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I had my surgery 4th October 2014 and I have just lost 92 pounds I felt like a failure but I knew I was not doing what I was told to do. I stopped exercising drinking a lot of alcohol eating badly not that I could eat a lot anyway and stalled for a while. I see people who had surgery the same time as me losing over 100 pounds so I PICKED MYSELF UP DUSTED MYSELF OFF AND STARTED ALL OVER AGAIN. I went back to walking stopped drinking taking my meds and I lost 13.2 pounds in a month still eating carbs. Don't worry don't be discouraged just go on your journey at your own pace. THE ONLY ONE THAT CAN CHANGE THIS SITUATION IS YOU!!!!!!!

Sorry to sound harsh, but this is surgery, with small-medium but significant risks (including death - depending on how good your surgeon is). Have you considered getting a personal trainer? At a BMI of 37, its not that hard to lose weight, and a personal trainer can have you fit and looking good within a year or two. I found having someone/something to motivate me was all that i needed. Also, a personal trainer for a year is likely to be cheaper than surgery, and you will be healther in the long run. Also, as a side note, I know BMI is not that good an indication of how "fat" someone is, its really the skin fold test. Anyway, i think if you start by eliminating all alcohol and pre-packaged foods from your diet, you might be surprised how effective it is. I know its hard. I had a BMI of 30 about 4 years ago. I didn't have any co-morbidities. I set myself a diet plan. 2 weetbix and milk for brekky. 1 medium apple and small tub of plain/natural yogurt (in one of those snap packs - try to find the one with the lowest sat fat and free sugar) for a snack. 2 sandwiches with wholemeal bread, tomato, lettuce, beetroot, 2 hardboiled eggs, gherkins/pickles and 2 thin slices of honey roasted ham with no butter (the key is no butter). One more apple for a snack. and whatever roast or Pasta (no cheese/olive oil/pesto etc.) for dinner. The other key is 0.5 to 3/4 of an hour of solid exercise per day. This means sweating and pushing until you're breathless - this is where the personal trainer comes in. Do this, and you will lose a lot of weight within 6-8 months and be very fit. It will be easy to start, but a lot harder after the 1st week, and hard for at least 2 or 3 months to come, and during this time you will lose a lot of motivation. But push through and you will feel happy that you didn't do the surgery. I don't like to say how much weight I lost (it was a lot) but that shouldn't be the main goal. I always told myself that If i become fit, the weight will come off by itself. Before i started, running 300 metres was a struggle. After half a year, i was running 3 kilometers non stop, an improvement of 10 fold. Last year, I ran the melbourne half marathon, and this year, I am playing in the glen iris open championships in tennis. P.S. the food doesn't seem a lot, but eat it slowly, and you will realise that it is.

I made the decision to get sleeved in January, but the sooner the surgery is getting, the more I'm having doubts! I was so confident in my decision that now all I can think about is things I'll be missing. Like all my favorite foods & alcohol, and not being able to drink with my meal. Are these just simple pleasures I can give up? How did everyone else deal with it? I just want to know if its worth all of that, I'm confused if its my "fatness" coming out thinking of these things... I've been heavy my entire life so I really don't know any different. Is it worth it?

I was sleeved July 27th 2012 and I can honestly say that now I eat to live and not live to eat, life to me just feels "normal" now I can still enjoy the foods I love just in smaller portions, I have lost 83.7 pounds (37 kilos) and I am 6 kilos to the "healthy weight range" I was mentally ready for the life change and worked with the tool of the sleeve to change my life around, I can't tell you enough that NOTHING taste as good as how I feel both inside and outside so having to give up the little comforts like drinking with a meal or alcohol was a no brainier for me, I do not regret my decision one bit, in return for giving up those crutches I have my life back and it's a very happy healthy one. Lilly

I'd go see a liver doc. Non alcoholic cirrhosis is the number one cause of liver transplants. Not trying to scare you, it could be nothing, just don't ignore this. See a specialist or at least ask your PCP what they think.

I’m so sorry for your loss. For me, I believe that not facing grief helped me to gain weight. In 2009 and 2010 I lost two brothers and my dad. All had chronic issues they’d been dealing with so the stress and sadness was well before their passings. I think if I’d had better coping strategies I could have met the sadness instead of shoving it down. finding a professional to share your struggle with is an excellent idea. I hope you have supportive people around you. Personally I’d try to keep away from the alcohol, but that’s a decision only you can make. Again, I’m so sorry.

