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5 days.... no coffee and holding strong. Wow. I feel kinda clear like I'm not walking around in a caffine cloud. Well I must say I am eating everything before monday except no alcohol either. I know its wrong but I want to eat things that wont really be an opition. Eating the bad stuff has been liberating in a way because it doesn't taste good anymore. 1 more day till shakes good luck everybody and Happy Halloween.

What about non carbonated alcoholic drinks, such as Amaretto Sours? I haven't been banded yet but I enjoy this drink once or twice a month. I'm also a Pepsi addict but am looking forward to kicking that habit. Blessings, Michelle

No Telly I'm not OK. P'Susan attacked me in a PM she sent privately to 3Loves telling here she was associating herself with me and I was unstable. I don't bother P'Susan and steer clear of her and her problems, but this is the end of the road with her attacking me to my friends in PM's she doesn't have the guts to put on the board. How can someone who consumes all the wine and drugs she does consider anyone unstable. I do neither. I put my trust and faith in God and I do neither drugs or alcohol and now she is sending messages to 3 Loves about me. I won't stand for another minute of this psycho abuse. Yeh, now I'm fine Sweetie, just a lot to get off my chest. Love you Telly

Being in the medical field and also having had this done, this was my experience. First, I had to fill out a questionaire. The answers to these questions are reviewed by the pyschologist and he writes up his thoughts and what the literature supports as your strengths and weaknessess. Then he commented on the different parts of the test and what he saw as my strengths and weakness. Then he asked more open ended questions about my weaknesses. Mostly, he was looking to see if I have any additions (alcohol, drugs, food whatever), my coping skills, my percetions of certain situations, behaviors, what drives them and what I did to cope with them. The reason they do this is to insure that mentally, you are aware of what lifestyle changes you are going to have to make and your coping skills. Everyone wants to believe they are ready, but past history is what they are looking at. Bad behaviors tend to repeat themselves and multiple way of obtaining support is crutial. It is so different thinking that you are ready and actually going through it. My mind was made up to do this and I lost weight before with a strict diet and excercise for 4 years, so I know what sacrafices I had to make. Unfortunately, I had half my thyroid out causing me to gain weight, I virtually had no engery and slept most of the time. This is how my weight went got out of control. I am now 12 days post op and thought I was going to loose it yesterday. I am self employed, do not drink alcohol, can not eat can not exercise and had to deal with a stressful work situation. I did call my friend who does the same type of work and she help me work through it. Today, I got my staple out and can eat more. Unfortunatetly, I had a huge hiatal hernia and it is tight, so thick pureed foods is not good now. But, it just feels good to know I can eat more if I want to.

Obviously, there are lots of different answers for this according to the doctor. My doctor is OK with caffeine and carbonation as long as you are OK with it! He does recommends limiting sodas, alcohol, and other things with carbonation mainly because they're not usually the most healthy things to drink, but doesn't forbid them. I drink coffee just about every day, but don't drink sodas nearly as much as I used to--I often go weeks without as I don't have much of a taste for them anymore. If I do have one, I sip it--gulping can be a bit of a problem. Most of the alcoholic drinks I like don't have much or any carbonation, so that's not usually a problem.

Thanks Jayme! I need to hear that. I am sure I will need the support. Just like an alcoholic, we must take one day at a time!

Your Doctor said you would become an Alcoholic????? Sorry but that stikes a nerve... I can understand substituting alchohol for comfort food but that doesn't make one an Alcoholic anymore that eating a cookie makes you a cookie monster!

Let me rephrase this a little... Because my doctor didn't just say, "You will become an alcoholic." He was basically giving me facts, about how most of us have an addiction an it's food, that's our comfort an go to. When we can't have certain thing we try to replace them with sonething else.. Like alcohol. Statistics show that 34% of wls patients that drink to early after surgery continue to keep drinking more than they had prior to surgery, an 15% end up doing rehabilitation programs for alcohol instead of over eating. He basically was giving me facts an letting me know the statistics of what others have gone through. I have been looking for these statistics online to post link but I can't seem to find.... Sooooo idk if dr was pulling my leg or not, but to be honest I really dnt care. It's not a crime to have a drink every now an then, so I will continue. #BottomsUp

I miss alcohol too. I personally think you should wait until you've loss the wait you want to lose. Alcohol has is sugar and it'll kill your weight loss.

