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I tried to make myself vomit after imbibing too much alcohol one night and it did not work. Consequently I felt awful and my hangover lasted much longer . I now try to ensure I DON'T drink too much .

Bless you for posting this! I am so frustrated I could just scream. Sleeved on Feb 20th, lost 30 pounds practically overnight and haven't lost a pound in 20 something days as well. I am getting my ass kicked in boot camp several times a week plus going to the gym on alternating days and I am back to the liquid diet. Haven't touched sugar or alcohol since my surgery and the shakes I prepare do have some carbs but not a lot. It saddens me to think that this is as good as I'm gonna get :-(

Just an update: I am so close to "One-derland" (weighing in the 100's) that I can taste it! Wah - I'm so excited! I was banded 8 months ago, and I am down 58 pounds. I currently weigh 201 lbs. I have not been in the 100's for 15 years... I was 160 when I became pregnant with our baby girl... and then I ballooned up to 259 lbs in the 15 years that followed. Now I'm down these 58 pounds I have changed my lifestyle and my relationship with food significantly. I am alcohol-free, (that habit was packing on thousands of calories a week!) plus I no longer eat rice, Pasta, bread or chips. I am on the treadmill 3-4 times a week and my FitBit tracks my steps. I have learned not to be too attached (yes, I still do some serious comparing from time to time) to the results of others and realize that my progress is mine and mine alone. unique to me. Patience, patience patience... and trusting in my process. This is why I am in love with my band - it is my constant companion and serves to remind me of what a healthier ME feels (and looks!) like.

I had my surgery 4th October 2014 and I have just lost 92 pounds I felt like a failure but I knew I was not doing what I was told to do. I stopped exercising drinking a lot of alcohol eating badly not that I could eat a lot anyway and stalled for a while. I see people who had surgery the same time as me losing over 100 pounds so I PICKED MYSELF UP DUSTED MYSELF OFF AND STARTED ALL OVER AGAIN. I went back to walking stopped drinking taking my meds and I lost 13.2 pounds in a month still eating carbs. Don't worry don't be discouraged just go on your journey at your own pace. THE ONLY ONE THAT CAN CHANGE THIS SITUATION IS YOU!!!!!!!

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

Since I consider myself a 'failure' with the lapband i feel differently then most lapbanders. If you pb often you are to go on liquids for some length of time and this can cause a vicious cycle - and yes, you will get hungry and if good bandster food doesn't go you tend to go toward foods that will go through ok - not good bandster food. I actually feel sorry for this woman and am glad she found something that works. I've tried almost everything and do almost 95% of all things right - i'm not perfect but i eat around 1200-1500 calories a day, drink very minimal amounts of alcohol, exercise regularly and still struggle with not pbing and i don't lose weight. I've maintained which is something I couldn't do without the band but I don't want to or think I need to be tighter. My body just won't lose weight (and yes, I've been tested metabolically.) As my doc said - you can put lapbands in 4 patients and each patient will have a different result - you sometimes can't pinpoint it. I know 3 other bandsters like me and it is a lonely lonely road of mostly folks blaming us for our lack of success -nobody likes to hear from the failures. I would still say go for it - if you have researched and thought long and hard about your decision and realize that for some people it doesn'tt work - one of the folks I know that has had no significant weight loss had the surgery with her mom and sister - mom and sister are pretty much at goal and the woman I know has lost 16lbs - I don't know if the doc or procedure is a joke - I just know I feel for someone who doesn't get the result they want from the lapband and when they do find something that works - good for them.

No alcohol, no smoking after surgery. Alcohols gives you much calories without nutrients. Instead you should maximize nutrients, minimize cals, eat small quantities to match your new pouch. Smoking can cause ulceration of the stomach, as well as make you sometimes dizzy and breathless. Six months down the road, yo can do alcohol and smoke.

The binder that the surgeon gave me it said to avoid alcohol during the first 3 months after surgery but I'm gonna try my best not to drink alcohol the first year because I don't want it to slow my weight loss.