Since 3 week stall broke about 5 days ago, I'm down 8. I'm happy again. But hunger is always there between meals now. It's hard but I need to keep pushing water in and avoid temptation to snack. I eat three meals and two protein shakes. Meals are high protein low carb. My carbs are under 20g now. Under 50g / day when I was stalled so I think I need really low carbs. Regarding alcohol, my docs/nut says to avoid it the first year. Im assuming there are a couple of reasons for that: 1) alcohol is liquid carbs/calories and 2) people tend to replace one addiction with another (i.e. food with alcohol). I've seen some YouTube sleeve blog videos where they stated that they definitely have slowing started drinking a lot more alcohol post sleeve. That being said I don't have an addictive personality and if I want to have a glass of wine or a marguerita on a special occasion, I will.

As many of you saw on in my photos on my other post, I enjoy a cocktail or two. I've switched from Vodka Sours to Vodka Cranberry. I also drink wine a lot, but find that red wine gives me heartburn. It did before banding so that's nothing new...it just seems worse now. So, I keep my red wine drinking limited to wine club meetings, and drink blush or white when I'm in the mood. I'd have to say the biggest change in terms of drinking is the amount. I only need a few to really feel it, and I try to eat as big a meal as I can before I go out if I know we'll be drinking because otherwise it can get away from me. And we've all seen evidence of that in my photos. :-) I'm glad you have a doctor that you can be so open with. I'm also glad you shared what you learned...I was just thinking about it today and wondering what, if any, actual alcohol has on the band. Sounds like the carbonation is the real trouble (thank god!) Megan

At risk of sounding like a real lush - I wanted to share this information I got today. I like many others on the site thinking about the lap-band love beer and enjoy the weekly happy hour: I actually had a pretty lengthy discussion today with a Dr. in Dallas about the beer subject, because I too love beer and was really fearing leaving it behind forever. He said to poor the beer in a glass, let it sit in the fridge and let it lose most of the carbination. He also suggested adding a lime to distract a little from it being flat. He suggested to give it a dry run, but didn't see a problem with it if you let it go flat. (He also indicated that a lot of patients lose their taste for it) He also said that another one that he might not have a problem with me trying is sugar free Red Bull and Vodka. He said it would help to let the Red Bull sit for a while to "rest". His best suggestion was to switch to a room temperature wine - this is a drink that people tend to drink at a slower pace. I know that a lot of the postings that I had read on hear about drinking suggested moderation - I agree, but I really wanted to have a heart to heart with the reality of this subject before I made my decision. I am sure that many of you that are banded might have already shared this, but he said that the biggest concern that he had for alcohol as it relates to being banded, is that "instead of polishing off a bottle of wine to get drunk, you shouldn't need more than a few glasses". - He then admitted that he and his wife still enjoy a nice night out away from their 5 kids - so he could relate Don't mistake that he encouraged any of this - his official recommendation was still to KEEP IT TO A MINIMUM. I was so excited to have a Dr. that was really comfortable being open with me about this subject. Please share any additional real life information that might help a band-er-to-be. I look forward to your input about actually living with any of this advice!!

I have been following Weight Watchers for 2 weeks. The secret for me is sticking to 20 points a day plus the extra points. They wanted me to eat 26 points a day but I wasn't losing on that. I lost 2 lbs this week. My extra points are primarily for alcohol consumption. 1/2 cup of wine is 4 points so you can see how fast those points really do go. I love the point system. I pledged to myself to stick to it for 10 weeks and bought a 10 week pass. My goal is to lose another 10-15 lbs before I have plastic surgery. I think I can do that in 10 weeks. Also, keep in mind that 1 point is 50 calories. That is why I do 20 points day. That plus the bonus points typically puts me at 1200 calories a day. My doctor says that is fine. I am very happy following the Weight Watchers plan. P.S. I was on a plateau just being banded and was down 65 lbs, 105 preop. This has really jump started me again. Good luck. Let me know what you decide.

