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MustangAli...I am pre-op so I cant speak to the challenge of "wasting your chance" but I can speak to the very thing you are speaking of when it comes to alcohol. My very good friends brother had his WLS and never picked up on good eating habits. After dropping more than half of his weight he was going days without protien and consuming lots of alcohol. One day he just wasnt feeling well and went to the hospital...just in time to FALL INTO a COMA. For 6 weeks his family held vigil by his side. He was killing himself by drinking and eating poorly and not getting his Protein in. He had sepsis (sp) and infections were running his body. His liver had suffered in 6 mths what a normal weight long term alcoholic's liver would look like. He is alive today...still with poor habits and looks like the walking dead. He has gone to rehab now and his protein levels are still off. It will be a long journey. He was killing himself being overweight and still continued to kill himself after the weightloss... You need to ask yourself some serious questions. Talk to your partner...get him on board with good eating habits and ask him to step in with your alcohol (maybe you dont want to tell him about the surgery fine...but tell him that you need to lose weight and need his support). ASK YOUR SISTER to HELP YOU...She obviously cares about you!! If you need a real shocker private message me and I will send you a photo of what he looked like in the coma with all the tubes etc so you can see what can happen to you if you dont make the decision to get yourself together. MAYBE JOIN A PHYSICAL SUPPORT GROUP...not just online.

how about tracking what you eat (maybe with myfitnesspal), eat less of it and exercise more? Knock off the junk food, the empty calories, the alcohol. Get plenty of water and try to walk about 1 mile a day (or 10000) steps. You should be in good shape by the time you have your surgery.

Begging the obvious.......any reason to use these over quest? I've been using quest since surgery and no sugar alcohols.....just fiber and protein

I think I look younger, but I have more wrinkles. I'm not sure, but you can see my pictures, and make the call if I look old. I'm 34, and the only time I have noticeable wrinkles is when I smile my crow's feet show, and the laugh lines around my mouth are more apparent. Personally, I'll take looking my age over looking like a can of Grand's biscuits popped at the seam. I will have face work done because I'm vain. I will have botox, and some sort of filler for my laugh lines, but I do not need it. I want it. Not for any other reason than I think I need it. Ask all of my friends, my husband, and they think I'm crazy because they all think I look 10 years younger. I get carded for cigarettes and alcohol. Most people think I'm my husband's age which is 6 years younger than I really am. I think it's how I view myself. The outside world seems to think I'm my age or a few years younger.

I am glad you are reaching out and I am glad you posted this. Please get the help you need to deal with the Alcohol issues. YOU CAN get back to the 180's. Start now, don't let anymore pounds creep back on. Good luck, and keep us posted.

Nikki, I was self-pay as well, so I understand what you're saying about missing all the pre-reqs. I've been seeing a therapist since before surgery and we've finally found a topic that she can't help me with: body image. She's a tall, slender runner who has never had a weight issue, so she's thrown when I talk about how I see myself (still huge, even after losing 110 pounds). But, even though she's not a bariatric specialist, she has helped tremendously on my journey. I had a tendency to eat my problems and I'm learning to be more assertive. The first few times I had a problem after surgery, I was literally lost because I had no idea how to cope. I think a lot of folks here can relate to that. I think that therapy helps a ton with coping skills and helps us to not have cross-over addictions to alcohol and/or drugs.

Mine said... Never ever again! Kiss alcohol good bye! ~Leticia **HW: 259**PreOp: 216**SURG: 3/21/13 **Discharged @: 221**24 days post op. CW: 200.2 lbs<br />---THE WORSE PLATEAU EVER ---