Well, how did you do? One of the biggest "foodie" holidays of the year just passed us by, which can be a MAJOR trigger for those who struggle with food addiction. If you're shaking your head in regret, please read on below to learn how to quickly get back on track. Well, how did you do? One of the biggest "foodie" holidays of the year just passed us by, which can be a MAJOR trigger for those who struggle with food addiction. If you're one of the lucky few, who is able to look back over the holiday proudly, and say "there is nothing I would have changed," then congratulations! I am genuinely interested in reading your comments below about what worked for you; did you remove yourself from the triggering environments, distract yourself by playing a card game or talking with another family member trying to do the same, did you re-read your bariatric surgery "why's," to reinforce your motivation that day, or was there something else that worked to keep you on track? "It's not how we fall. It's how we get back up again." - Patrick Ness For those of you who are shaking your head in regret this morning, you are not alone. There are thousands of other WLS patients who struggled to stay on track over the holidays. The biggest struggle I've hear throughout the years is that the motivation is dented, diluted, or zapped when one first gets off track from their plan. Enter code CYBERSALE to get my Full From Within Psychological Tools for WLS patients course 50% off today only. There is a lot of psychology behind this. Part of the magic in resolutions is their novelty: an implicit contract within the self that says "this will be unlike anything I've ever done before." When we relapse (or "slip" as I prefer to call it), the self goes "oh wait a minute, I know how this goes, maybe this is no different than before, who am I to think I could do this, I have no willpower, etc., etc., etc." So the idea is to find a new plan. It can be bits and bobs of the one you had before, but it needs to have that new car smell again to have longevity. I am including an excerpt of an earlier article I wrote about how to do just that: What do we do when we fall from grace? The research on relapse (with any addiction; food, drugs, alcohol) is that recidivism is the rule not the exception. So why do we get so down on ourselves when we fall short of our goals? Why is it so hard to get back on the horse with the same vigor we had when we started? And how do we give ourselves a renewed sense of hope and motivation for change once we've fallen? “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” - Socrates Everyone does well out of the gates. We all impress ourselves when we start, what we believe to be, a new lifestyle change. However, "out of the gates," can mean different things for different people; for some it is two months, for others (usually depending on how strong the addiction or habit is) it can be two minutes. But what do we do when we fall from grace? The research on relapse (with any addiction; food, drugs, alcohol) is that recidivism is the rule not the exception. So why do we get so down on ourselves when we fall short of our goals? Why is it so hard to get back on the horse with the same vigor we had when we started? And how do we give ourselves a renewed sense of hope and motivation for change once we've fallen? One magical ingredient in the secret sauce (and one of many concepts I talk about in my book and my wls courses) that is lifestyle change is the novelty effect. The new plan to quit something or change a bad habit is something unlike we have ever done before, so we hope that we can achieve something we have never done before. The problem is that the moment we slip, that novelty loses its magic - and each time we start over, it loses its power to give us hope. So the solution is to cultivate more novelty. Our ability to continually grow and change is largely limited by our creativity. The more creative we become, the easier it is to take a different approach to change. To open a window when life seems to shut the door. In other words- what I am telling you, is that the only secret to long term weight loss maintenance is the knowledge that there isn't only one secret. There is no ONE diet that will forever change someone. Eventually people get tired of eating bacon and eggs every meal on Atkins, or grapefruit, or cabbage soup- but the thread they all share is their novelty. This is why all of them can work initially. Even as powerful as weight loss surgery is- people still find that they start to plateau or even gain the weight back if they aren't simultaneously addressing the behavioral and psychological factors that got them there in the first place. They too, must also continuously be creative about renewing one self throughout their lifetime. So the following is for all of you who are struggling today. Those that feel they have lost their way and perhaps feel disenchanted or disappointed. Below is a recovery "map" I created a long time ago for my clients, some struggling with substance abuse, others with food. It all works the same. Print it out, or copy and paste it in the notes section of your phone and take 20 minutes to fill it out with the things that are personally meaningful for you. This is not THE answer to long term recovery from addiction, but it is a fresh approach for many who feel stale at the moment: Baptism - Some ceremony to signal a renewed sense of hope and a fresh start. One client trying to recover from substance abuse, buried all of his wine and liquor bottles in his yard. Another client had a "garbage party" with her kiddos, and they loved smashing all the processed foods they had in their pantry and throwing them in the trash. Associations/triggers list all of the things that get you into trouble (being at a bbq, wanting to Celebrate something, holidays, 7-10pm at night, date night, etc) Coping Skills (what gets you through the crave waves) These are the behaviors that you do INSTEAD of the addictive behavior. Extra credit if you are able to make a coping skill for each trigger listed above. Enter code CYBERSALE to get my Full From Within Psychological Tools for WLS patients course 50% off today only. Higher Desires/Vision of Self when you let go of your attachment to food and all the self loathing, mental, and physical heaviness it brings- what are you freeing your life up for? will you write a book? will you do more outdoor activities with your kids? do you want to resume an activity you once loved as a child? Is there a role model that inspires you that has done what you want to do? Cons Why are you doing this in the first place? These are the things that are hard to keep in mind when our reptilian mid brain (see last article) is at the wheel. What is personally meaningful? Does it age you? Does it make you feel out of control? Do you dread going on airplanes because you know you'll need an extender? does it prevent you from going to amusement parks with your kiddos? Spirituality (religion gets us into heaven, spirituality gets us out of hell) All addiction is what disconnects us from our deeper self and edges us further and further away from God (or whatever you like to call it) and our deeper spirituality. Spirituality is what allows us to move into the unknown, be comfortable with discomfort, and have faith that everything will be ok. It can include a gratitude practice, volunteering, play, aligning one self with nature, connecting with a spiritual e newsletter (mind body green, daily om, etc), generosity, etc. Daily Recovery Ritual (symbolic gesture to self every day that we are consciously devoting time to our recovery) What are the things you can do daily to symbolize to yourself that today is a new day? Keep it realistic or you won't do it. Vitamins, meditation, lemon Water, supplements, self care, reaching out to a loved one, exercise, etc. Reward System What will you do for yourself if there is a certain period of time reached where you meet your goals? Will you get a massage at the end of every month? Will you plan a vacation after three months of solid goal hitting? Will you reward yourself with one day per week of going to the movies in the middle of the day and playing hooky if you're on the straight and narrow for five days? Strategy This is your "what." What are you doing daily to ensure that you are in alignment with your goals? Are you reading something fresh all the time? Do you make a timeline of your addiction and how it has affected your life? Do you go to local support meetings each week? Do you keep in touch with an online community? Do you make sure to give yourself small breaks while with the kids every day? Do you have a self care space set up in your house? Do you talk to a partner about how to change behaviors of theirs that might be hindering your efforts? can they get a mini fridge? Do you do acupuncture to balance your chi? Do you do yoga to manage your depression? Do you find a therapist? Recovery Resources (try to hit one each morning) what resources are in your pocket when you are feeling weak? bariatricpal.com? WLS journeys on Instagram? The Fix, Reddit, unique blogs documenting their weight loss journey, wls and vsg searches on Pinterest, etc. Good luck on your fresh start! Need extra motivation? Use code "CYBERSALE" to get my course: Full From Within Ultimate Psychological Tools for WLS patients half off today only, or try my FFW mini for free.

