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People seem to vary here. I couldn't bear the thought of any carbonated anything for a couple years. Eventually I found sparkling Water left to go flat, or pouring in a pottery cup seemed to kill the carbonation. Now my Big Treat is a can of lemon LaCroix or some Perrier. I've come to appreciate various waters which vary widely. Lost any interest in any form of alcohol decades ago.

The biggest thing i was told about alcohol is it will affect us differently due to the rerouting of the intestines. So one drink might get you completely drunk. I have known many people that still drink on occasion and due fine they just have to be careful. The other issue is that you don't want a transfer addiction. That is something else they warn everyone about since we no longer are addicted to food we might be addicted to something else ie alcohol.

I don't drink alcohol regularly but might have half glass champagne once every few months. Is it possible ? If not - is it due to the fizz or the alcohol or both? It won't bother me if I never drink again! Funny how I can be do obsessed with food items but not alcohol!

Glad you guys like this. I will post part 2 now with credits for the writer's page....http://www.leangains.com How to Deal With Water Retention: Part Two 4:54 AM | Posted by Martin Berkhan In part one of this article series I covered the basics of water retention. This time I'll list a few effective tricks that will help you deal with it when and if it occurs. Don't worry, you won't be sweating it out in a sauna and sucking on ice cubes. I'll offer simple and non-intimidating strategies that don't require a whole lot of thinking. They can be used in isolation or in combination. Reduce sodium The most common reason people hold water is due to shifts in sodium balance. Going from a low baseline intake of sodium to sudden and high intakes can have dramatic effects on your visual appearance (which any bodybuilding-competitor can attest to). Conversely, reducing sodium can have the opposite effect and cause water loss. This is all about relative and not absolute numbers; it's not high sodium per se that cause water retention/water loss, but deviations from the habitual intake. The solution therefore is to reduce sodium to a level below baseline. So for a day or two... * Ditch all canned or pre-packaged foods since they tend to contain a lot of sodium. A paleo approach to food choices is a pretty good model to use for your diet during these days since it's relatively low in sodium. * Reduce spices and table salt - make a conscious effort to use less than you're used to. An easy way to reduce sodium without feeling deprived is to use a salt substitute, which contains only half of the sodium chloride found in regular salt. * Drink a ton of water. Aim for 6-8 liters. You should be pissing like a race horse. * It's claimed that some foods have a diuretic effect and they're often referenced as natural remedies to combat water retention - asparagus, celery, cucumber and watermelon, for example. I've yet to find some scientific backing for these claims, so take it for what it's worth. I suspect that the proposed diuretic properties of these foods is related to their high water content rather than some other magical mechanism. Get cortisol back to normal Elevated levels of cortisol can cause water retention, potentially due to interfering with aldosteron (a hormone that regulates Fluid balance). Excessive cardio, particularly of the more intense variety (HIIT), and low calorie intakes increases cortisol. * Only do low intensity steady state cardio, such as walking or similar activities with a low perceived rate of effort. * Increase calorie intake to a level that is no less than 500 kcal below maintenance (i.e if your maintenance intake is 2700 kcal, you should eat no less than 2200 kcal these days). Have a drink Alcohol has a quite profound diuretic effect, so drink a a large glass of wine (7 ounces/2 dl) or a large shot of vodka (2 ounces/6 cl) shortly before going to sleep. Caffeine-rich beverages are often said to have a diuretic effect as well, but this is actually a myth. Studies show that the fluids ingested with the caffeine more than makes up for the diuretic effect of caffeine itself. In order for caffeine to have a diuretic effect, take caffeine pills. Look over your Fiber intake In my experience, both high and low fiber intake can cause water retention and a feeling of bloatedness. Look over your diet and it should be clear what the problem is. Do a refeed Do a carb-refeed, preferably after having depleted muscle glycogen. A full-body session consisting of 2-4 sets of 12-15 reps per body part will get the job done. Carb choices should consist primarily of starches such as potatoes, rice, Pasta and bread. Keep fiber low, potassium high. The exact amount of carbs to be ingested depends on several factors, but I suggest playing it safe and not going overboard. * 4-6 g of carbs per kilo lean body mass is a good starting point, preferably on the low end of that if you're inexperienced with carb-refeeds and how you react to them. * If you do it right, this will have the effect of pulling water outside the muscle cell into the muscle cell. Along with increased muscle glycogen, this will give you a lean and full appearance the next day - ideally also causing a "whoosh" over night.