Well to all those who are saying how easy it is to so called "slide down the slippery slope" or hit "those rocks in the road" and us newbies who "have the tiger by the tail" and every other idiom out there all say that you obviously weren't mentally ready to engage in this new world of self awareness. Again...having surgery which ever method you decide to have..lap band, sleeve, or bypass... THIS IS NOT MAGIC SURGERY. It does not give you the permission to go out after words to the nearest buffet or fast food place or buy a family size bag of potato chips, and think OOHHH boy I had some magic surgery now I can eat anything I want (not to mention the unmentionable...exercise) . NO NO NO. So you need to decide am I going to be successful at this or not. If you are making excuses like "nobody is validating me any more" ... you're becoming healthier ..are you doing this for them or yourself? I'm going to try eating more sugar...why? I personally have type 2 diabetes and got so tired of taking large amounts of insulin everyday. I can't drink alcohol any more... boo hoo...maybe you have another issue to deal with?? What's an occasional splurge ? really? Cut out carbs all together.. again I made a decision to not eat carbs/ gluten anymore. There are so many subs to replace all the bread, rice, and pasta you crave. Try some. Any one of your Nuts out there will tell you if your putting more calories in your body than your burning your doing something wrong. SO NO SLIDDERS ! So if all you who have been out for 3 or 4 or 5 yrs plus have just forgotten why you had the surgery to begin with. Maybe you need a second so called "HONEYMOON" a few of you mention all the failures out there...what about all the successes !!! which I will be one of...It's not BULLSHIT... Obesity is manageable. Some of us need extra help such as the surgery of your choice...but healthy eating is a close second option. So make all the excuses you want. That's what they are EXCUSES. Nobody has a gun to your head saying eat that junk.. it was all your decision. So hate me all you want I will talk to you in 3 or 4 or 5 yrs from now and still be on my "HONEYMOON".

I was told no drinking because of 1. carbonation 2. empty calories. That and then the research that shows your body has to burn off alcohol before it gets to fat. I can't drink when I eat (normal drinks, make me feel stuck) and alcohol before a meal, irritates my stoma and it burns really bad, then I feel too tight to eat. Nothin like vodka sittin in your esophagus for a minute. Ick. If I drink, has to be no when I'm no where near eating and I do small sips.

I also have not had any fills and it is as you say, a double-edged sword because we can eat anything and it will go down. For me, that means I have to be even more diligent because I can eat unhealthy and in larger volumes. My experience is that it takes at times, a little longer to feel satiety so I have to be listening closely or I'll miss the signs and go right to uncomflortable. Plus it doesn't take much to get there. Just the other day, I was out to lunch with a friend and we ordered a chicken quesedilla. I ate one quarter of it...which is typical but then I decided to take another small piece from another quarter. It wasn't much, but after I ate it, I knew I shouldn't have. I was too full the rest of the day and by dinnertime, I was still uncomfortable. Since I was out again for dinner, I took very small...and I mean really small portions of the meal and called it a day. I'm glad you are doing so well so soon out...I'm just going to caution you on the beer...just make sure the carbonation is OK with the doctor, and remember...alcohol is empty calories. I drink too...but in moderation. Best wishes on your continued success!

Parrot Bay coconut Water margaritas! Tiny little cans about half the size of a soda can. Probably don't have them at a bar, but it's my drink of choice at home or a party. Low in sugar and the coconut water makes me feel kinda healthy LOL. The alcohol content is pretty low (my mother in law had one at my house once and asked me if it was non alcoholic) but it's plenty for me! The alcohol hits me hard post sleeve but like many have said, it's gone quickly.

I had a glass after 2 months, which was the minimum my surgeon's office said to wait. They encouraged no alcohol until after 6 months, but it wasn't harped on. I made myself a goal before surgery (because I too very much enjoy wine!) that I could have a glass when I lost 50lbs. I probably have 2 glasses a week now, my tolerance levels are waaaaay lower and I'm not complaining.

Let me start off by saying I'm totally against hard and fast rules, and nevers and can'ts. Everyone has to find what works for them. If you can manage the calories into your diet and still lose, then good for you. But I'm swearing off alcohol while I'm in my weight loss stage. At 3 week post op I went on a business trip that was a very social, cocktails and dinner every night event, and then stayed the weekend with a friend and did the lay by the pool thing. I had a beer or cocktail each day, rarely finishing it. I was more active than I had been since surgery. I got my protein in, tracked calories, and averaged 700/day for the week (including the alcohol). I got home, jumped on the scale, anticipating a big loss. Nope, up two pounds! So that did it for me. Also, your tastes may change post surgery. I was a big social drinker. I never drink alone at home, but put me out at a bar, I really like to have a drink, or two, or ten. But since surgery, I don't have that desire. I'm fine being out w friends, coworkers, clients and having water while everyone else is drinking, don't feel any need to join at all. The week I did drink, it wasn't out of desire, it was out of habit and not trying to attract any more attention than necessary to my changed diet and eating habits. So you may not even want that wine after surgery. Or if you do, your desire to lose weight might outweigh it.

