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I just got back from the doc's office on Monday 12/3, and he said I am cleared for alcohol and basically anything I want to eat that agrees with me, which is everything. I have had a few glasses of wine and I am still losing weight. I don't drink alot though, I have to be up early for work and hate that icky feeling in the morning, so I'm good with my one or two glasses on a Friday or Saturday. I have not had any side effects from the alcohol, I don't get drunk and I don't act weird, I feel the same as I did pre-surgery.

Well, my insurance is blue cross blue shield. My requirements were 3 months on a dietitian monitored diet, 2 years (min.) weight history, Post-op preparation classes, and a bmi of 35 or higher. That would have been ok... But i started out in march with Dr. David Kim... I do not recommend anyone to his office. #Hurley911 - Some of the red tape/hoops I had to go through were nicotine and alcohol screening and things like that. The other problem I had was that after doing all the requirements for not only my insurance but my doctor... They stopped contacting me and i was forced to change surgeons. It has been a very long journey but it will be worth it when I finally get sleeved.

I had my first post op appointment today. I was disappointed at first when a nurse told me that I would not be able to swim for 6 weeks. I leave for a 7 night cruise in two days! After my doctor looked at my stomach, he advised me that my wounds were completely closed and healed. I was cleared to swim. I was so happy! I am on soft foods. I am so tired of Protein. The taste and smell makes me sick! I will not be able to eat much on this cruise or drink any alcohol, but I will still have a good time enjoying the rest and relaxation in the sun.

Aafter the doc gets the rash cleared up you can use bath and body works spray ( mostly alcohol) in all of the crease areas 2x a day. It keeps bacteria at bay plus you smell good.

I am also in a very 'business eating' work environment, I do Mortgages, and very often take Realtors and clients out. I haven't had to face it much yet, as I'm only one month out, but I have found the same sentiments that are echoed throughout this thread to be true. No one really notices how much I do or don't eat since they themselves are focused on their own eating. As the holidays are getting close, I plan to get through Holiday parties by nominating myself as the DD< so I can pass on alcohol withoout many side glances, I had a business luncheon today with my womens group, had french onion soup with no bread in it and light cheese, the cheese sank to the bottom where it sat. I ordered an entree which I silently slipped into a box and took to my father, and for dessert I ordered took a few small bites and sent the rest back, no one even blinked about it. The I'm not feeling well, I just had a big breakfast/lunch have seemed to work fine if anyone does inquire. Also, with the New Year coming around, it would be easy to tell people that you are doing a strict diet for New Years, few people question strong New Years convictions! Good luck to you!

I got a late start on my pre-op diet, started about 9 days before surgery, 2 Protein shakes and small dinner a day. I lost about 9 lbs. I'll be honest, I love margaritas, I mean just like people like their beer. I slowed up on them pre-op... and have not missed them at all post-op (1 week)!! Unbelievable!! Haven't even thought about 'em!! My husband still has his beer after work, doesn't faze me. Hope it's the same for you, cuz I've heard the same thing... No alcohol. Good luck!! Sent from my iPhone using VST

Yes definitely scary. Ended up going to ER Saturday. Was there 8 hours while they did 4 different test. They were originally thinking blood clot from surgery was effecting my heart. But all 4 tests came back fine. So the only thing left was to monitor. They went away and tuesday I had a cocktail if tequila n lime juice and there they (palpitations) were again. Sooo needless to say-no alcohol for me anymore for a long while.

If you truly enjoy alcohol, then go for it. I would suggest being highly aware of the new way it gets processed. Everything in balance - the key is finding that new balance.

Just remember that meds will act like alcohol does when your stomach is empty(emptyish). Their effect increases. Sorry if I'm stating the obvious, but just wanted to help.

Dont judge but I could only wait alittle over a month after surgery to try alcohol. I can say that the buzz hits me alot sooner but its not much different than before. I regularly drink cherry vodka mixed with liquid ice and ive only had one blackout but Chippendales were in town. Oops.

