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Obviously alcohol is empty calories and tons of sugar.......

I agree and as a alcoholic i fully understand the disease, I will say i have never been able to kick the habit and most likely never will. I would add caution to the fact that the desire to drink after WLS is much more stronger post OP. I have been drinking since 16 years old and Done severe damage toll my body from it. I can function all day and get my company going but come 5 oclock its few drinks and off to bed. Post Op is even worse with the desire daily to drink, so the buyer beware is Dead On!

As far as right or wrong “rules”, I agree there likely is no “universal rule”. I asked my surgeon if I could have a couple glasses of wine with my stepdaughters in June...he replied “Sure, but expect it to go to your head much more quickly”. So here’s another very good surgeon saying it’s okay. My reason to shy away from it is (for me) fearing the slippery slope knowing the unwanted gene of addiction in my family. I feel like with all we know re: alcohol after WLS “Buyer Beware” on your journey of Life.

The bigger reason they don't want you to drink is because lots of us have "addictive" personalities.... WLS has a high rate of transferring that addiction of food to something else.... like alcohol. Some its gambling, Sex..... They don't want to replace one with another. Lots of people can't handle drinking anymore. I for one can only drink one glass of wine. I never drink beer, soda, club soda, tonic.... or anything carbonated. So sorry about your Uncle...

I am going the other way! I do drink and have drank since about 3 months out. I agree with all of you that the calories in Vodka or any alcohol are high, However during this journey I relied on it to end the days stress and go to sleep. Now the old days would be lots of drinks, Now its just a Vodka and Flavored Protein water for me and Night Night - I do feel for you with the stress it is really getting to me also, My company is shut down and hemorrhaging money daily. So my view is if one drink helps - Go for it - Just exercised it off the next day

you're what we call a "lightweight", so you're not going to lose nearly as fast as someone who starts out at over 300 lbs. You are doing just fine - at least in the weight loss dept. you're NOT doing fine in the drinking dept - and I"m glad you said you're going to try to cut it out. Like someone else said, my surgeon didn't allow drinking for the first year after surgery - and even now, we're only supposed to drink occasionally - and maybe just a glass of wine or two (or the equivalent) the few times when we DO drink. Alcoholism isn't uncommon among bariatric patients because of transfer addiction, so watch it...

AND Slim_Mommee! We were SO eager to tell you that EVERYTHING IS OKAY, that I totally neglected to say CONGRATULATIONS on reaching your first goal of 180’s! Woo-Hoo🎉this is FABULOUS!I can totally relate because I said to myself this morning...”the real excitement for me will be reaching the 180’s”. I yo-yoed the 190’s-200’s for last bunch of years, but the 180’s were back aways for me. I’m kind of in a stall past few weeks, but keepin’ on and know it will happen. Years ago I worried alcohol was becoming a problem for me, so I’m planning to not go there except maybe a glass or so family reunion, etc. a few times a year. I, too, have heard the risk of alcohol addiction is greater after WLS and I don’t want to go there!! I’ve watched it in my siblings and it’s a bear. Your surgery was a couple of weeks before mine, and rjan above and I were same day! So many kindred threads here... Bliss out on your SUCCESS Reaching the 180’s and give yourself a little smile and tee-hee that you’re choosing to slow the vino!💐💝

I am working from home and playing FV2 to pass the time. Still living on cottage cheese, greek yogurt, shrimp cocktail, protein shakes and filet mignon and asparagus. If I want a snack, that's cashews or raw veggis with my zero cal/carb ranch dressing. Really boring as far as diet goes, but I have lost 58 lbs without any exercising since the week before Thanksgiving, just modified my dietary habits radically, gave up carbs which used to be my favorite food group and any alcohol. I didn't go out much before other than to work, since I had my surgery, I couldn't eat in restaurants anyway so I wasn't going anywhere anyway so this stay home thing doesn't represent that much of a change for me other than no longer leaving to go to work.