Grace you do a great job on this board. There are just so many people here that just can't handle or accept what is the truth. Its hard to change ways that have become so ingrained that to them they see only see normal. Their view of "support" on this board and many others is some type of absolution. They want to be socially accepted for their failures without having to face the hard reality that they can't make the changes needed for success. From my time here, I've seen a lot of people that haven't reconciled their relationship with food and why they are the way they are. They come here and want easy-peasy, warm and fuzzy and if I screw up, well I'm still a great person. I think that you pulling back the covers and exposing this the way you do is what is needed on this board. This is serious stuff and you can't go through the process and not make significant lifestyle changes and expect to be successful. There seems to be a fair amount of mental preparation in this process that gets completely overlooked. I see that every day I visit here, with the questions about alcohol, eating a week after surgery and the general complaints about the pre-op diets ,people simply aren't ready or are unwilling to commit to the changes they need to be successful. Of course people will fail at this, mess up, eat what they shouldn't and so on, we all do, but coming here to gain absolution seems just asinine. Support comes in all sizes and forms. For those that get upset when they hear something that might be unpleasant, or isn't what they wanted to hear is equally foolish. I urge to you keep up the good work, you are doing a lot of good. I know that you might have to get the Kevlar socks out every now and again, but what you are doing is part of the whole process of support, the good the bad, the truth and the fluff. To the poster that wanted you go off can create your own rant group, well...If you do, I would be the first one to sign up. At least I can tell the difference from what is real and what isn't. Hang tough Grace!

I'm sorry i didn't see this post earlier..seriously need a new phone-- lol...anyway- THANK YOU! You are in my head- I swear! It's good to know there is life after beef broth lol. I have the same problem- I'm trying to figure out where my hunger comes from...I think a lot of it is stress and there is a serious lack of self control that has taken over since this whole weight thing has spun so out of control....so I'm happy to hear that this will be a useful TOOL to get my back on track, to get control over my life again. How embarrasing to sit back and say- I have a food addiction- but you are 110% absolutely CORRECT. It's like an alcoholic, but in our world- you'd have to drink a bit of alcohol each day to stay alive..and nobody has ever explained it like that to me before. I seriously couldn't think of a better way to put it. I'm excited for my journey- surgery in 3 days Thank you for the support- I look forward to leaning on you as the rest of this journey unfolds before me!

This one, is a big bone of contention on this board. There's a couple of schools of thought. 1 is that alcohol should be avoided all together (empty calories, bad on the gut, goes to your head quicker), then there's a group that wants to do it (yolo, lifes a party, don't want to be the only one not having a good time etc). Personally for me, I was a big drinker. That's part of why I was almost 300 lbs. So...climbing up on an operating table and letting them cut out a perfectly good organ, changed my perspective to a large degree. For me, it was more about my ultimate goals and changing my lifestyle. That meant that some things just didn't make sense in my life. Alcohol is one of them along with fast foods, white carbs, sugar and a whole lot of other things. I'm not saying that I won't ever take a drink again, that would be foolish. But what I am saying is that until I reach the goals that I set when I started this process, I have to stand firm. I don't feel that I am missing anything, my life is full and I like sobriety quite well actually. If you do decide to drink, understand that you may feel quite uncomfortable and you might feel the effects of the alcohol quite a bit faster than you might have otherwise. Just make the choice that you feel that you can best live with and go!

I am not on a pre-op diet but I have set a few targets like no drinking alcohol (seven days without a drop now) and this week I am tackling the walking programmer. Got up bright and early and did 2.4 miles up and down hills. Is was not easy but I know it will get better. Only 25 days till surgery.