Go up to the top menu bar and click on "Create" and then "ticker." That will give you the prompts to custom design your own progress ticker to follow. I walk a lot, too - 14,000 steps a day. What I don't get at work, I do on the hills around my house after work. I also am climbing 14 flights of stairs a day (working up to 20.) And upper body weights 3 times a week. I really do think this has helped me, too. I feel so much energy now, even though I can only get down about 600 calories/day. I really want to take advantage of the first 6 months and the 'honeymoon" stage before the appetite starts coming back. Hopefully the major dietary changes I have made (no sugar, wheat, soda, alcohol, coffee, snacking) along with the exercise will work to keep the weight off forever.

The orthostatic hypotension is not unusual with rapid weight loss, and is one of several ramifications of your body still trying to function at your old weight when there is substantially less of you at hand - we often feel cold for the same reason, that the body is still trying to cool what is no longer there. These things do improve over time, though it may be a year or two. In the meantime, as the docs and others suggest, more salt, lots of fluids (non-alcoholic), and also exercise is also a common prescription to "keep things pumping" On the exercise front - this should improve things, but let your trainer know that you have this problem so they can watch for it. Also, another side effect of the rapid loss is that your heartrate will likely be lower, at rest and in activity, so if the trainer is pushing to achieve some specific heartrate to indicate some level of exertion, (often it is 80+% of a theoretical maximum rate) their measurement scale may be skewed and they may push you harder than they should. When I was 2-3 months out, I noticed that exercise (brisk walking short of a jog) that used to get my heart into that 80% zone (140-150 for me at the time) would barely get me over 100; even today, years later, my resting pulse is low, often 50 or below, and doctors/nurses unfamiliar with me will question it (yes, it's normal) though my BP is normal to a touch high. So, the exercise should be OK, but let them know and don't let them push you too hard - your cardiac system may have excess capacity, but you may be evertaxed elsewhere. Your ketone levels have little to do with whether or not you are losing weight. They are in indication that you are burning fat. but that can be ingested fat as well as stored fat. If you want to burn your stored fat, you need a good caloric deficit, and it matters little what style of diet is used to accomplish that - low fat, low carb, keto, paleo, Atkins, whole 30 or whatever it may be. I used a relatively high carbohydrate diet (by Atkins/keto standards - 100ish g/day) and lost quite rapidly - because of the fairly high caloric deficit; ketones were there in the blood tests because I was burning my fat stores, but those readings weren't a goal. The high fat/low carb type diets a la keto and paleo are popular these days, but the high calorie levels that often accompany them can sometimes make weightloss difficult. Clinically, high fat/low carbohydrate diets are often prescribed to avoid or minimize weight loss after a non-WLS gastrectomy, so if you are trying to use such a diet for weight loss, you have to keep a close eye on calorie levels. Being four months out, you should still be fairly restricted in you eating volume so that you should still be losing at a reasonable pace, but if you are ingesting too many calories by "eating around" your wLS - drinking calories or very high calorie foods - then you can see low or no loss at this point.

I had the sleeve last November. I'm 22 and in college as well. It was a little hard at first because I had some issues but now I almost feel normal. It's weird sometimes because some people comment about how little I'm eating, especially when I go out with my friends. I never was a drinker before surgery, so it wasn't particularly hard to give up alcohol. Though, I have to admit that when I went down to New Orleans (I was more than 6 months post-op), I did have a (read: ONE) daiquiri while in a bar on Bourbon Street. How could I not fully enjoy the New Orleans experience? Granted I was way buzzed and giddy after just one and it took me an hour to drink it, but hey, at least I found out that if I want a drink every now and then, it's not going to kill me. That has been the only drink I've had since surgery. Let me know if you want to talk or have any questions!

I read an article the other day that talked about this addiction tranference and the Lap band and most people who were once addicted to food incorporated gambling, alcohol, and extreme shopping to their life style to trade one addiction for the other. I have to say that I do buy a lot of clothes but Its my reward. Im not making us broke over it but I do love buying clothes.

Well, I still have a couple weeks before I'm able to have any alcoholic beverages--but I'm already trying to give some thought to what my best drink options will be. I know, I'm going to do better with the lapband if I don't drink too much...and I don't plan to, but the reality is, I have a job that puts me in a lot of open bar situations. So I'd rather just have a game plan in place. So with that...what do you think my best options are. I've already thought about just mixing liquor (tequila, etc) with lime juice... or maybe mixing SF crystal light? Also i've heard bloody marys are probably a good option. Appreciate any suggestions, or what you've found to be low cal and tasty.

