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My surgeon only told me about alcohol because I specifically asked about it, he didn't give me a handout or anything. He said its ok to have after 4 weeks out. I get why your asking Sarah, if its only about calories you might think you can have one or half a one but if it poses a real risk to your health you might think differently. I don't know why people are acting like this, it's a perfectly valid question!

Hi Mason,luckily dr Al Taie didnt mention the alcohol thing to me at all and somehow I didnt get a booklet from him.?.lol. So I am having a G&T every week.Now I havent followed the threat after I posted as I felt ignored...lol...so I dont know which side of the fence you are..lol. Myself,I am 75% of the time low carb,20% moderate carbs and 5% of the time I say whatever.Having said that in 10 months I have had 1 alcoholic drink once a week,a bite of a donut,a quarter of a big tasty (minus the bread) a slice of my kids pizza (UAE size not USA size) a little swiss chocolate,a bite of my kids ice cream,a bite of cheese cake,a bite of carrot cake.I have been to at least 40 friday buffets (torture in the beginning I might add) prefer to eat out rather than eat at home.I am low carb some days and higher some days. In these 10 months I have lost 130 pounds,had some loong stalls (7 weeks while low carbing) AND I HAVE MADE PEACE WITH food and with myself.I still freak out every now and then when I think I might regain in the long term but I know its just the old me trying to get attention..lol. My housemate ,MD of a company working 16 hour days very often,have found though that low carb is fantastic for her.She has lost 14kg's (gone from size 16 to 8, not US sizes UAE sizes..lol) and she has better memory,more energy,her skin glows,she says she feels alive when she is low carb.She was a real chocoholic before.When I eat like her,I am moody,feel like I have fluff between my ear instead of a brain,am sleepless,constipated and NOTHING can convince me to exercise,too tired all the time. We also had a third lady staying with us for 6 months.She is a diabetic that had a kidney transplant.She is tall and skinny despite her anti rejection meds that gives her a huge appitite and despite being restricted in her Proteins.She eats huge plates of food though.Really bulks up on veggies and salad (I mean a lot of food!) little Protein and about a quarter of her food is carbs.She walks every day of her life to help control her sugar and she doesnt cut anything out of her diet. 3 different people.3 different issues,3 different results.YOU SHOULD SEE US COOKING!We've had to learn to really respect each others way of eating and we all admire each others persistance in trying to find out what really works best for each of us as individuals.We are all happy,well adjusted and free from the burden food use to be for us. (ok,I still worry some times,but they keep me grounded) At this point I couldnt care what anyone thinks or says about my eating,I am a raging success IMHO and that is all that counts.I have found what works for me and that is what matters. Now,I will try to read the whole threat...lol

I've taught psychopathology for over 25 years and I don't believe that article suffers from selection bias or that the results could be applied to the general population at all. There is a far greater incidence of PDs in patients with morbid and super obesity than in the general population. Furthermore, NurseGrace, I am not here as a staff member or the forum psychologist. Given what's transpired on this thread, that article is entirely apropos and informs a great deal of what the OP complained about. The sharing of that article was not a bastardization of anything despite the fact that my motivation in doing so was obviously over- and multi-determined! As for your earlier idea about labeling members by their orientation to abstinence vs. moderation, i.e., "different ideas about how closely we follow the guidelines," the only long-term guidelines I received from my surgeon were: 1) no carbonated beverages ever and; 2) no alcohol for at least one year. For the record, I plan to follow both those guidelines religiously. So, please, put me down as "by the book!"

While I don't believe drinking alcohol so soon after surgery is a good idea. I am really appalled at the attitudes of some people on here, I thought this was supposed to be a support forum not a act like children and call people names forum.

If you don't want to get too skinny then why would you get something as drastic as gastric sleeve surgery? Not only is alcohol empty calories but your sleeve is still healing and you could potential burn your staple lines. Ever pour alcohol on a wound? Yeah that's what you are doing to your stomach.

