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Since being banded My drinking will consist of maybe a glass or two of wine so it doesn't effect my eating at all.. You didn't indicate how much you drank or ate after drinking but I would think excessive alcohol would be harmful.

The thing is, food addiction is very real. People don't realize it but it is. When an alcoholic decides to go clean they never have to touch a drink again in their lives. But when a food addict tries to "go clean", we still have to eat many times a day for the rest of our lives to live. It's like telling a crack addict "Oh here, you just get two hits" and expecting them to be happy with that. My point is- what your dealing with is very real and very difficult. Beating yourself up isn't going to help. It's going to hurt your self esteem even more and make you feel worse. You're human and you're struggling, you need legitimate help not to be beat down further. Have you considered counseling? I know you said you're out of work, but there are a lot of places that offer counseling on a sliding scale based on income. Years ago when I was unemployed and needed counseling, I found a place that only charged me $5 a session. I really think it could help you considerably. I'm VERY glad you're seeing your surgeon. Be sure he's aware of the vomiting because I really do fear you're too tight. Hang in there, you can do this.

I have drank after surgery I was about 6-8 weeks post op I was just fine you do feel the effects on less alcohol

Has anyone had alcohol after surgery? And how has your body felt?

Greetings! I haven't hit my 2 month anniversary yet, and I'm down 30 lbs. Here are some of the things I've gone through since considering this surgery, which actually has been a long time. Before having kids, I was basically thin, so to consider myself overweight was odd for me. I always thought it would be temporary. But my youngest is now 14, and its not temporary...! First I knew, I wasn't going to tell anyone. Though, I believe it leaked at work. At first, I was upset about it, then figured, I don't really care what they think. Mostly, I keep to myself there anyways, and for the few I do know, I'll probably tell them. But outside of work, only my family at home know. And they have been wonderful in respecting my wishes of not telling anyone. During my Pre-Op stage, I was on a stringent diet, as you may know. Prior to this, I was attempting to loose on my own, only to find i was sabotaging myself. What I mean was, I was really trying to do the pre-diet before it was time. I was adding milk, fruit and peanut butter to my protein shakes. Only to learn later, they make you hungry when doing the pre-diet. Once I eliminated the fruit, milk and peanut butter, oh and tomatoes from my diet...I was fine. These items apparently have carbs which - make you hungry...!!! I was doing my shakes, eating only protein...meat, fish, chicken, eggs, and cheeses, along with non-starchy veggies. After surgery, sucking down an ice chip was a chore. I was sore. My back and tummy hurt. Everything I felt was normal. After the first week, I was slowly moving around nearly normal. Though, during this time it did make me realize, I really needed this. I guess I finally admitted to myself, I was not just overweight, but obese. Looking at my jeans....they are huge. Within that first week, I barely ate. Maybe I had 1/2 an egg, cottage cheese, or just a shake. By the time I saw the doctor for a follow up surgery visit, I had lost 15lbs! The feeling was immense, especially since my attempts of dieting had failed. I had wished, I would have known to skip the junk diet trends, and basically follow an Atkins diet, along with eliminating, milk, fruit, peanut butter and tomatoes. I can't help but wonder if I would be here now. Of course, you can say, "Eyesight is 20/20!" And, well, I am here now. Moving forward, after feeling better from surgery, I don't know when the "hungeries" moved in my tummy. But they did. I have to admit, yes, I probably ate more than my regulated portion of protein. I had to. But...I really did not deviate from the diet. And I have continued to loose. My pants became baggy, when before they were pretty snug, you know the kind of snug when you have to lie down on the bed to close them. My jammies felt as though they were 10 sizes to big for me. So, i attempted to try on a pair of jeans which were the next size smaller. They didn't fit. I couldn't help to