We have very similar stats - my surgery was on March 11th. I was 204 on the day of surgery - lost 19 lbs since then. It's really slowed down after the first few weeks - I've also only lost 3 lbs over the past two weeks. On the other hand, this is the lowest weight I've been in a decade. 6 more lbs, and I'll be the lowest weight of my adult life. And last time I was at this weight, I was STARVING all the time. Right now, I have to remind myself to eat most days. So I'm feeling pretty confident that the weight loss will continue. Even at a lb a week, I'd reach a normal weight by 2021. That would have been impossible before this surgery. This forum has been so helpful to maintaining my positive attitude. There are other slow losers here who are farther along in their journey - so you see it does work! As for the drinking, I did drink alcohol once since my surgery. However, I will try not to do that again for a while. I'm less worried about calories or slowing my weight loss than other issues. As NovaLuna says, bariatric surgery definitely changes how you process alcohol - I could tell this from my try. And studies show increased risks of addiction and alcohol related death or health problems after bariatric surgery. I had some issues with alcohol in my 20s, and I don't want to trade one problem for another. But please don't beat yourself up about it! That won't help. It's a really tough time right now for most people. Taking it day by day and doing our best is all we can do.

... you do know that you're not supposed to drink alcohol for the first year after surgery right? My surgeon was VERY clear about that! And even though some surgeons are more lax they tell you to wait at LEAST 6 months before drinking alcohol. It's gonna slow your weight loss down and I'd worry about your liver because 1 glass is like drinking 3 or 4. That's how your system is processing it now. I'm not trying to preach or anything but my uncle didn't think it was a big deal and started drinking a beer every couple of days a few months out of his surgery and in less than two years he was dead of cirrhosis of his liver when he had been perfectly healthy before his weight loss surgery. I really don't want someone elses family to have to go through that!

Well I hope everyone is surviving through this virus situation. i felt like updating everybody I'm pretty much 6 months post op give or take a few days! This has been an incredible journey to say the least. Had the RNY BYPASS surgery and I believe it completely changed my metabolism; I've lost so much weight and it's like I can't gain weight. i actually started my own pre-op diet roughly 8 months ago way before surgery and my highest weight was 322lbs. I was weighed in for surgery day at 257lbs. Over the past few weeks I've pretty much hit maintenance I believe and I'm weighing in between my lowest day of 168 and my normal days of 170/171 obviously weight can fluctuate from day to day. I am gobsmacked how well I've done and how good I look but I know I really need to start to tone up and build muscle. My main focus from Day 1 was to just shed the weight off lose the LBS and I've done that. Never thought I'd get this far. In the past few weeks I've really tested my metabolism over Easter I had some chocolate and some crisps and a few alcoholic beverages but it appears not to make much difference at all to my weight but obviously I'm back on track still logging my food intake most days and some days still using protein shakes when I'm busy or not that hungry literally 6 months post op some days I'm still not hungry..... So in summary I've lost max 154lbs since day 1; 8 months ago and in the 6 months since surgery day I've lost 87-88lbs and I'm feeling great and it's weird people now telling me I've got to stop losing weight LoL. I'm finally the slimmest one in my group of friends. People treat me differently in general. I've included a photo it's not the best angle as it's hard to take photos of myself but you get the general idea considering the amount of weight I've lost there's not a huge amount of excess skin the main area is my lower belly abdominal area!!! I really truly believe my metabolism and the way my body processes food has completely changed and it's an amazing feeling!! MIKEY xxx Feeling great 35 years young

To be honest not much except walking and house work.. it seems like the surgery really completely changed my metabolism it's like I can't put on weight anymore... This morning I'm 169lbs and I've pretty much stabilised around 169-171bs for a few weeks now... I've experimented with a few treats like chocolate for Easter and a few alcoholic beverages as well and I still seem to be able to maintain my weight loss...

I have a friend that drinks a lot after surgery, I am 5 months post op and at my doctors that I can have some now but I'm afraid of it lol what if I become an alcoholic.

I’m a year and a half out. I used to drink whiskey and now even one drink is too much alcohol for me and I get a killer hangover. I started drinking wine, which I didn’t used to like that much, and one glass of wine every week or two is perfect. World’s cheapest date.

Sounds like you're in the "buyer's remorse" stage of surgery. I'm sorry you are going through this but it's a phase that I went through as well and pretty common from what I hear. Often times we are forced to deal with our issues when we can no longer use food as a crutch to make us feel better so depression is very common. Your body is also trying to deal with a rapid decrease in calories and potentially hormone changes. It doesn't help that we are currently facing a pandemic while you're trying to heal and find a new normal. One thing I was told many years ago when I started my journey is people who have food addictions must be very careful in making sure they do not turn to a different addiction (alcohol, drugs, shopping, sex, etc.) in an effort to please the same part of the brain food used to. Take one day at a time. I promise you are stronger than you think and you will get through this. (((HUGS)))

Lol yea maybe in a dessert but not in food like coconut curry or something like that, coconut lime chicken, coconut rice ... nope 🤢 a desert is even pushing it for me... but for some reason I like coquito (cream Puerto Rican alcoholic drink) and pina coladas