Jachut, I think you and I maybe polar opposites, we are in theory and probably geographically as well! It's okay I know I piss the heck out of you! I not familiar with the phrase "utter twaddle" but I'm assuming it's similar to what bulls do when they take a poop! This is a Mental Health and Lap Band Life thread, part of a Social Group and not the Rant and Raves Section, just thought I'd remind you of that in case you didn't know. We're all very complicated people and some people here are still considered "obese" so maybe all the "get off your fat ass" stuff maybe a bit humiliating and hurtful in our eyes. It is in mine so I'm sure I'm not alone in that feeling. Is it wrong to interact with others here who also may have low self esteems because of their weight issues to try to get beyond it and feel better about ourselves during our weight loss journeys? Are we only allowed to feel good about ourselves once we've gotten off our fat asses and stopped watching TV and eating bon bons and lost that extra weight? I'm sorry but that's screwed up and we do not need to feel like dirt just because of our size. And I find it insulting that someone would be that critical of fat people who once was fat herself admittedly. You may have disliked yourself but we do not have to hate ourselves just because we are fat!!! Does it bother you that I haven't lost enough weight yet by your standards but still have a lap band but am trying to survive my life day to day and am discussing various topics on this forum? Why does one person upset you so much? You seem to have taken a very militant way of losing weight for yourself and almost remind me of a Marine Corp Sergeant barking out commands at times. You still needed the lap band to use as your tool and it worked for you and your whole approach as you've stated has made you the woman you are today, a much thinner, stronger, healthier person and that's wonderful but don't assume your approach works for everyone! I've never said it was easy for your either, just that it has worked for you. I tend to believe that obesity is a bit more complicated than you wish to believe. You yourself know that a person your age, sex, weight who has never been overweight maybe able to take in more calories than you and not gain. I am not a doctor but I know that weight loss is more difficult for some people, (God I know it wasn't easy for you either!) and we cannot discount that fact! I don't know why you always turn this into a war between "THIN and FAT" with you. I'm sure if you need statistics I could go there on the benefits that thin people have always had over fat people but I think it's fairly obvious. Fat people deserve as much dignity and happiness as anyone else in our world. Do you disagree with that statement and personally do you actually hate fat people and find them disgusting because I'm getting that vibe from you? Do you really think the thin people in our society are getting the shaft??? Not every fat person is an addict. Some maybe but not all! And there are those who don't even believe food is an addictive source like alcohol or drugs are. There are many factors that can affect one's weight. Having obese parents, being obese from childhood to name a few, your situation is a bit different or am I wrong, you did say you didn't gain weight until you had children. I don't think you understand the minds of obese people and tend to be a bit too judgmental with us. Anyway I'm not trying to be your enemy but do resent the fact that you have to attack me when I'm trying to build up my self esteem and help others also. I don't believe we have to wait until we're thin to have it, sorry brandyII.:confused_smile:

So, without any diatribes, why have surgery if you're just going to ignore the guidelines, drink empty calories, and then pump your body full of appetite suppressants? Why not just use the surgery as the tool it was meant to be, lay off the booze, suck it up, and lose weight without drugs. It's great you haven't gained weight, but Adipex isn't going to kill off the empty calories/sugar/carbs you're consuming with the alcohol intake. All it's going to do is hype you up, increase your heartrate, and maybe keep you from eating nutrient dense food all while stressing your liver on top of the booze. Mexico must be fabulous, but the after effects of what you are choosing to do to your body might not be worth it down the road.