Yeppers, when I had mine I went ahead and requested to remain awake for just that. Disnt want to wake up in the middle and have a . panic attack. Do you have rosacea? They call it the Celtic Curse and I do have it, have it, Praise God no flares recently. Once when I was in the middle of an attack I was accused of being alcoholic because my nose was red and face flushed, no just my Irish blood coming out. My 2 sons names are Kevin(now an Angel) and Bryan , only more Irish would have named them Declan and Dermot, and late husband would not have gone for that. Rocked Kevin to "Kevin Barry" poor Bryan just got " The Rising of the Moon" both lovely Irish tunes. Did you get pinched on St Patrick's Day because you faied to wear Green? My daddy would pull that on me, got peeved , told him Da, your people were Northern Irish, did not gain me any amnesty, learned to at least put a green ribbon in my hair!

I had my revision for GERD on 6/29 with a BMI of 22. I did not have much pain and resumed walking (starting at a half-mile) as soon as I got home. I walk about 3 miles a day at a quick pace and I'll go back to the gym when it's safe. I never had any problems drinking or eating while in the hospital and my surgeon said that I could have whatever I could swallow, so I did a couple of days of shakes and then moved to purees for a week, then regular food. I lost ten pounds during the liquid/puree days. I became lactose-intolerant, which was a surprise, but I can eat fat and sugar without dumping. I can eat scrambled eggs again, too, my sleeve hated them. I have not had any alcohol, I'm not much of a drinker. I think you'll be fine by Thanksgiving.