Actually not entirely true... To the weight loss surgery patient slider foods are the bane of good intentions and ignorance often causing dumping syndrome, weight loss plateaus, and eventually weight gain for gastric bypass, gastric band (lap-band), and gastric sleeve bariatric patients. Slider foods, to weight loss surgery patients, are soft simple processed carbohydrates of little or no nutritional value that slide right through the surgical stomach pouch without providing nutrition or satiation. The most innocent of slider foods are saltine crackers, often eaten with warm tea or other beverages, to soothe the stomach in illness or while recovering from surgery. Understanding Slider Foods The most commonly consumed slider foods include pretzels, crackers (saltines, graham, Ritz, etc.) filled cracker Snacks such as Ritz Bits, popcorn, cheese snacks (Cheetos) or cheese crackers, tortilla chips with salsa, potato chips, sugar-free cookies, cakes, and candy. You will notice these slider foods are often salty and cause dry mouth so they must be ingested with liquid to be palatable. This is how they become slider foods. They are also, most often, void of nutritional value. For weight loss surgery patients the process of digestion is different than those who have not undergone gastric surgery. When slider foods are consumed they go into the stomach pouch and exit directly into the jejunum where the simple carbohydrate slurry is quickly absorbed and stored by the body. There is little thermic effect in the digestion of simple carbohydrates like there is in the digestion of Protein so little metabolic energy is expended. In most cases patients in the phase of weight loss who eat slider foods will experience a weight loss plateau and possibly the setback of weight gain. And sadly, they will begin to believe their surgical stomach pouch is not functioning properly because they never feel fullness or restriction like they experience when eating protein. The very nature of the surgical gastric pouch is to cause feelings of tightness or restriction when one has eaten enough food. However, when soft simple carbohydrates are eaten this tightness or restriction does not result and one can continue to eat, unmeasured, copious amounts of non-nutritional food without ever feeling uncomfortable. Many patients turn to slider foods for this very reason. They do not like the discomfort that results when the pouch is full from eating a measured portion of lean animal or dairy protein without liquids. Yet it is this very restriction that is the desired result of the surgery. The discomfort is intended to signal the cessation of eating. Remembering the "Protein First" rule is crucial to weight management with bariatric surgery. Gastric bypass, gastric banding (lap-band) and gastric sleeve patients are instructed to follow a high protein diet to facilitate healing and promote weight loss. Bariatric centers advise what is commonly known among weight loss surgery patients as the "Four Rules" the most important of which is "Protein First." That means of all nutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fat and alcohol) the patient is required to eat protein first. Protein is not always the most comfortable food choice for weight loss surgery patients who feel restriction after eating a very small amount of food. However, for the surgical tool to work correctly a diet rich in protein and low in simple carbohydrate slider foods must be observed. The high protein diet must be followed even after healthy body weight has been achieved in order to maintain a healthy weight and avoid weight regain.

I pretty much drank EAS carb control Dutch chocolate drinks from Wal-Mart and Crystal Light lemonade. I wasn't able to eat anything for the 1st 4 or 5 days and then moved onto chicken broth and then Cream of Chicken and Cream of Mushroom soup. By the 3rd week I could handle (very finely chopped) chicken and chopped boiled eggs. I didn't need a lot of variety, so when I found something I could handle, I stuck with it. Don't buy too many of any one sugar free thing. I found out the hard way that my stomach does not like things with sucralose and sugar alcohols, but aspartame is okay.

Yay! I got my first fill this morning! I'm so happy, it's ridiculous. Even if I don't reach restriction from this fill, at least I now know that this journey has really started and is really progressing, and as long as I do the work, I can expect to get results. I can't even describe how that feels. It's euphoric! Even though my surgeon had indicated I would likely have a fill at this appointment (4 weeks post-op), I still had paranoia that it might not happen. I'm just that kind of girl--a worrywort! Well, when the nurse escorted me into the exam room, I saw all the accoutrements of a fill already laid out for the doctor, and that soooo made me happy. Never have the sight of needle, syringe, and alcohol swabs given me such a thrill! When the surgeon came in, he asked me if I was on soft solids yet (which I am) and if I wanted my first fill. I don't think he even got to finish the question before I was shouting my "YES!" It turns out that my surgeon does his fills by feel--no barium swallows or flouroscopy. He had me lay back on the exam table and lift my head in a mini-crunch while he located the port. Then came the needle. Now, I'm on the fence about needles; they don't totally freak me out, but I don't love them, either, so it was a little odd for me when, after the initial stick, he spent maybe 15 seconds wigglnig the thing around to get it in precisely the right spot. I can't say it was totally comfortable, but I can't say it was painful, either. It was just a weird sensation. Once the needle was in place, he started the injection, backed it up to be sure it was correctly entering the system, then completed the fill. The whole appointment was like 5 minutes (with another 40 minutes spent completing my form, waiting, weighing in, and getting my vitals checked). After the fill, he gave me a small cup of water to drink and said I could come in after 3 weeks if I felt I needed more restriction. The fill itself consisted of 3.0 cc of fluid. That made me quite happy, since I dreaded getting only 1 cc at a time. The surgeon claims that most patients feel restriction between 3 cc and 8 cc. Right now, I'm not entirey certain what I feel, since I've been instructed to have my first post-fill meal as liquid, then progress slowly back through the stages until I'm on solid foods. The water at the dr's office went down with no issues, so I felt a little worry that I might not have any restriction at all. When I got home, I had a protein drink for lunch, and it took me 45 minutes to drink the 8 oz. I didn't have any trouble with it at all, but I thought I could feel it going down in a way I hadn't before. Whether that's restriction or just swelling, I guess we'll see, but I'm feeling fairly optimistic. And full off just liquid, which is nice. Hopefully that will continue. Anyway, that's my first fill experience. I'm crossing my fingers that the band kicks in and starts holding up its part of this bargain, since I only lost 3.4 lbs since my last dr's visit.