Yup, I'm "mentally interesting" too. I always say without bi-polars in the world, it would not be half as interesting. hehe My drug has been food, because I saw my brothers, who have it too, (it runs in families, if one person has it, chances are more do) use drugs and alcohol and literally ruin their lives and health. They were also brilliantly talented, as most bipo's are in some way and did not want that. Food however, made me as much a junkie as they are and kept me from living my dreams and a fulfilling life as much as smack, crack or drink would have. You go Beachee. Pat yourself on the back for taking that step because the sad truth is, most people with our problem DON'T go and get help.

I am 7 weeks out as well, and I have only lost 22lbs since my surgery. You are not losing slowly, that seems normal to me. If anything you might want to avoid just counting net carbs and try counting your total carb intake (including fiber), because there is research suggesting that certain Fiber and sugar alcohols affect glucose levels similar to other carbs. Honestly though you seem to be doing fine. Just think, would you have lost 25 lbs in 7 weeks before you had surgery? I know this is easier said than done because I am still very anxious about my weight loss and I want to do everything possible to ensure that I get to goal. Just make good choices and exercise. I exercise 5-6 days per week, never eat more than 700, and always eat less than 40 grams of carbs (total carbs!), and drink about 64-100oz of Water every day. I do all these things and I have only lost 22lbs since surgery. Unfortunately, part of this experience is learning to go with the flow, even when you think that flow is too slow!!!!!!

Hi - we just bought one last weekend. We were thinking of buying it, and while at Costco Vitamix was there demonstrating. We got the newest model ($600. Canadian). Before we invested that much $ in it we discussed how much we'd use it and for what. For me, it'll be handy as I cannot have sugar alcohols so will likely be steering away from processed, flavoured protein mixes. I want to try to make my own so I'm getting the vitamins from real food. I also get very nauseous from calcium, and although my clinic insists I MUST take it - being so sick daily isn't a great option. So again, I'll need to get as much as possible from food. My husband and I also think it's a great way to sneak veggies into out 11 year old daughter via smoothies :-)

I'm a whiskey guy. I started to drink occasionally at 6 weeks, even though my plan called for one year of no alcohol. This is not advice. I'm just posting what I did. For me, I needed as much normal as I could have, without jeopardizing my progress. I have been very successful so far.

So I’ve watched so many you tube videos and that was a question. The doctor mentioned that the tolerance is very low so maybe a sip or 2 will do LOL my craving is not alcohol but sodas which I hardly drank before surgery 🤷🏻‍♀️

Smoke of any kind is going to be bad for your lungs and increase your chances of getting pneumonia post-surgery. That's a big risk. There aren't a lot of studies showing how many of the other tobacco-related risks apply to marijuana, so I'm not sure we can tell you how or whether it'll affect how fast you heal, whether blood clots are more likely, etc. But it seems risky? It's also likely to make it harder to modulate your appetite. And there are documented risks of people performing other addictive behaviors more obsessively, to compensate for their inability to eat to excess, which is part of why we're told to avoid alcohol for the first year. That reasoning applies to marijuana, too, even though it's not physically addictive in the same way alcohol is; you don't want your fun little habit to get totally out of control. My advice is to hold off for at least a while. Maybe a year is too much to ask, though that would be the wisest course. Maybe see how you feel after three months? Six, if you can handle it?

Not a RNYer so take with a grain of salt... 1. Maybe electrolytes are off, especially potassium. Try that first to see if it improves. 2. Alcohol is now absorbed differently creating the possibility of a new addiction where none resided before. Some call it transfer addiction but it can be just plain addiction too. Careful. 3. Patches and gummies. If you can set it and forget it or it tastes like candy you may be more inclined to take them. 4. Contact your team for everything big or small. Even if it's just an email. They should be able to guide you. Demand it. I'm sure you paid good money for optimal health. Congrats! You look great and deserve to feel that way too. Safe Journey!