I tried the ice...didn't help too much so today I went to my local drugs store and bought alcohol swabs with Benzocaine in them and it worked AWESOMELY!

I've seen some great posts here, so I'm hoping I'll get a response. Sorry that this is so long. I was sleeved end of April. My starting weight was 200lbs. I am 5'5, and 55 years old. I was sleeved in Thailand, because this is where I live now. I wasn't given a liquid diet recommendation, just no alcohol, and watch fat and carb intake. I ate normally the night before surgery. I had broth for 2 days, then they had me on scrambled eggs for two days. After that I ate chicken, regular chicken that I needed to chew a lot. Here I am about 5 months out with a weight loss of 30 pounds. I don't do much cardio, because of a bad knee (the reason for my sleeve was to lose weight for a major joint replacement in October). I lift every other day for 1.5 hours and I use 10 to 20 pound weights for arms and shoulders. I've noticed inches lost, but not nearly as much weight lost as I expected. The only advice the doctor gave me is to cut out all grains, rice, potatoes, dairy, sugar and fruit. In other words, just eat protein and veg. I was told to take a multi-vitamin, iron, and calcium with a D supplement. And drink lots of water. I was very strict the 1st two months (and still no major weight loss), started "slipping" at the beginning of July with oatmeal or whole grain bread once a day. Went a little nuts toward the end of the month with the occasional chocolate and chips, and in August really refocused myself. Still nothing. My average calorie intake is between 850 and 950 right now. I woke up today with sore joints (not sore muscles). Please, I know you aren't doctors (mine is inaccessible, due to location), but I'd appreciate your suggestions. Thank you so much! Also, at times of the day I seriously feel ravenous...not just hungry, but I could seriously eat anything. I'm a lot hungrier during the day than I expected to be.

Any update? And are you taking a PPI (e.g. Omeprazole/Prilosec), or consuming anything that could lead to an ulcer like NSAIDs (aspirin, Advil, Aleve, Celebrex, etc), coffee, alcohol, smoking? I hope you figure this out and feel better soon!

I should have never posted this since 50% of everyone who responded lacks the comprehension to understand my question. I did not ask about consuming alcohol ON the liquid/pre-op diet. This was directed strictly to PRIOR to starting the diet. Reading all of the posts of food funerals and last hoorahs I'm sure no one on here is perfect, otherwise why are you even in this situation to begin with? I have stuck to my 1600 cal diet religiously over the past few months and my doctor said as long as I stayed within my daily caloric limit she had no problem with me drinking responsibly PRIOR to starting her official pre-op diet. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I don't believe half of the people responding lack comprehension to what you wrote. There is a liquid diet (typically 1-2 weeks prior to the surgery) but surgeons also recommend losing weight from the initial consultation until the surgery date too to shrink the liver, lose fat which gives more room for them to work, show that you are committed to losing weight, lowers your chance of a complication (due to hopefully improved health/fitness, lower weight, smaller liver and more room to perform the surgery, etc.), amongst other reasons. Also, most medical plans require a 3-6 month doctor supervised diet prior to the surgery. You would be in that phase, even though you were not in your liquid phase. I know my surgeon recommended not drinking any alcohol during this period due to wasted calories, bad habits, etc.. Why did you ask this question to people on the internet, most of whom don't have any medical experience, also, criticize them when they answer your question to the best that they thought they understood what was being asked?

They are a treat. The "net carbs" crap in nonsense and will stall weight loss. Maybe best avoided till maintenance. Lots of people get diarrhea from alcohol sugar. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Wow. I never knew alcohol did this. I'm quitting completely. Had no idea it enlarged your liver for a 2 weeks. Though I don't drink that much, I'm sure to have at the very least one or two drinks a week, so that means I've never ever had a normal liver since I was 19??? Yikes! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

My doctor said no alcohol 24-48 hours before surgery.