Thank God that is so NOT true. If it were, I would have grown up to be an alcoholic malcontent, never happy with anything or anyone, and by middle-age I would have alienated my children and all my siblings, before I drank myself to death at the age of 55. I would blame everyone but myself for my miserable state, and I would go to my grave without ever saying "I love you" to my daughter. That is what I lived as a child. That is not who I am today, because I CHOSE to be different. I CHOSE to be better.

And your children would be how old? Come back and tell us all about your perfect parenting techniques AFTER you have raised several children to adulthood who never screwed up. Carol Burnett had a child in drug rehab while she was "off being a celebrity". Was she a bad mom, too? Paul Newman's son Scott died as a result of his drug habit, as did Carroll O'Connor's. Were they rotten parents? I have four children. Three of them are responsible, respected, upstanding, Christian men. They are wonderful husbands and sterling, award-winning fathers. They do not smoke, drink, or do drugs. I dedicated, as the saying goes, the best years of my life to raising them. I took them to church regularly. We took family vacations. They were all in scouts, sports, and church organizations. I did all the right things. And yet my daughter's life is a train wreck. And whose fault is that? It's HERS. My father was an alcoholic who deserted his wife and two children when I was 5 years old. My mother was a distant, bitter, resentful parent. I was not raised...I just grew up. But I am none of the things my parents were, in spite of their shortcomings. I chose to be a sober, responsible person, and a great mom to my own kids. My daughter is her own worst enemy, but that was her choice. You cannot save people from themselves.

I have read (on this site and others) that for those who's excess calories are coming from sweets, alcohol etc. the band can't really help because liquids and chocolate slip through. Maybe this was the problem?

It's me again. Neossa. I am 6 month post op MGB. After 3 month of my surgery I had small amount of alcohol and since then...I realized that I can drink decent amount of alcohol after my surgery. Before surgery I was drinking beer like a fish. After surgery I can even drink 2 beer at a time or 2 glass of wine. I am not drinking daily...but once a week. Over the weekend. I wonder my capacity of drinking after MGB. When I google stuff ppl says....they can't drink after surgery or they get high faster. But I don't feel like I am higher or tipsy. I KNOW its not good. and I am still half way to my weight loss journey. I need advise or a conversation for alcohol after Mini Gastric Bypass. Should I drink ( Off course NO) or I can occasionally drink 1 glass of alcohol. Thank you all in advance who can comment on it.

My surgeon also said no caffiene, no carbonation and no alcohol. She did advise that alcohol can be consumed for speical occasions such as My brithday, New Years and christmas. The reason I'm not allowed carbonation is that it will expand my sleeve and I'm definitely not interested in that at all. I find it so interesting that each doctor is different in their approach!