think, what did i do wrong, or how was this even possible. Mind you this was just before Christmas. I thought, I would have a problem during the holidays, and funny, I didn't. But, it was after the holidays which were harder. I had popcorn one day. The next day, I had some more popcorn. Popcorn, is hard for me to pass up. But, listening to my body, it was saying, "Don't eat the freaking popcorn!" It seemed after the second day, I encountered what I call, "the stuffies." I was constipated. Ugh! And yes, I was taking fiber therapy prior to this. I had to find a softener to assist the therapy which wasn't working, or I should say was clogged. Once the piping was cleared, I got back on track. Actually, for the few times, I "cheated", I ALWAYS got back on track. I know I'm not perfect. And I know, I have to indulge, sometimes. Even on my journey to getting thin. But, I didn't indulge, they way I used to. That was me, controlling that. Not the band. Mind you, I am not telling you to cheat or how to follow your instructions. I have given up a lot. Quitting coffee prior to surgery was hard. But what was even harder, was eliminating carbonated beverages all together. I felt like a smoker, or alcoholic giving up their vice. After, a struggle. I did it. And I know, deep down inside, I can do this. The band is a tool. Though, I have had only my first fill. My tool isn't in full gear. But in a little while, after a couple more fills, it will be. During this time, I need attempt to control myself. For the most part, I'm doing pretty good. Around this time I was down about 25 lbs. After the New Years, I had a cookie. Oh wow, did that ever taste good. I think I unleashed a demon. I was tempted for another. I didn't today. But, I still wanted it. I didn't have it though. That is my control. The next day, the little devil returned. I caved. I had a cookie, and another. Was I upset at myself? You betcha. And it showed. I stayed the same weight wise. Was I peeved? Oh yeah! I was almost depressed. I didn't weigh myself. And after a couple of days struggling here and there, nibbling on what I thought I wanted. I remembered, I needed to stay on track. (Mind you, i had not gorged, like I used to. Nibbling, meant a bite of one thing, and staying on the diet) I was mad that I had strayed. But looking overall at my diet, I basically did good. And you know what? It showed. After a week of not weighing myself daily, I lost another 5lbs...!!!!!! I was 30 lbs down! I was so happy, because I was so upset by the stupid things I was doing. After seeing that, I had confidence. I made another attempt on trying the next size smaller jeans. Not only did they fit, I was able to zip them with no problems!!!! The next morning, I emptied my closet. I sifted and sorted everything by sizes. In the process, I removed ALL what was too big. Not only is my closet clean, it is roomier. I'm not going back. Period. Doing this was therapy. It also made me see, how skinny I was. Again...I had always thought this was temporary. But after so many years, it isn't. I have new clothes, without the cost! Not as many choices, but enough to wait for the next size adjustment. The bigger bonus was my hubby taking me shopping for new pajamas. I did still keep the old jammies, but just for having some variety. I did not want to have to purchase something I will have to throw out. It felt marvelous. What a treat!!! It also made me realize, I have a long way to go. But, I have made a couple of promises to myself. My first one is, after loosing enough to fit in the next size, I would remove the larger clothing and get rid of it. The second, is to allow a very small indulgence, get back on track, and don't feel guilty. I'm down 30 lbs! Yes, possibly it could be a tad bit more, and this is ok. So far during this time, I haven't exercised. I gave myself time to heal from the surgery. When I was healed, I somehow pulled my hamstring. This type of injury was very painful. I could barely walk. It's finally healed. I am going to start in the next day or so. Because of my injury, I already know I will take it slow. Once exercising is added, the weight should melt off more, this I know. But I am going to start. I'm planning on strength training along with walking or a type of cardio. I know, the strength training burns fat while not exercising, and that will be essential on melting the blubber and sautéing it into a leaner and meaner me! Thanks for listening, for now. I'll be back...!