Everything Gene said ... plus ... You just cannot fathom the sheer number of people who are just waiting to help you in AA. They will be thrilled to tell you their story of battling alcohol, and will be eager to guide you through your own journey. All you need to do is take one step toward them, they'll come the rest of the way. Even if you're not sure about it, go to a meeting, introduce yourself (first name only), and kick the tires. Hear the message. Toss it around in your head. See if it's something that interests you. It's anonymous, so nobody will follow up with you later unless you ask them to. You can choose to never go back again if you like. I swear, if I lived near you I'd offer to take you to a meeting. Tell me your zip code and I will try to find a meeting for you. Seriously, you sound like you're almost ready to say something like "I wish I knew how to stop". If that's true, please, consider what I'm saying. Like I said earlier, I've lost 100 pounds so far, so many things are better now that I've lost the weight ... but quitting drinking was a much more important life change to me. I wish I could share this with you.

Its not that I want freedom, I need fear. Alcoholism has been a struggle and don't get me wrong I try hard not to cave in. Today I was glad to be honest with the doc, they gave me a medicine to coat my stomach and to prevent ulcers. Doc said u don't want bleeding because your stomach being small, makes it more difficult to repair.

Carolinagirl and Rojasanoll are so right. Someone who can't control their eating are like alcoholics, smokers, or drug addicts they have to make a conscious decision to change their behavior. It has to be a personal decision. The motivation to change has to come from within. My mother has always said there is nothing worse than a reformed smoker or fat person. Remember fat people know their fat. If someone asks I am happy to tell them everything.

Hi all. Sorry I didn't post last Monday. I was at 174.5 which was the same as the previous Monday. I did we'll with Thanksgiving, we went to our friends' house. They sent home some leftovers but one meal of leftovers is certainly better than a houseful! Yesterday I was at 170.5 for a total loss of 81 pounds. I'd like to be at 85 by Christmas but I'm hesitant to make that a "goal". It seems like anytime I set a specific goal I end up sabotaging myself; but if I just plug along and see what happens my results are always better. I should probably reflect more on that! On the topic of alcohol, I'm still okay with wine (my poison of choice). I haven't tried any liquor drinks, but I have a feeling they would hit me a lot faster. I try to stay away from beer because of the carbonation. If I do have beer I usually go VERY slowly and end up giving half of it to my hubby. Two NSV's - bought a pair of size 12 (curvy fit) pants; now I just need to focus on my thunder thighs and bat wings! I also survived my first holiday open house. I did about one small round of grazing, didn't even fill up a small plate, and I was done (plus two glasses of wine - told you it was my fave!) Prior to the band I would have stood at the table without a plate and just gnoshed!

