at what I was and what I am and to think of postponing my surgery for 8 months just to be told no? I don't know if I would be ok. Here's a current pic of me (I'm the girl with the crazy big breasts): Here's a pic of me in 2005 with my sons and my mom. I'm in the rust-colored dress: I went from a average size woman to a severely obese woman in 8 years, mostly due to medication that's still affecting me. That's crazy to me. I don't want to live like this another year.

I hate saying "studies have shown." If you google "bariatric surgery sexual abuse" or "bariatric surgery drug addiction" or "bariatric surgery alcohol adidiction" you'll get links to research study abstracts that go into detail the latest findings.

LOL. Believe it or not, that sounds like a normal psych eval. (Yes, I've had more than one). Many people who were addicted to drugs and/or alcohol, transfer their addiction to food. So when you take away the food, they go back to alcohol and drugs or shopping, sex, exercise, even eating disorders. It can get crazy. He was just trying to determine if that was a risk for you and something you need to watch out for. In addition, study after study has shown that a large percentage of WLS patients have been abused, especially sexually, men and women. They don't talk about it, they don't think about it, they eat. Again, you take away the food, you take away the coping mechanism. That's a problem. Studies have shown that people that have been sexually abused lose significantly less weight with WLS than people who haven't been abused. It shouldn't disqualify you but it's something he should point out to you so you can be aware of it and address it if you see it popping up in your life. If you're open, you're honest, and you're willing to address any issues that may pop up, you're going to be fine.

I love Moscato (you can get it without the fizzies too!) and muscadine wine that I can only find in Arkansas. My sister has a friend that brings us back a case at the time when we need it. I also have a little winery near my house where you can get red wines made with blueberries and pomegrantes. Those are pretty yummy as well and are semi great for you if you are looking at the antioxidant content of them. I haven't had any alcohol since surgery. I'm not a big drinker anyway but I was told that I needed to wait at least a year after surgery before alcohol. I'm trying to be a "good patient" and do what I'm told plus I don't want to do anything to throw off my weight loss so I think I'll be waiting a while. I would LOVE a good margarita too!

Chocolate martini - I will have maybe a couple a month. It's like a dessert with a kick. Like one of you said, I chose to have nothing alcoholic until I reached goal.

I would skip the alcohol. allons-y

I had my first glass of wine about 3 months post op and it was delicious Check with your surgeon first and also some people handle alcohol way different after surgery. So you may want to take a test run at home before the party just to make sure you are OK with it. You don't want to cause a scene at your MIL's 50th b-day party LOL

Hi - I'm new to this forum, but not to banding. I first got banded in 2007 at a weight of 210 lbs. I had a lot of issues, definitely not using the band properly. It ended with a slipped band in 2008, all the Fluid was taken out and 6 week rest period before being refilled. You would think I had learned something. I did, I learned how not to get stuck by eating slider foods, ice cream, Cookies anything sweet and sugary. From 2008 until 2012 I had kept 50 lbs off, but still eating crazy. I went back to doctor for a fill and got to the point of living on ice cream and Soup, thinking this was normal. Finally, I realized how Un-normal this was, I went back and got fluid taken out of my band. Let me tell you - no restriction - I felt like Denzel Washington in the movie Flight when he finds the key to the mini bar and stares at all the alcohol. I went on an eating frenzy eating every thing that I handing been able to 4 years. In March 2013, I went back to doctor and got adjusted,I know band is where it needs to be, I just need to get my head on straight. In the last 2 months I have done a lot of soul searching and realizing what I'm sure everyone else already knows - the band is a tool. I come to the website today for all the right reasons - support from others and for others. This is not an easy thing to do, if it was the industry wouldn't be full books and diet plans to follow. Without being to preachy - we have it all inside ourselves to do it - sometimes we just need someone to help us a little along the way. So good luck to me and everyone else along this journey and hope to talk to some of you soon.

Effing awesome nannie!! The analyst part of me (professional hazard, sorry) is fascinated though that, to Celebrate your success in abstaining from old behaviors, you indulged in 3 donuts. This is not a judgement of you by any means, I am fascinated because I would have done the SAME thing. Why is this ... if we look at it in terms like alcoholics, why would we celebrate our sobriety by having a drink? Yet, we do ... man this is one complex journey. We are the only group of addicts on the planet that are required to partake of our addiction in order to live! Booze or drugs are not necessary for survival but nutrition is, so this requires even more delicate navigation imo, than substance abuse. I have stayed low cal/low carb/ high exercise for 2 weeks now, first 5 days I lost 5 lbs, then went up 2 lbs and have stayed there. Any ideas what is going on? Trying to cut out the salt but man alive I'm craving it! Trying to drink more Water.