I've posted in here several times about the equilibrium (vertigo like) issues I share with a VSG patient friend. Long story short, I called one of my doctors numbers to get a coordinator who said she experience the same thing and it turned out to be a stomach ulcer! No pain, no abnormal gas, just dizziness a day or 2 after having alcohol. I am wondering how common stomach ulcers are after VSG, what your experiences were like, and how common they are for us? I imagine a lack of pain could certainly be due to a lack of nerve endings- we now have scar tissues where our stomachs were cut! But the dizziness is an odd thing to experience all on it's own.

I've come to realize almost every doctor and nutritionist has different guidelines. The main thing mine drove home was to get in at least 6 cups of water and 60-80 grams of protein a day, both are hard to do in the beginning. I was also encouraged to watch the amount of sugar or sugar alcohol in everything and make sure the grams of protein are about twice that amount. If in doubt, call your NUT, it's their job to help guide you through this.

I have a book written for Bariatric patients with recipes and in and it says you can have diet soda and yes, even alcohol, in moderation.

Yes that is what the dr told me too but you explained it so much better. I have had all these symptoms except being hot, I FREEZE ALL the time. No feeling in my fingers freezing 24/7. I haven't broke a sweat in over 2 years The gastric dr sent me to a diabetic dr who found this in a blood test. He prescribed Potassium and another pill to help my body absorb the salt. I have low BP and don't know how long I've had it, I've been falling, about to pass out and fell once at work and ended up in the ER overnight because my BP was too low to send me home. Somewhere around 80/48. After 3 iv bags, it went to abt 96/56...where it pretty much stays now. I have always had perfect Blood Pressure. My heart rate has always been around 56-60. it dropped to 45-48 in the ER. During the fall, I pinched and damaged a nerve in my left leg...Now I have drop foot. I can't move my left foot up at all...I can move it down and slightly sideways but nothing up. I have a brace on my leg and foot now that I got this week. It helps me not lose my balance and trip over my foot. But I till fall over to my right. My left leg is the one messed up. I started the new meds last night. So, if I get my sodium up and potassium up, my bp will go up and I will stable out? I was skin removal at the end of this year and don't want it to cause me to not have the surgery. As far as how I lost the weight...I still try to keep my calories under 1000 a day. I've had grape Gatorade for the past month. I crave it ...I guess because of the sodium I'm missing. I stalled for almost a month until yesterday. I started drinking chocolate Muscle Milk two days ago for Breakfast and sometimes for lunch and eat what ever I want at night. My stomach is still small and I can't eat a lot. Up until I messed up my left and foot,, I was always on the go..I have a sit down data entry job so I dont get up much during the day but when I get home, I hardly sit. Weekends, I spend window shopping and trying on clothes for fun. This morning I woke up to 203. Its been 205-209 for a month. Hopeful I'll be under 200 and in Onederland by Easter. I don't drink colas at all. Sometimes unsweetened tea with sweet n low. If I have alcohol, its about once a month and is a "sample" from Olive Garden for 25 cents. Its all I need and satisfies me. I am so surprised and excited and how much I have lost and how fast. I don't think its any certain secret but each person is different in losing.