I was looking up long term results on the computer. As with any of the these surgeries it is possible to gain the weight back. I am struggling with this currently. I hit my goal and gained some of it back. I am going to make my threshold 165 pounds. Once I hit 165 it is 2 days of intense working out and liquids to get back down. THIS IS SERIOUS. There aren't alot of long timers on here. My June 2011 category is practically non-existent. Surprisingly I feel I will need more support long term then I did in the short term. I am pasting something I just read on another page. Take what you want from it. Subject: The Sleeve long term - "Not making goal" and regain study 22/11/10, 09:30 pm First topic message reminder : Last week I attended the NZ Weight Loss Convention. One of the key speakers was a NZ surgeon working on regain issues for weight loss surgery patients. He sadly has many sleeve patients up to 5 years out who have suffered from regain. One of the strongest things he said was that there are no rules for surgery results. Surgery is like a shotgun bullet. The surgeon fires the gun but will have no idea why for some it works and some it does not. PREDICTORS FOR LONG TERM SUCCESS There are predictors for long term success. He has studied and had follow up with patients and those that beat regain or not making goal share several things in common. The biggest message is that if you are unlucky and surgery does not work out of the box the biggest thing you MUST tackle is eliminating carbs viscously. Quote: The goal is a small meal 4-5 hours apart with no Snacks and you not being hungry. If that is not working reduce carbs until it does. This was scary for me struggling to cope after one hour. No rice, potatoes, bread. Nothing made of flour even wholemeal. Results do not come down to surgery type (he has band patients who lost over 100kg in a year and Bypass ones under 5). There are several factors that people who succeed share Weigh regularly - daily recommended Set upper weight limit - if you go over react immediately and go back to liquid only to get back under goal Exercise regularly - there is no choice on this one Plan for events - take your own food if need be, ring restaurant in advance, there are NO special days. Daily gratitude for new life - photos in your bag to remind you of how far you have come. Continue to dream as goals are important. Be mindful of "the now" and worry less about future. If we spend too much time worrying we miss all we have gained so far. Get help, be vulnerable together - support groups are a vital key to success There was also a diet session which really was so different from what I am doing now it was scary. I have currently high fibre, lots of veges, meat first, max 1200 calories. Some notes from that were [*] 50% of the meal by volume as Protein [*] Maximum of one piece of fruit per day [*] One small meal every 4-5 hours [*] No carbs - no potatoes, bread, rice, etc [*] No snacks [*] No need to calorie count, count carbs instead The low carb (and strict low carb at that) for life was interesting. The implication was that for some people surgery will not solve as much as hoped and the only way they have found that works after that is low carb. KATY JAY SESSION The next part was sadly cut short and we only got half before time ran out. I was gutted. here is what I did get and you will see why. They are trying to get permission to send out to people the remaining slides. There are stages to weight loss transformation that we will all follow [*] Decision point - realizing we need help, coping with "easy way out" comments [*] Shock and awe - buyers remorse, time of drastic change, of adjustment, of joy and awe (for some) Quote: Note - he made a special note at this point how important it is that we don't compare ourselves with others at this point. We are all different and our journeys will be different. [*] The miracle - honeymoon period, can eat stuff was once or should be guilty eating and still loose, feel cured, for some fear of failure & fear will regain starts [*] Grief and loss - many will experience losses other than weight including friends turning against you, sadness and change in us resulting in the desire for change in our world around us [*] Testing limits - this is gradual and food as well as emotional, taste trigger foods, loss of dumping, relationships change, transfer of addictions (30% of weight loss patients will become alcoholics), feel or are self sabotaging [*] End of invincible - weight loss rapid or at all is over, eating impacts weight with regain, struggle to lose, feel a slave to food, drive to eat is back, fear of regain intensifies, hunger comes back, surgeon may feel helpless while you feel they are dismissive, Quote: Note - Regain is not a character flaw. You do not have to feel shame [*] Give up or change - MUST make a new decision point or most likely will continue to regain, shame can feel overwhelming, don't know what to do, surgeon can feel baffled by this stage and use communication that is perceived as shaming or judgmental, working together is better but need to understand that few surgeons have skills to deal with this stage Quote: Note - Must understand that this is the normal "next bit", many people will just drift away [*] Learning- Keep open mind for new ideas. Learn the regain causes, learn solutions and influences be they psychological social mental and emotional. Keep a log. Reference materials from many sources. You can see why I was gutted when it had to end here. There is more on the pamphlet we were given and I will type this up later but since there seems to be a few threads on these issues I have posted up my notes.

Hi Everyone, I would like to know what are a few typical days of eating looks like after your are healed from your surgery. And I know alcohol should be limited after your goal. Can anyone tell be about their experiences with this too? Thank you for your help. Tami

Hi all! Sorry I haven't posted in a few days! We r getting to a busy time of year. I'm just gonna touch on a couple of things here...first...alcohol. Lol on all these posts! I must say...i no longer drink...that was until black Friday. I hadn't had any alcohol on almost 2 years, but we were out with friends so I thought I'd have one with the DH. I had may 3 sips of it and was already buzzed like crazy. Good thing the food came so I couldn't drink. I finally gave the rest to the DH. Lol. Congrats to all of us...even if we're not doing so great. Look how far we've come!! I'm now at 98 lbs gone. Yay! I don't post yesterday so I will now for the Monday weigh in...164! I hope you all have a blessed day!

Iam almost 2 years into this and have been at a stand still for the last year. I find myself drinking alcohol in place of my food addiction. It's keeping my pounds on. I'm lost and in desperate need of guidance. I eat cheese and crackers instead of soup. I'm looking for help. Please.

Checking in: getting sharp pains like I did post surgery on right side of belly button n been having increased acid n throwing up this month. It's either all because I am eating late. Eating too frequently, upping my sodium n it's insane how dehydrated I can get so quickly. However I am still drinking coffee a lot. I get huge headaches now. I do exercise more. But I feel that I get weak and tired pretty fast. Maybe some of this Is mental because of birthday blues. I try to stay away from alcohol because I'm a major lightweight now with the sleeve. I burp soooooo much it's so unladylike! I take pribiotics again, although they r so expensive. I try to only eat organic n all natural. I wore pants for the first time in ten yrs n all of a sudden everyone thinks I'm super skinny. Lol. It's just cuz I wore baggy skirts and tops for so long. I just hit a yr in oct since the surgery n I'm feeling healthy for the most part. I try my best to keep my sleeve in good shape, but I don't know why I must eat until it hurts sometimes or eat junk sometimes. I would be devastated if god forbid I seriously mess this up for myself after altering my organs. Anyway, I'm thankful for a lot and for being alive. I wish I didn't have sagging skin n that I focused more on toning...still... I weigh 140 (+) and I started at 265 (+\-).