Idk why this keeps coming up? Search alcohol and it's all the same on here also do a google search or no take an anatomy class! Point blank you want to drink then do it see what happens, see how you might be lucky a few times but then one day, one day you wake up with a clot in your liver, you wake up with stomach pain so bad it's hard to get up bc of a cyst, let's not forget the kidneys! One day you could wake up with kidney disease not bc it was inherited but bc you drank alcohol!! Vitamins forget that they won't help you after you pop them in your mouth... But go ahead drink them sips of alcohol see how lucky you can be!!! It's only up to you not us Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I have two bags of sour mix, and a bigger can of pineapple juice. It looks like I am an alcoholic too, instead of carrying it up to the third floor I have it at work. I have it in the back but people still see it when they get nosy!!

I also told the cardiologist that i have passed out and was very lethargic a few times when drinking. May be unrelated but he said if i have sinus bradycardia, the alcohol could drop my pulse in the 30's hence the episodes i have had a few times. May make sense as i can go from ok to barely conscious in an instant. In all cases it was when i wasnt moving around / dancing etc.... Which could make sense as my pulse would drop back down when "resting" and alcohol potentially play a role in pushing it down further.

I agree that it is especially critical to follow your surgeon/nutritionist's plan in the early weeks/months. I think down the road, once we are past the initial risks of leaks and whatnot, then it is up to us to explore and find a way to LIVE the rest of our lives. A lot of those early plans are in place to ensure proper healing and coping with your new stomach. But further out, you have to experiment with things that will make your new life sustainable for the long term and find the right balances for yourself. My nutritionist's plan didn't really extend out this far (I'm almost 14 months post-op) aside from the no eating and drinking at the same time and making sure I get 100 grams of Protein per day. I've found what works for me. I reached goal and I'm maintaining. All my blood work has come back great at regular intervals since my surgery. I'm pretty happy and comfortable with the way I eat now. I drink coffee every single day. I was allowed it at day 30 post-op and you can bet I had that day marked on my calendar and literally counted down the days! But I did wait the full 30 days. I was allowed alcohol at 3 months post-op and only have it VERY rarely. I find that I get drunk stupidly fast now. I am a SUPER light-weight. I haven't tried soda, so I don't know what effect that would have on me at this point. I wasn't big on soda even before surgery, having made the switch to Water years earlier. So I don't really miss it at all. I've had a couple of mildly carbonated alcoholic drinks in the past year and they were fine, though I do try to avoid them. I've drunk from a straw several times, just by accident mostly. Sometimes a restaurant will bring my drink with a straw already in it and I'll drink from it without even thinking about it. I haven't had any ill consequences from that, but I don't use straws the vast majority of the time. My nutritionist wanted me to switch away from protein supplements ASAP and get the majority of my protein through real food, but I still eat Protein Bars every day. It's what works for me! Like I said, it's very important to stick to the guidelines in the beginning and not jeopardize your healing. But you are the one who has to be able to live the rest of your life so only you can know what's going to ultimately work for you for the long haul after you are all healed up.

To be fair, I lost the bulk of my weight mostly avoiding alcohol (maybe 1 or 2 times a month after the first month) but now, when, I can't stomach the idea of eating any more food, I find that a couple of glasses of wine is a good way to get me close to maintenance. My labs are still stellar and my body composition is still improving, but if that changes maybe I'll re-evaluate. I follow mostly a Mediterranean style diet and I don't think you can disassociate wine (yes, even every day) from the well documented health and weight benefits of the diet.

First, always check with your doctor and follow his or her advice. That being said, I had my first glass of wine about 3-4 weeks after surgery. Neither my nutritionist nor my doctor ever said I had to cut out alcohol. What they DID say was to treat it like any other high-calorie/low-nutrient food and keep consumption low to avoid weight gain. I do find that since I'm eating fewer calories, the alcohol does go to my head a little faster, but I was a cheap date before banding, so it's not exactly a drastic difference. I'm 7 weeks post-op and I had a glass of wine with my dinner tonight. It was delicious

No judgement here. You have the instructions from your surgeon but, if you go out and have drinks (I'm guessing alcohol) and Mexican food will that throw you off track mentally?