That sounds awesful! You poor thing.You definately did a job on yourself! Good luck tomorrow, you're young and healthy (now) you'll be fine Ummmm with the fall ........ was there alcohol involved?? Deano

food is addicting. I mean that in the most literal sense. We are, for lack of better explanation, hard wired to want things that are bad for us. Especially people in our situation. Nobody gets to close to 400 pounds (I weighted 383 at my worst) eating healthy, reasonable portions. We evolved when sugar and fat were scarce things, not something that you can find in spades in every aisle in every market and corner store. While your average person can have one thing and step away, we can't. It's a terrible addiction to have, because food is unavoidable if we want to live. I can't have "just one". I can't have any food around me like that because if it's there, I will eat it. I'm not that strong to sit there and look at it and not have it be the only thing on my mind until I fail. I realize it may be difficult to do since you live with another person, but if it's possible, get everything out of the house that's high sugar, high fat, and high carb. If there is something and getting rid of it isn't possible, lock it up and give the key to someone else. Nobody would expect an alcoholic to sit around in a bar all day, but there's such a stigma around being fat and around being addicted to food that it's hard to get anyone to take it seriously.

My concern is about alcohol in general. No one NEEDS beer. There is a very real risk in transfer addiction. There are a lot of people after WLS who become alcoholics.

Ok so ive been doing pretty well until today!!! Banded on 11/15/2012. avoided the drama and alcohol that comes with my family and the holidays but today was the straw that broke the camels back! Between work, the new stress of a layoff, WLS, family..., and hubby moving to graveyard shift!!! OMG!! I needed a few beers!! I feel so guilty but sooooo relaxed!! I hope I dont hurt my band! ive worked so hard and it makes me mad that I crumbled!

I just found this out in my nutrition class today. She told us to read all labels and try to stay away from sugar alcohols.

Sugar free thinfs contain sugar alcohols which can cause dumping.

I was sleeved on April 18, 2012 and my weight on surgery day was 350 lbs. My current weight is 230 lbs--I am down 120 lbs from the date of surgery a little over 8 months. I, too, have done everything pretty much by the book--I haven't eaten bread since March 2012 and closely monitor my carb intake, no carbonated beverages, no alcohol, lots of Protein & Water, and I watch my total calories closely. I was getting around 30-45 minutes of cardio at least 4 days a week and, with the holidays have fallen out of my formal exercisingn schedule, but I continue to incorporate cardio in daily wherever I can--brisk walks, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, etc. Monday, January 7 is D-Day for me to get back into the gym & on an exercise schedule. My doctor never set a goal weight for me, I set 175 as my own goal At my 6 month visit, my surgeon was totally impressed with my progress & told me to keep doing what I have been doing. I know several people who have been sleeved--some who do it by the book and some who don't and there is a definite difference in the rate at which the weight is lost, how & where it is lost, and the ability to maintain. You are doing great. Keep up the good work and best wishes for continued success.

Hi Curvy girl, I started out at around 330 (so close enough). I have been sleeved for 15 months and now hover around the 170-172 mark. I am 5'6ft. I got to about the 180 mark by the time i got to my one year anniversary, so 150 pounds in a year. How did I do it? Alot of hard work and committment. I did work out pretty intensely from when I was given the go ahead to resume exercise, usually about 2 times a day on weekdays and then 1 a day on the weekends. Seems like a alot, one was a gym session and then I would walk/run the 5 km home from work. I also tried to incorporate walking in as often as possible, replaced lifts with stairs etc. I ate/eat carbs. It was always my intention to eat as I was planning to continue to healthy amounts of everything so that I dont feel the need to binge eat. I eat junk food on occasion but moderate it and am thankful for the sleeve because it does limit my capacity, tho now that capacity feels alot more. Definitely drinking lots of Water, but mixed it up with other things. I also drink alcohol and low cal soft drink on occasion, tho dont reccommend either of those too early on. Neither my doctor or my endocronologist ever set me a goal weight. Initially I did think I would be happy with my weight around 180, having never been this small before. I have been happy at this weight, however still loose a bit. Both the doctors are hugely impressed with my change and are both happy if I never loose another kg as long I maintain it and am healthy and happy. I still continue to loose about 2 pounds a month without really trying, between being on an extended vacation and the christmas period celebrations I have not been exercising as much as I did and eatting more than I did..we will what happens in the next month getting back to basics. Now the majority of my "extra weight" is in excess skin. I never wanted to be stick skinny, my goal was always to be healthy and curvy..I definitely feel that I am that now. It is good to have goals but I believe you will know when you are happy with what you see and feel, the numbers are only one part of the whole journey. I know it is easy to say, if I can do it, you can do it too. Hope this has helped you.