Scotty, I'm sure I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. Alcohol is empty calories that after the sleeve are hard to justify. I'm not clear on any sort of physical damage you may be doing. Is that what it will take for you to quit? Like Desertmom, i'm not judging. I like to partake myself - usually just on weekends. I'm in the pre-op phase, and I did pretty well the first 6-weeks or so, but I had a couple of bottles of wine at thanksgiving and again last weekend. I'm keeping it more-or-less in check, and I know I'll miss it in the months following surgery. Back to my question above.. I guess that's the sort of thing you'll have to ask yourself: what will it take to want to quit? Damage to your body? To a relationship? Losing a job? DUI? Then ask if that's what you want to go through. Many people won't make the change until they hit the proverbial "Rock Bottom." You either need to decide you don't want to hit rock bottom, or wait for it to happen. Good luck to you, man. And we don't want to hear you complaining about a stall! lol

Hi Everyone! Thanks for posting. To answer all questions at a go: I'm asian, and our healthy BMI should be between 18-23. So im still on the heavy side here in Singapore. I'm 170cm, about 65-67KG (as you all know ive been hovering around this weight for 5 months). I tried excercising 5 times a week each about 1-2 hours, initial month, i did purely cardio, weight didnt move. Then, i change to 3 days of cardio, and 2 days of strength traning, weight didnt move. I basically don't touch carbs at all. My daily diet is usually a protein shake in the morning, which contains no sugar (meant for diabetics. its nestle nutren diabetes) for about 200 ml drank between 2-3 hours. Lunch usually tofu, with shredded chicken breast. Or steamed fish. Dinner is usually again chicken or beef, some vegetables etc. I drink alot of water. well as much as i can accomodate. I don't drink any soda, alcohol, or anything sweetened. I do have coffee and tea occassionally. Honeslty i think my diet now is pretty standard.. i have no clue what's wrong. n i dont have a clue on how else i can improve this other than what amytug suggest, perhaps vegan... But i think i might faint? lol As for blood works, i use to have high BP, high cholestrol, diabetes, they were all gone now by the 3rd month out. my medications are reducing slowly and steadily. (Drs refuse to drop them off at once). my bloodworks including vitamins etc are all (according to my Dr.) text book standard. My surgeon refuse to let me see a NUT. His thoery, "don't fix what's not broken". He thinks that if im all well and vitamins etc are good, there is no need to see a NUT. He told me to excercise more. seriously? can i do anymore than what i'm doing now? i probably have to give up my job and work out full time.. LOL I honestly have no clue, what is going on.. i've given up weighing.. I don't think this is all i can lose, because my lowest adult weight was about 60 kg, but that was when i have eating disorder, i was anorexic for awhile during my early adulthood. All that said, i'm still trying to figure out how to post a picture here.. will do that later .. Thank you all for responding... still disheartened, G

My doctor told me no alcohol or caffeine for 6 months because they are both stomach irritants and we are still healing.

I have chocolate Muscle Milk Light every morning (even at 5 months post-op)...8 oz before going to the gym, and 8 oz after the gym. Personally, I love it, and look forward to it...my daily chocolate milk fix! My surgeon's recommendation is to not drink alcohol after surgery...and I intend to follow his suggestion. I have 1 piece of chocolate every day....but its sugar-free chocolate (usually a sugar-free Russell Stover chocolate mint patty....they're wicked yummy!). I also have a "chocolate brownie" Quest bar, for an evening snack every day...170 calories, 20 grams of Protein, low carb, and (I think) very tasty. Those are my true "treat"....I look forward to 8pm every day!!

That was supposed to say sugar alcohol, lol. Guess I'm missing alcohol already! Sent from my iPhone using RNYTalk

Ugh forgot about the sugar alcohols! Thanks for the reminder.