Hey there!! Sorry for the delay - have been trying yo get back in the grove of things!! So here's my story!!! My Mother and I drove to El Paso - it was a long 8 hour drive - and with every mile closer butterflies seemed to make a home in my gut!!! LOL!! We arrived a day early in El Paso (Thursday) and spent it shopping(hehe)!! The driver for BeLiteWeight called me around 7 pm to check on me and made sure i knew where and when to be! Friday afternoon we made our way to the airport and dropped off my truck ( Fast Spot is wonderful - good price and courteous staff) at long term parking. We arrived about 2 1/2 hours early (just to be sure we didn't miss the transport to Juarez) and then around 4pm loaded up with another couple. The driver was very friendly, have us a mini tour and most importantly got us to our destination safely(it took less than an hour to get across the border and about 10-15 minutes to get to the hospital). At first sight the Star Medica looks like a top notch hotel. The driver took us passed alittle security point and parked next to the ER entrance. From there he escorted ( oh yea - and carried alot of the luggage) all of us inside the building. The first thing I noticed upon stepping inside was the smell - it was wonderful - it smelled fresh and clean. Second thing was how pristine everything and everyone was - nurses wore immaculate white uniforms with white nurses hats. Anyway - from there the driver took us to two huge double glass doors, which brought us to registration. He deposited our luggage and gathered our IDs and gave it to the intake personnel. He made sure we were comfortable and then said his farewells to us. A few minutes later Dr Couldon( probably not spelled right) appeared in front of my Mother, the other couple and I and discussed with us step by step what would be happening to us. He facilitated our registration - even translated some things for us while signing the few papers required to check in!! He then escorted us to the third floor and got us and our items settled in(the other couple was right next door to us). He then came back ( about 5 mins later) and escorted myself and the other lady downstairs to star our Pre op testing. We got down there and we're both immediately admitted for it - I to X-ray and she to get her blood drawn and then we switched. It took a total of 10-15 minutes from start to finish( when we got back to our rooms). Dr Couldon brought us back upstairs and advised us we were free to go out and enjoy our last (big) meal and even offered some choices. There is a wonderful restaurant right next to the hospital (2-3 minute walk); it was first cheap, wonderful food and the service was phenomenal!! After dinner we went back up to our room ( by the way the room was bigger and more comfy that a lot of hotel rooms I've seen) and turned in - the next day was going to be my surgery so I wanted to try and get some sleep!! At 600 am sharp on Saturday I get a knock on the door and its the nurses to put my IV in - first stick was a charm and he got it put in!! From there we waited (no food or Water since the night before either) until about 830 am and the when Dr Rod and the other Doc came in. They asked if I had any questions, shook my Mothers hand, held my hand and patted me on the shoulder( something most American docs don't do - they don't touch their patient) and then left. Then about 30 minutes later the anesethologist came and held my hand and explained to my Mother and I what to expect - she even gave me a mini hug. About 2:30 we get a knock and it's a nurse coming to get me to Prep me for surgery - he wheeled me down on my bed ( I was the 4th out of 5 surgeries on Saturday). I get down stairs and they put the stallings on and even gave me alittle something for my nerves - about 30 minutes after that I am wheeled into the operating room and transferred to another bed. They fold out some arm rests and put my arms gently on it and then the anesethologist comes to my head and is smoothing my hair and talking to me saying everything will be all right, that I will be asleep in a minute and that she would be there when I woke up - from there I wake up in recovery after 2 1/2 hours ( I'm told) and am wheeled back up to my room - at that point I remember asking why I am having hunger pains and where I am at - I then see my Mother and wave at here and then I fell back asleep!!! LOL!!!! I woke up about 3 hours later and immediately had to go to the rest room so the nurses brought me the wheelely deal for my IV and I took off running!! HaHa!! I did not have any major pains - mainly just acid and gas but it was all bearable - I only asked for pain meds at night because they seemed to put me straight to sleep! I walked as much as I could and tested a lot - I have been having hunger pains but that was due to the acid build up and of course gas- it had since gotten much better!! All the doctors came in to see how I was doing and checked on my cuts! The next morning they came again and approved my ice chips and said I could take a shower. Which I gladly did and of course I enjoyed the ice chips - nothing tasted better at that point!!! After that I was brought lunch and dinner which consisted of broth, Jello, apple juice, tea and huge bowls of ice chips. Later that night Dr Couldon came in a asked what time on Monday I wanted to depart - told him 8 am and he aggreed! Then Dr Rods co worker ( c any remember his name off hand( came in and took my down for the X-ray to make sure I had no leaks - I drank that nasty stuff and then he should be everything in real time and even had a DVD burned of what I saw for me!! He then escorted me back upstairs and told me he'd be back in a few minutes to take my drain out! He was true to his word and Came back - he had me sit down on the recliner and I of course asked if it was going to hurt and he smiles at Me and asks if I want the truth - so at that point I am gearing up for some pain - he takes ice cold alcohol and rubes around the bandage and then says ok I will count to 3 - he goes 1....2...how u feeling - I'm done!!! I did not feel a darn thing!!!!! After that we just had a few nurse visits to replace some IV fluids, bring my meds and to gave me a shot! The Next morning they came in sharp at 9 and we were loaded into the van! It took us about 3 hours from the hospital to where we parked!! I am currently 7 days post op and have not weighed myself yet so not sure if and how much I loss! The whole experience was wonderful and I would definitely recommend using BeLireWeight!! Ask if you have any questions.