Band-plus-10 days and I think I'm ahead of the curve (thanks doc!). I've been able to eat some things I maybe shouldn't have but what's a guy to do? Went to a Seahawks game, went out a bunch of other times during the holiday break... ugh! I busted most every rule we're supposed to follow during this period (alcohol, solids) but seem to have gotten away with it as I'm down 11 lbs. Now that partytime is through I'll be better. Although I've yet to experience some of the bad symptions (nausea, vomiting) I think I've been close to being stuck. Things like greek yogurt have a way of piling up if not eaten very carefully. I can tell I'm going to miss eating haystacks of food but I suppose so long as I'm full I can handle it. Restaurant bills ought to be less cringeworthy from now on! Today I'm starting some light work on the treadmill - maybe 20 minutes of uphill walking. I'll wait a few weeks to hit the weights but am looking forward to coming home from the gym and not having to eat pails of spaghetti to feel satisfied. At least I hope that's how it will go.

I went back to Minnesota for two weeks over Christmas and New Years and did good eating healthy at most meals, but why are there so many snacks! I had way too much sweets, snack foods, and alcohol, I fell of the wagon hard. I am a strong willed person though and snapped right back into VSG mode as soon as I got home Tuesday afternoon. I will say that I still used portion control and kept semi track of calories in my head and I did lose 5 lbs since leaving 2 weeks ago. Now for the fun part! All my family and friends were blown away by my success and everyone was so proud of me! We went out dancing at some of the country bars and I brought my newly learned Texas two step skills and a lot of people wanted to dance with me. I never could get attention at bars before. My favorite part was when the band played Copper Head Road and 4 great looking girls started doing the line dance and while all the guys stood around watching them my new confidence had me right in between them rocking out (Thanks Texas for teaching me to dance lol) The point of my message... Were all human, we make mistakes. I have worked very hard to get where I am today and for two weeks I let lose again and embrace my new self. It proved to me that all the hard work I have done is paying off. We just need to be strong enough to know when enough is enough and get back on plan. I missed my goal of 100lbs by NYE because of the decisions I made, but the smile on my face and the happiness in my heart meant so much more than any number on a scale could ever mean! My NYE Picture!

Boy do I totally get you , I am also in the marketing field and being social there is going out for drinks or having a bite to eat. Also when meeting with clients it is allot of lunch dates. Well I am here to tell you things changed but I really am doing the same thing I did before just in a lot smaller quantity It took a few months before I trusted my self to go out to have lunch/dinner with the gang from work but now its not an issue, usually someone will cut a 1/4 of thier burger for me or I order a cup of Soup or chili, most restaruants are so amazing when you ask for accommodations from them. Now as far as the drinking part most places don't serve any SF items other than soda, so I try to bring a Crystal lite pack for my Water , I carry them in my purse at all times I am 3.5 months out and at new years I had some orange juice and 1/2 shot of alcohol in it, other than that I haven't wanted to drink , which is kinda of strange but I think my attention has been on trying to not have sagging skin and working out to help that issue Also I cooked for Christmas for my family (20 people) I had one bite of all the things I like and didn't feel deprived in any way . You can still socialize and have fun , just think instead of eating you can actually have a conversation with someone.... ha ha ha You will do great !! actually this feels like how I always was , except no buffet lines. just remember that this is just a tool for us to help with our weight loss. When you start by asking questions you are already half way there.... stay positive and any questions ask someone we are all here to support each other and feeling scared is all part of the process !!! Good luck to you

Wait a second - after drinking juice or alcohol you're feeling lightheaded and dizzy? Check your blood sugars. It could also be hyperglycemia. You could either have already had a problem with being borderline diabetic prior to surgery OR if you're living on a very low carb diet your body could be totally unused to processing sugars normally. In any case, get it checked out. Without insurance, perhaps finding one of those clinics that makes it's rounds doing free testing is your best option. Either that, or call a small local clinic (not a large practice) and explain that you're self pay and need some tests done. My father is self employed and has never had insurance for anything but serious medical concerns and when he self pays he pays a fraction of what the doctor would charge an insurance company. Good luck. ~Cheri