Welcome Pipedoc! You'll love the band. It really helps but you got to work it and it sounds like you're off to a great start. You'll be back on the bike soon too! Have fun tonight. If you're a drinker know that the alcohol sneaks up on you faster now so start slowly!!! Riding today in an event to support our Vets. Should be a gorgeous day later. Little cool right now but that's what chaps are for. If you're a HOG member I'm on page 58 of the new HOG magazine! Woohoo!!! Peace to all and ride safe!! Carol :Yawn:

I really want a glass of wine. Not the whole bottle, just one glass. My husband and I typically go out to eat and/or meet with friends 2 or 3 times a week. I am tired of sitting there with a glass of Water. I could nurse a glass of Chardonnay or Merlot for at least an hour! I can understand the no beer thing, and also understand alcohol having empty calories. From the healing band standpoint wouldnt the wine just go straight through to my stomach? The only information I can find in my info packet is: "You must also avoid alcoholic drinks, not only are they very caloric but they irritate your stomach. In time you might be able to drink a glass of wine, but it should be done sparingly and with moderation" How much time is 'in time' lol?

My pre-authorization testing: Pulmonologist clearance Drug/Alcohol screening Nutritionist consult Psych consult Upper GI series Physical clearance from PCP

So now that I have "officially" accepted responsibility for my weight gain over the years, now I'm trying to figure out what led to this roller coaster life I lead! My last blog, I talked about being on phen-phen and loving it... then getting married and 2 kids later - poof I'm topping 259.6 lbs! But there is a lot in between that time span that I need to reflect on! So - in my late 20's and early 30's - newly married, fabulous job, living in DC - smoozing with the politicians, climbing the work latter, away from my mom.... hmmmmm - can't think of a single reason emotionally that I should have gained weight... I think I stayed a size 10ish - wavering between an 8 and 12 probably - so not too bad. Though, again, I thought I was HUGE! But honestly, other than eating out, and enjoying an adult beverage (oh and not working out) - I'd say life was even for me during this time! Moving into my 30's - 2 kids now! Moved to Atlanta - lived in the burbs with the white picket fence (literally, a white picket fence)... hanging in the cul-de-sac in my sweater sets.... I gained about 40 - 50 lbs with each kid - though I lost "most of it" each time - but stayed in the 170s - 180's for the most part. I played tennis on the neighborhood tennis team - and in my late 30's, started running... I got down to a size 8 - 10 again and looked and felt good! Then BAM! It hit! My daughter is in kindergarten - teachers think something is "not quite right"; tests begin... nothing unusual - but still something "is off".... she enters 1st grade... and now the fun begins.... without going into the details of how we got there... we found out my daughter was dyslexic! The end of the world!!! We thought we had to brightest (her IQ by the way is 1 point below Genius), most perfect child... oh my god... what are we going to do? What did I do? I went into Mamma Bear mode.... started looking at private schools that specialize in dyslexia, started taking her to special tutoring sessions (driving an hour home from work to pick her up, then driving another 45 minutes to the tutor, waiting an hour, then driving an hour back home (rush hour). We started eating in the car - snacks on the way there, dinner from Mickey D's or Chick-fil-a on the way back... 3 x per week!!! I stopped running - who has time for that when you have a full time job, 2 kids, and this new "the world has ended" weight on my shoulders? My daughter was accepted in the top school - whew!! but that meant commuting 1.5 hours each way every day... but I was willing - because it was only supposed to be for 2 - 3 years (a transition school, where there is remediation and you go back to the "real world"). So we ate in the car...ALOT!!! My daughter isn't gaining weight because she is active (see a pattern from my mom here?)... but she is also on ADHD meds with acts as an appetite suppresent. I however, am gaining weight... not on the tennis team anymore, and definitely not exercising! Now add in my son - the pre-schools are saying he has some issues too - oh here we go again - at least we know what to look for this time - right? But we have him in a pre-school that is for advanced kids - and he is falling behind - and the teacher is bullying him - yes bullying a 4 year old. He went into a depression - 4 year old!!! He was the happiest kid - every day is a good day - and then boom - depressed! We pulled him out of that school and went to another school - he was happy, but not learning - but happy :-)! In Kindergarten - we decided to nip it in the bud - have him tested and boom - he is dyslexic too (it is hereditary and I probably had it but overcame it with my intellect and my dad is). We enter him into the same private school as my daughter - and now have $50,000 in tuition plus uniforms... plus the commute... and eating on the go! But - it was only temporary - right? So we did it... and then.. came the time for my daughter to be retested (every 3 years) and to start thinking about the next school..... I remember it clearly... I had just started a software development leg of my company... I was 30 minutes from walking into a board room filled with CEO's and CIOs from major companies (7 of them) to pitch my latest product.... and the psych called.... "Hey Krista - just wanted to let you know I'm coming up with some "weird" results for Natalie".....pause...."I'd like to run some additional tests"....pause...."I think she may be on the autism spectrum...and by the way I think she comes by it from her dad"! THUMP!!! OMG!!!! Did she just say AUTISM? OMG!!!!! So I compartmentalize that, and do my presentation... them come out and just CRY!!!! Turns out... after the initial testing and 2 second opinions... she is on the spectrum... and my husband is accepting that he may be too - but what is he going to do about it at almost 50 years of age?... Now my world is crumbling... AGAIN!!!! I have to find a new school, I have to put her in a "social skills" class (she was "shy" all this time - not autistic), I have to rearrange my life... AGAIN!! My world ended during this time - how can this be? So I started taking Lexapro to "deal" - and I probably drank way more wine than I should any given week... and I most definitely ate out every meal and did not exercise! OK - so, I found a school - only it is 2 hours from our house... my son is still at the dyslexia school - the complete other direction... so now what? Oh - sell our house and move closer! We also decided to go ahead and move our son to this school as it is a school for all types of learning differences! So - we move, move schools, and I also decide to sell my businesses.... I had to make changes - I had to do something!! But selling my business turned out to be a VERY bad idea (I'll write more on that another time)... and turns out, my son has Asperger's too - OMG - TWO KIDS on the spectrum!!!! Though actually with my son, they don't know how to diagnose him - so they just gave him that DX - he really has more working memory issues and his IQ is on the low side! So - moving from my past - I think I did very well overcoming my mother and childhood stuff... I did very well with moving up the corporate ladder, and I did well early in the childhood raising area.... My weight gains - major weight gains started when trouble hit my perfect little life! I turned to food (and alcohol - though I wouldn't call myself an alcoholic) to solve my problems - to comfort me! Food was the one staple that was there - no matter what - I could count on a drive-thru... I could count on a good sushi meal (I mean like $50 - $60 of sushi for me alone)... I could count on a bottle of wine! I can see the crisis that hit - I can see how I used food - but what I don't know yet, is how will I overcome the "next" crisis?????? More to come as I figure out this journey! Look for my scary boss story coming next - this is when I hit the top of the scales!!!