I am 3 weeks out from surgery today. I have gained and lost the same five pounds the last two weeks. I am the type of person that needs to see results. Not seeing them was getting really discouraging. I read about the plateau and that it can last anywhere between a week to over a month. That was slightly reassuring to find out it was normal but I caught myself last night stressing that I did the surgery for nothing and slipped into a state of self pity until I fell asleep. Thankfully, I got up this morning and I am down 2 pounds from my lowest weight. I am hoping that is the end of the plateaus for a while. It pisses me off that I still l crave all the garbage that got me where I am. I have pretty much been on a soft diet. The only foods I am supposed to avoid right now are steak, pork, white flour products, soda, alcohol, nuts, seeds, raw veggies and processed foods. I have around 800-1000 calories a day and a ton of non calorie, non carbonated drinks. I'll be cleared for a normal diet on Aug 21. I am getting in my fluids without any problem. Part of me felt like there was something wrong with me because I have been able to drink without issue since about post op day 5. I've read many posts where people can barely get down 2 oz of water at a time and here I am able to guzzle a 20 oz bottle without any issues except maybe some gas pain til I burp. I am tall and I have read that taller people have longer sleeves and it can make drinking much easier. My doc doesn't seemed concerned about it...it's just crazy how different people's bodies react to the surgery. I am not sure exactly what I expected to happen, but I am still dealing with head hunger and having to push old ways of thinking out of my head. I'ts hard and I guess I thought I had a pretty good handle on it even prior to surgery. I spent a year pre-op going to diet classes and researching the net to prepare for surgery. I must have been so busy preparing myself that I forgot to deal with my actual relationship with food. I know it will take some time and it will finally become second nature. But I would be lying if I said this isn't the hardest thing I have ever done for myself. The good news is reaping the benefits makes it all worth it.

I had a drink fairly early, 3 months out. Joke's on me, I don't get a buzz from alcohol anymore, just a wicked hangover.

I, for one, think that making access to the RnR forums limited is basically hand holding of people who are old enough to make their own choice as to what they read. If you are mature enough to make the life changing decision to get the Lapband in the first place then you are mature enough to decide what posts you want to read and don't want to read. When you enter the RnR forum you are not automatically thrown into each and every thread and bombared with peoples thoughts, opinions, rants, raves, etc. whether the topic is "inappropriate in your mind" or not. You see titles of various topics, you are NOT required to click on them and if you do then be aware that you could read something that you may personally find offensive. Ignorance or lazyness of not paying attention to what forum you are in and what thread you read is no one's problem but your own. If you step into the street without looking both ways and get hit by a bus - is that the bus driver's fault? I don't think so. Making the RnR forum something that you would have to specifically ask for registration with would absolutely inundate the site moderators with unnecessary work. A newbie thats posts something like "help I'm having the lapband and I have a bunch of questions, etc, etc, etc ..." when they get no response will then realize "hmm perhaps I'm not posting in the right spot" and if they don't ... that is their problem for not learning how to read and research around the forums before making their post. Who are WE to decide who should have the right to participate in certain forums? I've only been around these forums since approx. July and have less than 60 posts (I think) and generally choose to read more than I choose to post. I am old enough to vote, buy cigarette's (not that I smoke), buy alcohol, and even porn if I so choose and I am mature enough to make the decision to have the Lapband done. So who are YOU to tell me what I can and cannot read, and if I read it and don't like it then I can chose to not read it again, that's no one's issue but mine. Last I checked this is a free Country... If you don't like the heat - stay out of the fire. This post is not aimed or directed at anyone but is an expression of my opinion. When I state "you" I am not singling any one out.

I take blood thinner normally for an artificial heart valve, so I had to do Lovenox shots for two weeks before surgery and a week or two afterwards. They are no big deal. You pinch the fatty part of your stomach, clean it with alcohol wipes, and do the shot. It doesn't hurt too bad unless you don't grab a fatty part . . . then it hurts like a #$%^&! You might bruise a bit, but even that's not a big deal.

So you weren't really that hungry after surgery? I know this is not that important but what about alcohol? Not that I am planning on getting drunk anytime soon (empty calories and carbs) but I do enjoy a glass of wine here and there and would like to do it again someday. Is there a restriction on coffee if you use artificial sweetners?

Coffee and alcohol , well duh on those 2 but my other without fail, coconut oil. I usually can tell if it is in something even if it's not prominently labeled. Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app