We slip and slide a little but like you all said, we get back up quicker than before. I didn't lose last week-then came home from 4 days in Las Vegas up 3.5lbs. I know some of it was lack of protein and water, plus my body wasn't used to drinking any alcohol or eating the "bad foods" that are very hard to avoid on vacation so it clung to every empty calorie. I also didn't track at all, but comparatively to what damage I did last year-I was very very well behaved in the food and drink department. I hit the water hard, watched/logged my food & protein and am down the gained weight plus another 1.3. Tomorrow is my almost 4 month appt. and although its been slow going, I feel so grateful to be here and look forward to more positive losing! After another 40 something lbs down and I'm getting the girls done and a tummy tuck!!!

I'm not sure if it does call ulcers. The reason we aren't allowed to have it is because it will hit our system really fast, and make us super drunk off of very little, and alcohol tends to be high in sugar and can cause dumping.

Does alcohol cause ulcers??

My surgeon told me six months as well. I didn't touch a drop until after that and even then it was a glass of wine before dinner. Still wound up with an ulcer at the anastomosis diagnosed at about a year post-op. The ulcer has since healed completely and I still like a glass of wine before dinner but it's a good idea to wait quite a while. Alcohol is a definite inflammatory and the last thing you want to mess around with while you're still in the healing process. When the time comes and if you're not overly sensitive to sugar, margaritas are a relatively low calorie drink - especially if you go easy on the triple sec.

I love this and wanted to share it with everyone.... A Mediterranean Diet Debbie Mandel, author of Addicted to Stress: A Woman's 7-Step Program to Reclaim Joy and Spontaneity in Life, says there are certain foods you can eat that will help alleviate stress. One of the easiest ways to reduce stress and be mentally and physically healthy is to follow a low-fat, Mediterranean diet, she says. Staples of the diet include: A lot of fruits, vegetables and other plant-based foods Little red meat Fish several times a week Healthy fats such as olive oil Wine in moderation Low-fat dairy products, primarily yogurt and cheese Complex Carbohydrates When you start to feel low, depleted or stressed, Debbie says you shouldn't turn to a pint of ice cream. Instead, indulge in some complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains, for an immediate boost. "The complex carbs really generate serotonin [a neurotransmitter that affects chemical balance] for women," Debbie says. Some of her top picks include: oatmeal Whole wheat toast Brown rice Brown Pasta Lean Protein Debbie says the order in which you eat your food affects your mood. To get the most stress relief, she says you should first have some complex carbohydrates, then, about 20 minutes later, have some lean protein. Healthy lean Proteins include: chicken Fish eggs Low-fat cheese Omega-3s Known anti-inflammatories, omega-3s also have a positive impact on brain health. Debbie suggests eating these sources of omega-3s several times a week: · Salmon · Halibut Mackerel Trout Flaxseed oil Walnuts Dark chocolate A favorite of many women, Debbie says a little dark chocolate is the perfect treat when you are feeling stressed. "It really makes you more alert and releases stress," Debbie says. Between managing your career, spending time with your family and taking care of yourself, getting through your day can be extremely stressful. Luckily, your diet can help you control that stress, Bob says. He talks with Dr. Rovenia Brock about how to reduce stress and anxiety by eating the right foods. "Dr. Ro" says it's important to eat foods that will calm our nerves amid the chaos of our most stressful days. "I think a lot of people become overwhelmed with the notion of what it is to live healthy, to get a healthier lifestyle—including the foods you put in your kitchen," she says. "But it doesn't have to be a science project." Stress-Reducing Foods: Foods rich in Vitamin B: These include clams, lentils, chickpeas and quinoa. Foods high in vitamin B have a calming effect on the body, helping to melt away feelings of stress and anxiety and enhance your mood. Papayas: Fruits and vegetables with orange and yellow pigments are generally going to contribute Vitamins A and C, as well as folate, which helps enhance the mood, Dr. Ro says. Red bell peppers: These contain vitamins A and C and folate, which help give you more energy and repair cell damage caused by stress. Basil and arugula: These stress-reducing herbs are a great source of folate and add great flavor to healthy dishes. Sunflower seeds: These contain vitamin E and folate to enhance your mood. Foods to Avoid: Caffeinated beverages: Caffeine can cause anxiety and raise stress hormone levels, Dr. Ro says. Trans fatty acids: Found in sweets like cakes, pies and Cookies, trans fats compromise the immune system, which causes more stress on the body and also increases your risk for heart disease. Sugar: Sugar causes spikes in blood sugar levels, which robs your adrenal glands of their ability to control stress hormones and protect the body against stress. Alcohol: Excessive alcohol consumption adds more sugar to your diet and, again, is harmful to the adrenal glands, which protect you against stress. "You might want to put the cork back in the Burgundy [when you are under stress]," Dr. Ro says.

I've been in maintenance for a year. I love my treats and I do drink now. I can eat pretty much anything. I have to limit it to stay in my weight range. I cannot tolerate as much alcohol as I drank before. My limit is two drinks. And I drink 1-2 times per week. For example, this week I had a glass of wine on Saturday. I am going out today and will have two cocktails before dinner. For treats this week, I have had a 1/2 cup ice cream twice, a couple of mini candy bars, 1 T. Peanut Butter on a graham cracker, and a couple of blueberry muffins. Generally, I have one small treat a day. Lynda