Hi there! I know this topic is very old but I understand where the op is coming from. I had my lapband put in back in 2006 and it's made my life much worse. It was a panic decision on my part, plain and simple. When I was a teenager I weighed 450 lbs and was constantly depressed. I lost over 150 lbs over 2 years due to dropping soda, fast food and alcohol all while maintaining a very physical job. Even though at 300 lbs I was still obese I felt amazing. We eventually moved and as a coping mechanism for stress I lost myself in alcohol and Warcraft and saw my weight climb all the way back to 375 in less than a year. I freaked out and scheduled a consultation. I was paying cash so there was no delay and no psychology exam. 2 weeks after consultation I had my lapband and the nightmare started. For 6 months every adjustment was free so they would help over the phone if I was having trouble. After the six months it became 200$ per visit and suddenly they couldn't help over the phone. I would go days without being able to eat or drink because I was unable to cover the fee for an adjustment. What I didn't realize about the surgery was that it still relied on personal responsibility. Not eating or drinking things that would irritate or cause swelling etc. I finally decided to have it loosened as far as it could be and my life has been moderately better since. Through diet and exercise I've gotten down to 210 lbs and kept it there for almost 10 years now. At 6'2" that's a healthy weight regardless of misleading bmi. I even just recently had the full body lift about a year ago and I'm really comfortable with myself for the first time in my life. The lapband still stops me from eating or drinking occasionally but I've learned to live with it. It's a reminder to not make rash decisions out of fear. Good luck to everyone or anyone who reads this. Some people love the lapband and I'm very happy they found something that works for them. Others are going to struggle with it like I did. I love you all and I hope everyone can find a balance.

It's totally natural to be scared! But trust me when I say this, there's very little to be scared about. Having any kind of gastric surgery has about the same risk as having an appendectomy. However, the thing to remember is that the heavier you are, the more risk there is for you on the operating table (assuming you have no other major health issues which would impact this). The good news is that surgeons have been doing this for quite a while now and have reduced surgery times significantly. Of course, you have to speak to your doctor about your own issues, but I imagine you would have to lose some weight before surgery (often you need to, to be approved by the insurance company). This is not only better for the surgery itself (in terms of complications, it also helps to shrink your liver, which is important for the surgery as well), but to get you on the right track in terms of eating habits. Also, having surgery is NOT CHEATING. It is NOT THE EASY WAY OUT. I've written about this extensively before, but basically obese people, especially morbidly obese people, have a ton of things stacked against them when it comes to losing weight. Low metabolism, lots of fat cells (which you can never lose, only shrink), leptin-resistance, insulin-resistance, food addiction, etc -- all conspire against your weight loss efforts. There's a reason why people lose weight, then plateau, then regain (probably more than where they started from) - it's the body fighting back to get back to where it was. There are lots of books and research done about this, I highly recommend the book Fat Chance as a good overview. What surgery does (bypass or sleeve) is it "resets" the body back to normal. Hunger is gone (literally - that part of your stomach gets cut out). Metabolism goes back to normal. If you're diabetic, you have a good chance of not being one after surgery. They're still not sure why this happens, but it does. And what that does is it gives you a fighting chance to lose weight and to keep it off. To answer your other questions: What if I still want to use food to cope, what if I fail, what if I die? This is probably why you'll need a psych evaluation and you'll have to have some kind of counselling, or group sessions, or something like that, to help you deal with these issues. A lot of people who get the surgery are able to deal with their food addictions afterwards, but you have to be careful about transferring your addiction (as a coping mechanism) to something else, like alcohol. That happens. As for dying - honestly, at your current weight, that is a reality that will come sooner, rather than later, if you do nothing. The chances of dying in surgery are extremely low, and the success you can achieve from it is worth the risk. Is it worth it/ do you regret it? Yes! I've done it twice now - sleeve, and a recent revision to bypass. Why? Because I failed - I went back to old habits, and after a while it was too difficult for me to realise any kind of success. I'm angry that I had to do it twice, but I don't have any regrets about it. I feel great, I have a different relationship to food, and my failure the first time taught me a lot about what I can and cannot do. I'll have to be careful about what I eat for the rest of my life. Do you feel like your life is normal? Yes. In the beginning, it's a bit harder due to food restrictions and the size of your stomach, but after a while you just get to know what you can handle and what you can't. Can you do it with 50/50 support from those around you? I did it with ZERO support from anyone - I did this by myself (self-paid) and have not told anyone about it. Not family, not friends (well, a couple of old friends, by they live halfway around the world from me). It's nobody's business but my own. Not everyone does this, a lot of people share, but many people regret sharing. Unless you are truly confident in what you are doing, and you are confident in the support of those you confide in, you may want to consider how much you tell, and to whom. Do you have to lose weight first? In most cases, yes. Is the loose skin as bad as people make it out to be? It depends on the person. Your age, how long you've been overweight/obese, how much you lose, etc. all impact what your skin will do afterwards. In many cases people will opt for some sort of plastic surgery afterwards to deal with problematic areas. Hair loss? It's common to have hair loss after surgery, during pregnancy, etc. It happens to most people but it only lasts for a couple of months, is probably not noticeable to anyone but yourself (unless you already have extremely thin/thinning hair), and it will start to grow back. Tips? Think of things you want to do in your life that you can't, because of your current weight. It may help you with your motivation about what to do. Educate yourself - not just on forums like this, but find real articles, books, that look at real research and make your own decisions based on that. It seems overwhelming at first, and it can take time to overcome your reluctance, but in the end it's worth it. ~Thank you all for your love and support!!! Also how do I update my profile? CW, surgery date, type, etc.? It's better to do this on a computer, not a phone. Go to the top of the page and click your username. There's a dropdown menu. You can update your profile there. Near the bottom of the menu is says "My Surgery" - that's where you can put your surgery information, and update your weight, etc.