Lisa, Are you drinking like this before or after surgery? Not that one is less important than another, both are very serious. Have you discussed it openly with your PCP? Keep on the right path, no matter how painful. We don't need those types of addictions. And especially if WLS is something you want to improve your quality of life. Alcohol will end up destroying you. Don't allow it too. You are in my thoughts! Dawn

What about nitequil. I know it has alcohol in it but can I still do that? Stephanie

I'll have a sip of root beer occassionally, but the truth is, I just can't handle that much. There's lot of talk about how it will stretch your sleeve ... empty calories ... blah, blah, blah. I can only speak for myself, so your milage may vary. I don't consume enough calories each day where I am going to stress out over an additional 100 or 200 calories. I have some carbonated beverage MAYBE once a week and it is MAYBE about 4-6 ounces. Now, if you're trying to suck down 5 or 6 Mountain Dews a day ... then there is another problem going on which needs to be addressed. Stretching. I am almost 19 months out and have excellent restriction. I asked my Dr about stretching right after my surgery and he laughed. He basically told me that I would have to put in a real effort to stretch my sleeve and it would NEVER be stretched back to the size it was pre-sleeve. Just can't happen. Period. So, I think the occassional sip or four is fine, but if we are honest with ourselves we will know what our motivation behind what we consume. If you are wanting to drink several carbonated beverages a day, then you need to realize this is a problem for you. In these cases, no, you should not consume any carbonated beverage. It's like an alcoholic only having one martini a day. It just doesn't work that way.

I wish I could say I'm doing great, but my weight has been all over the place. This head hunger thing is killing me. I've now had 3 fills- up to 6cc's and the dr said I should be getting close to the green zone. My portions definitely reflect that, but it's the little things like walking past a candy bowl or grabbing a piece of fudge at Christmas. And again- alcohol. What a failure- ugh!! New Year- new weight loss resolution. Keeping a food diary like I've done before in prior diets. It was the only way I was able to lose before- diary/calorie counting. But now that I have this, I think ill do much better. And the holidays have passed- thank god- no more fudge or eggnog or brandy alexanders. Lets do this.

I use net carbs, especially if the carbs in it are dietary fiber, and not something like sugar alcohols.

This might be the wrong place to post this??? Hi All, Welp I am almost 1 yr post op (Jan 17th) and I hit my goal. The reason I am writing is to find out if anyone in the Lake Stevens, WA area would like to get together? I feel really silly putting this out there...it's kinda lame I know... It would be wonderful to get together and share a plate somewhere. I am 37 and very happily married. I work for Boeing. I have 3 kids (19, 18 and 10). I have been told I am normal and I love to laugh. I would just like to meet a friend that has had WLS and who understands meals of string cheese and having absolutely no alcohol tolorance. Please let me know...

Hi All, Welp I am almost 1 yr post op (Jan 17th) and I hit my goal. The reason I am writing is to find out if anyone in the Lake Stevens, WA area would like to get together? I feel really silly putting this out there...it's kinda lame I know... It would be wonderful to get together and share a plate somewhere. I am 37 and very happily married. I work for Boeing. I have 3 kids (19, 18 and 10). I have been told I am normal and I love to laugh. I would just like to meet a friend that understands WLS and meet someone who understands meals of string cheese and having absolutely no alcohol tolorance.

Your stomach is just another muscle that is susceptible to swelling just like the rest of your body. Think about the lapband as if it were a ring around your finger? If your body(finger) swells due to TOM, sodium, alcohol, carbs(complex and simple), stress and anxiety, so can the gastric lining of your stomach. This can be the perfect time of year for most all of the swelling reasons previously mentioned. The lining of your stomach can swell making the stoma a very small opening for solids to pass through. Go back to liquids, cut back on sodium, alchohol and sugar. If tomorrow is the same as today, call your doc. Just my opinion of course. tmf