Haha does adding vodka to the movie theater slush count? Can u imagine lol I would be spinning like crazy from all that sugar and alcohol... A popcorn party yayyy

I pretty much drank EAS carb control Dutch chocolate drinks from Wal-Mart and Crystal Light lemonade. I wasn't able to eat anything for the 1st 4 or 5 days and then moved onto chicken broth and then Cream of Chicken and Cream of Mushroom soup. By the 3rd week I could handle (very finely chopped) chicken and chopped boiled eggs. I didn't need a lot of variety, so when I found something I could handle, I stuck with it. Don't buy too many of any one sugar free thing. I found out the hard way that my stomach does not like things with sucralose and sugar alcohols, but aspartame is okay.

I believe the original poster asked about using weed in conjunction with being sleeved. I also believe it is no different than asking about alcohol or sex or exercise. If one is going to use weed let's encourage them to do it in the healthiest manner, just as we would advise eating and drinking in moderation. There are lots of subforums, subgroups, threads unrelated to vsg on this site, such as gay/lesbian, Christian, men's room (where I believe this thread is).

I appreciated the postings with detailed experiences the most before I had surgery, so here's my take on things. Overall, I had a really good and easy experience. I have had 5 surgeries in the past: an extremely painful C-section, a low pain hysterectomy, a very low pain laproscopy/uterine ablation, and 2 knee surgeries. I'm pretty tolerant of pain, but I don't ever try to push it. If I need pain pills/shots I get them. I would rank this very close to the laparoscopy/ablation for pain. All my pain levels except right after surgery were less than a 3, but I kept on top of getting pain meds. Right after surgery, when I woke up I had some pain and just asked for pain meds and they were there in a second giving me something. It was about a 5, but could tell it was progressing. It didn't last more than a few minutes after the pain meds. Before arrival: Check with your cell phone company to see if they have a Mexico plan. Check with your bank to see if you can use ATM in Mexico (most can't), if not, bring cash. You can exchange for pesos at the hotel desk. Everywhere I went accepted dollars, so no real need to exchange. Arrival: Heading out of the airport keep tunnel vision and don't pay attention to the people there trying to get you to try tequila or give you a ride. Your ride will be in the next room towards the right side. There will be people there that insist that you are on their list. Keep walking and look for sign with your name on it. They will take you to a small room where you will wait a minute or two for the driver. Ana Karen will probably not be there to meet you, but she will be staying at the hotel, so if you want to see her, just give her a call. She is very sweet and will help you with anything that you need. Dr. Lopez also stays at the hotel. Hotel: The hotel is pretty nice. The pool is heated and there is a hot tub. You won't be able to get in it after surgery, so take advantage before. Getting around: Taxi service is cheap, but the roads are very bumpy. I took a ride downtown after surgery and it did me in for the rest of the day. A shorter ride to the pier would have been better. Food: The broth at the hotel is good. One version I got was amazing, but couldn't figure out how to get it again. You can order from room service or at Champions. You could probably order from the restaurant by the pool, but I didn't try because I wasn't hungry. They don't have popsicles or Jello (or any that we could find), so I did without. We did get a wonderful orange juice and mango smoothie (ice and orange and mango juice) from the bar the last day. It was a nice change. Hospital: The hospital was the nicest hospital I've ever been in. There is a couch in the room that your guest can sleep on. It's ok on the comfort scale. It was new and all the equipment was new. All the nurses are new and pretty young. They aren't the best at starting IVs, but I have really hard veins to find. My sister (ER nurse for 30 years) helped the nurse find a good vein after I bent the first one while sleeping. There is an odd mix of new technology and new hospital, but some older practices. They have alcohol