@Dawn Hanaphy thank you for sharing this story of hope!! I am 40 and I’ve been in therapy for the past year after finally getting out of a very volatile domestic violence relationship. It really is true about a woman taking on average 7 times to finally leave their abuser for good. I lost a lot. My home, my pets, my independence. I had to move 50 miles away and into my family’s home. Luckily, my employer stuck with me through all this and provided me amazing support. Sorry didn’t mean to go off on a tangent. Just sharing my experience and my anxiety of dating now. Going through that hell is the main reason I got so overweight. I comforted myself with food and alcohol. I’m much better today and much more gentle with myself and making good choices. I’m scared of getting into another relationship. I’m scared of dating in my 40’s. Dating in my 30’s was hard enough. Every one comes with their own baggage. Their own wounds from past heartbreak. I hope I’m not a Debbie Downer but a lot of us are struggling trying to navigate this new dating dilemma. I’m not ready yet, but I know it’s going to be a challenge when the time comes. As I lose more weight, I think it will give more confidence to get out there and go fishing. Lol @Paul Hufnagl I hope you find love soon or at least some excitement and good times! I would say enjoy the process but you may not want to hear that. I wonder if there are dating sites specifically for those of us who have had weight loss surgery? Hang in there. Keep putting yourself out there and it will happen.

If you already researched the heck out of the web I'm sure you're well aware of what is a realistic expectation in regards to success and "failure" and complication rates. Mortality is rather low in the peri-operative period (usually 30 days) but that doesn't mean there is none. Make sure you choose a surgeon and treatment center with experience. That's your best bet. Fact is that there can be issues that only show several years later: osteopenia/osteoporosis, addiction to substances like alcohol or cigarettes etc., vitamin deficiency or anemia and the like. A lot of this is dependent on the patient's behavior, e. g. did the patient take the necessary amount of vitamins or not? In the end nobody really knows 100% what happens in this black box called "metabolism". We also don't know 100% how WLS interferes with this black box. Fact is that RNY-bypass is around since a whole while and that gastrectomies for other reasons (e. g. ulcers, cancer) are around even longer. There is no guarantee that you will reach and maintain a normal weight or reach and maintain a normal weight without too many struggles that make your life miserable. There is also no guarantee that you won't have medical issues down the road. However, when you'd ask people if they'd do it all again - many would say "YES!" without having to give it a second thought.

My surgeon told me no alcohol for two years, and then only when I had no need to drive. Apparently, a bypass makes you capable of exceeding the legal limit with

Be especially careful when combining with alcohol.

I was never told to not drink alcohol..... I keep it to one or two a night on the weekends. One now has me tipsy.... I drank a Lemond drop Saturday night and I felt it at the last sip. I don't drink beer (don't like it) nor do i drink anything mixed with soda.... (exp: jack and coke) I will drink a glass of wine or a mixer with juice or a margarita. Everything in moderation.....

I find it is not worth the calories for the short lived buzz I get do to gastric bypass. I also here that folks who have had RNY can end up alcoholics trying to chase that lengthy buzz. I just make do with the occasional drink.