Re: transfer addictions: I’ve known a couple of WLS friends who have experienced alcoholism as a transference. My advice to anyone with ANY kind of addiction that they suspect might be due to transference seek the help of a therapist. Before WLS I drank 5-6 days a week. Usually it was in moderation, but there were times I would’ve had what I called “too much” 1-2 times monthly. After WLS that has changed, but I didn’t turn into a teetotaler either. I still have my “usual” alcohol cravings— like when you have a work shift straight from the depths of hell and by-Gawd need a glass (or bottle) of wine to make it better—kinds of cravings. I actually drink much less often and much less volume than I did prior to WLS —much like I eat less often and less volume. I’m okay with this and plan on living like this for the rest of my life. For me, balance is key and quite honestly would be extremely depressed if I thought I could never have another glass of wine or a bit of bourbon over ice again in my life. I’d rather never have another bite of pasta,bread,rice,potatoes (things I still haven’t had yet since WLS) than forgo the occasional cocktail.

Had a Happy NYE with my sis and good friend Jennifer! we had very little chinese and cheese fruit and crckers. I managed to avoid alcohol Yaaay me!.... today is my moms seafood gumbo OMG how good, but I'm gonna behave and no rice... okay very little rice.... OKAY NO RICE geesh! LOL

Hah just read the thread. Confused about the bribe for Secret Santa.. bribe so you can get her and buy her alcohol? And if all yer bringing is cottage cheese and blueberries.. I'm bringing my own food LOL!! I'm going to see how far it is to drive from here, I *HATE* flying.. Anyone else thinking of driving from the southern area? Would be nice to have a roadie in the car with me if I decide to drive! Isn't someone in Florida? (EDITED REALLY QUICKLY BEFORE SOMEONE NOTICED MY IDIOCY?!)

my doc says its ok in moderation like EVERYTHING else post op, including alcohol and such. I have a medium iced vanilla latte everyday, a diet coke everyday, and I have about 3 beers a week on average! Made goal in 8 months, easily maintain my weight, and I am happy and healthy, and not deprived.

Agreed. I've never heard of a job that forces one to drink or they'll get fired. You can be social and around alcohol without drinking yourself. For someone to go so far as to remove an internal organ but then to break one of the most basic rules of success sounds like a dependancy issue. Just like food addiction, it needs to be addressed. I know for me, being overweight was a constant process of making deals with myself. "Just one can't hurt" or "I'll only eat half, that won't be soooooooo bad". But what 30 years of obesity has taught me is it's never just one and there's NO way that other half will get thrown away. Especial given that one of the posters here said they won't drink without their spouse because they make bad food decisions when they drink?? Red flag. Red flag. Red flag. Everyone here is a grown adult responsible for their own decisions. But going into this with the mind set that "just one is okay" is setting yourself up for total failure.

If you skip and and develop and blood clot it could travel and that's BAD! To your brain and cause a stroke, to your lungs etc..... And if you develop and clot you will be hospitalized and then at home you will be giving yourself the injections for months until it resolves. Sorry for the alarmist stuff but it's the nurse in me! Want to make injections easier? When you prep your skin pinch the skin and then with the alcohol pad RUB HARD! Circular motion for a minute or two...it not only cleanses the skin well but it will act as a topical numbing and then stick fast and push plunger down fast....that's the best way I have found to give things like Lovenox. My patients always say they never feel it when I do it that way. Good luck but please please inject it!

Hello all! It has been about a year since I have checked in on this site. I will be 2 years out in december. I still would like to lose another 30 pounds. The lowest I have gotten so far was 165. I currently flucuate between 165 and 170. I have totally gotten off track! Bad! I snack, eat carbs, drink alcohol, eat sweets. All of the things I shouldn't do! I really need to get focused again! It is so hard though. I guess the first thing was just logging on, finding this thread and reading what everyone else has been dealing with. I am comitted to starting again and being healthy. I have planned my meas out for tomorrow and my boyfriend and I have an appointment for a kickboxing class! Meals: Breakfast: coffee (need the caffeine but will be working working on having less), babybell cheese and a hardboiled egg. Lunch: Vegetarian chili 1/2 cup and babybell cheese Dinner: 1/2 baked potato and 1/2 cup of veggie chili Its a start. I know its not exactly what I should be eating but I need to start somewhere! Please help me stay on track! I can do this!