There are several issues with alcohol, and different docs have differeing concerns about them. The basic initial concern is healing of the stomach, and that's where many docs come down to something around a three month limitation. Empty calories, too is a concern during the weight loss period, but that's no different than talking about Twinkies or any other kind of junk food. The biggie that some docs fret over is liver health - as obese patients, our livers are generally in pretty poor shape to begin with, and then they are further taxed with their role in metabolizing all of the fat that we are losing - they don't need any more stress from metabolizing the alcohol. So, that's where some docs come up with a no alcohol during the entire weight loss period policy - this is my doc's plan, and he's a bit more anal about liver health than most WLS docs as he also does liver transplants, and he doesn't want to see his bariatric patients coming back as transplant patients. The other concern is the prospect of transfer addiction - many of us were addicted to food, and with that taken away by the surgery, that addiction can be transferred to something else that was never a problem pre-op, like alcohol or gambling - so that is something to watch out for. The other thing to watch is that most find that their body's response has changed - usually feeling the alcohol's effects sooner and with less (things tend to go thru quicker, particularly liquids), but then they tend to recover quicker, too. Those are the major issues that influence the differerent surgeons' policies on alcohol and WLS, so take them for what you will. Overall, the occasional drink is not likely to be any more harmful than the occasional twinkie, but there are potential problems with it being a regular thing during the post-op period. Good luck, and may you have something to celebrate! Sent from my iPhone 5 using VST

This got so any posts that I decided to talk to the expert. I work with my surgeon and asked him the question. He said alcohol too early runs the very high risk of causing ulcers on the staple line and causes a likelihood of a leak.

Actually I could have had it on mine. I was limited to 40g carbs per day so I could easily have had that on a good day. But honestly, if alcohol isn't on your post op, why are you having it? I am asking from the position of someone who suffered horrific complications doing what was required by my surgeon. I can't imagine risking those for a glass of wine....

Well he was sure worried for a reason . And chicken parm was not on my menu for pre op and i doubt on anyone else's ..just like alcohol was not on my post op !

And I also read your confession of chicken parm 3 days before your surgery so don't act like your a saint .... ThAts scarier than alcohol lol

Empty calories aside.... I find no reason to not enjoy a drink from time to time but 2 weeks out is a bit too early. Your staple line is healig and alcohol acts as a blood thinner and can cause bleeding which isnt good for our healing stomachs, wait a bit longer ..... I am having a drink right now as I type this, I was about 5 months out before trying it

Follow the post-op orders provided by your surgeon and nutritionist, which do not deviate on this point. Alcohol is not recommended for sleeve patients post-op (some docs/nutritionists say EVER), but at the very least in the critical healing 6 week period. If you don't believe us, drag out your booklets and notes. If you still don't believe us, call your surgeon's office or nutritionist on Tuesday. You have a tiny, tender, trying-to-heal stomach and you need to take better care of yourself.

After 8 weeks then the answer would be yes, but it is not recommended. Alcohol has many calories and will not help on your progress with your weight loss. Alcohol intoxication will also hit you a lot faster with the VSG than other surgeries.

Your lortab is in a suspension liquid made safe for the gastric lining...also it is temporary benefit that out weighs risk. Alcohol can ulcerate fresh wounds but you can do as you like its your body

Obviously I'm on the right track if I'm down 20 pounds in 2 weeks ! The most important thing is not to stretch out the sleeve by eating certain foods that your stomach cannot tolerate . Which I have stuck to this diet . And work out 4 days a week . Just thought someone could give me some expert advice on how alcohol affects the sleeve in a negative way . If the alcohol was burning my insides or making sick in any way that would be a whole different story .

And another thing the medicine .. Loritab liquid that they sent me home with contains 17 percent alcohol !!! So is there any proven fact that alcohol affect the sleeve ??? Need answers not just negative comments

So I'm enjoying a skinny girl cosmopolitan and I'm already down 20 pounds , so what is the big fuss about alcohol if your body can totally tolerate it ?!?!?!?

Don't forget what 2012 said, too. That sugar alcohol doesn't effect your blood sugar and shouldn't be included in net carbs either.

i am also curious about this. i am only 23 and recently graduated college. i don't drink often anymore. but once i am well enough, i am hoping to be able to go out about 2x a month. i am wondering how post op patients handle alcohol and if you are able to get drunk. sounds bad, but once in a while, it's fun to let loose with friends i haven't seen in a while!