in a metal container with cotton balls instead of individual alcohol wipes. They used ace bandages as leg compression instead of the automated inflated leg compressors that our hospitals use. I didn't see anything like that though that would increase risk in the operation. After surgery: The best advice I got was to walk, walk, walk. Every time I woke up after surgery I would get up and walk. The first time just a little bit down the hallway, and a little bit further every time. Even throughout the night. I woke up every hour or two and got up and walked. I had very little gas pain. I would also advise burping as much as you can to get rid of it. I took a heating pad, but never needed it. I would still take it if I had to do it over, because you never know. I had a bit of nausea the second time I woke up after surgery. I could feel it starting and immediately rang for the nurse to get some meds. It didn't come back. Dr. Lopez gives you the option the day after surgery to stay another night or go to the hotel. I asked Karen if most people go to the hotel after one night and she said yes. I planned for 2 nights in the hospital so I didn't have enough clothes to wear, but I just wore stuff twice... no biggie! I had a pair of loose pajama shorts that I wore in the hospital under my gown. The drain and tube is cumbersome, but bearable. The doctor will leave it in until you're at the hotel. It didn't hurt to take it out, just felt weird. Things I'm glad I brought: carmex!, pajama shorts, Water flavors (mio, crystal light, etc) Things I brought but didn't need: Heating pad, ear plugs (the hospital was quiet), sleep mask, sore throat drops Things I wish I brought: Tylenol (sometimes needed a little bit of pain relief, but took the prescription from the hospital), more unjury Protein broth mix, unflavored Unjury (could have mixed it in with the mango smoothie), bandaids (for the port incision) Doctors: My sister (ER RN for 30 years) was extremely impressed by the hospital and the doctors (she wanted to take Edgar, the anesthesiologist home with her... you will too!). Dr. Lopez is very good. I was extremely happy with my choice to go through him and to have it done in Puerto Vallarta. Results: my surgery was 1/17/13. Including the preop diet, I've lost 31 lbs. My BMI was 38 before surgery and is down to 33. Loss is slowing down the last two weeks, but hoping to increase my exercise levels soon. I am already so glad I made this decision. Looking forward to a healthier 2013.

My surgery is also March 4, I started my pre-op diet on Tuesday. What has helped me tremendously is that I plan my meals the day before.I have a 1000 calories per day. I do the carnation essential for breakfast every morning and I make sure to have my lunch ready at night. I am using the Calorie counter. As someone said get use the diet because it will help in the long run and it also help to reduce the liver size...I have wanted to cheat myself a glass of wine or even a beer...so mine is really not even food it's the alcohol lol! Good luck!

any kind of oil, or vaseline... haven't tried alcohol

Sometimes baby oil will do it too but rubbing alcohol does seem to work best.

Rub, rub, rub with rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball or cosmetic pad.

At your local pharmacy (CVS etc) there is a spray that is used to remove bandage residue. It's medically stable (so safe around wounds) and won't sting or dry out your skin like rubbing alcohol will. I can't remember the name but we used it constantly on our baby when he had a feeding tube. It never damaged his tender skin. I always have some around...it's great on price tags Peanut Butter works as well but I wouldn't use it near a wound.

I believe rubbing alcohol works.

I am pre-op (in liquid phase) and my Dr. insists on no alcohol for a year. I don't plan on touching a drop until that time and then it will be very moderate. Alcohol has so much sugar in it in all forms. Not for this chick for all the money sunk into this surgery. (smile)

Hey! I'm down from 283 to 253 since Sept 26th so 30 lbs in 5 months. I've lost 62 since July. I've had 2 fills and I'm not in the green zone yet. I am happy with my progress considering I haven't been on an exercise regime and still eat some things that aren't considered diet food occasionally...plus I drink alcohol daily