Sorry i have had alcoholic patients and drug addicts stay away from the substances they abused totally. Me, personally, will not touch ice cream. I used to eat gallons of it in a sitting. Thats my vice. But, i just had a glass of moscato. Yes it has calories, but it was not something i abused before. So its safe that i will stop at one glass, not the whole bottle. This sleeve experience is unique to the person.

Butterthebean, I will repeat the bottom line for me. Ad hominem attacks and increased strength of personal conviction do not qualify as empirical evidence. In fact, recent longitudinal research from the prestigious National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (2010) clearly demonstrates that many who had been previously diagnosed with alcohol dependency (alcoholism) in their 30s and 40s are able to safely drink in moderation once they are older. There is no empirical evidence in the research literature to support the premise that overeating is a physiological addiction. It’s a psychological problem. Consequently, as a rule—that is, on the average—abstinence is far less effective in maintaining weight loss than moderation. Insulting me doesn't change the validity of what I've written or serve as scientific evidence in favor of abstinence. Taking a few post-surgical bites of a Krispy Kreme doughnut or a McDonald's Sausage Mcmuffin with cheese is most definitely not unhealthy behavior... assuming these foods are eaten in moderation. The fact that several post-surgical patients on these forums fear the inability to have those few bites without later gorging themselves uncontrollably does not mean that all VSG patients should abstain from such foods. Notes Bufe, C. (1998). Alcoholics Anonymous: Cult or Cure?, (2nd edition). Tuscon, AZ:Sharp Press. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (2010, February). Alcoholism isn’t what it used to be. NIAAA Spectrum, 2. Retrieved from http://www.spectrum....alcoholism.aspx

OP, I understand where you are coming from. You have no idea the number of people who have reached out to me about exactly what you are saying. I honestly use the same term myself sometime, if we are going to be honest. I am hearing from many people because sometimes they just come to our site, a "support" forum, just to vent, to see if others are experiencing what they are, etc., not to be made to feel like they are a failure because they took a bite of a doughnut. As I mentioned in another thread, I stepped away for a couple of hours tonight because my fiance and I went out for our weekly Saturday night bacon cheeseburger at Chili's, and guess what, it was happy hour and I had two White Russians as well. By definition of some, I should seek immediate counseling because I ate 1/4 of a bacon cheeseburger and drank alcohol on a Saturday while out enjoying life with my man and friends. But, oh well, I am still losing weight and I am happy and enjoying the hell out of my life, so I just brush it off. They do what is right for them, I do what is right for me and my best advice is that you do what is right for you. I got this surgery to live and be happy. 95% of the time, I make healthy choices, but I am human and go out with friends and enjoy a couple of drinks, a cheeseburger or pizza when I do. I have no guilt. I don't need counseling. The difference is now, I am happy with that 1/4 cheeseburger. I don't need to shove the whole thing down my mouth. I know this isn't the last time I will ever be able to enjoy one, so I am quite capable of eating in moderation. If some aren't able to do that, well, then perhaps it is better for them to stay away from those foods. But for those of us who are able to do that, and continue to be healthy and lose weight, well, you know... Now, with all that being said, the "horror story" thread and the "cheeseburger" thread have already gotten way out of hand. I have had more reported posts on those threads than I care to mention. If this one goes the same way, and everyone can't learn to communicate as adults, disagree without name calling and being abusive to one another, and have intelligent, respectful debates, then I won't hesitate to close all three topics.

Ohhh that makes sense!! I read about the alcohols but didn't entirely "get it", but now I do. Thank you!! I actually bought a box of peanut butter chocolate Atkins bars for a snack and they're super good. (Gosh I really need a fill, I'm so freaking hungry lol)

Yes, she has me subtract fiber and you can subtract sugar alcohols from the carbs to get your net carbs. Our bodies do not absorb sugar alcohols (hence people get diarrhea when they have too much, been there done that). Atkins does it the same way, they deduct fiber and sugar alcohols from the carbs, that's why the yummy bars they have such low net carbs.

skip the alcohol and you will be happy with yourself. you can have fun without alcohol! i am sure they will have something to offer that you can drink.