Fholts, I am praying for you right now. Sometimes I think things are out of our hands and we have to ask God for help. He will not let you down. I have experienced alot of the same things you are going through but I know everyone's is different. I have a wonderful husband, he makes a wonderful living, and takes care of us very well, but I'm just 2 weeks out banded and I try to keep up with him but when I can't he gets really mad and tells me to just go to bed. I rode 4 wheelers for over 6 hours yesterday and helped my son work on his before he wrecked and today I just don't feel good and it's his day off so now he's pissed off at me. I tell him I'm doing the best I can. Then my son who just had the accident, he's almost 19, living at home, loves to party with friends and drink alcohol. It's so hard on our marriage and I pray everyday God will take care of him and us. He says he's enlisting in the Army and although I will never quit crying when he does I know it's for the best for him. Just try to think positive and try to take some time each day if your religious to ask for God's help, and we'll all be praying for you as well. Try when your attacks comeon to go some where peaceful to get your thoughts together and relax. You can do this and we're all here if you need to talk, pm me I would feel honored to talk to you or just post on here we're always here for each other. In a way we're all family. We have had something done to our bodies that just not everybody has, so we have a bond. Love you and sending hugs your way, Sherri

Ditto, ditto, ditto! liquid calories is the most basic reason (and probably least important, in my opinion). The research is beginning to pour in about the VERY high rate of alcoholism among bariatric surgery patients. As others have said, there are very few bariatric patients who can honestly say that food was not a coping skill for them. I think I'm pretty well put together, but the transition from being able to drown emotions with food kind of messed with my head for a while. With the weight loss, it takes less to get a buzz because of body weight and metabolism. Plus, we don't/can't consume as much food to slow down the rate of absorption like before. Using this new body takes some getting used to and we really have to think about what we are ingesting like we never did before surgery. At least I know that eating was a pretty unconscious process for me pre-band. Habits, habits, habits. I quit smoking 3 years ago and I still think I should smoke when I'm drinking. It just feels weird because it goes together for me. Same goes for food. There's a reason people love bar food. It just goes with the alcohol. Plus, when I drink - even if I'm not getting plastered, I know that my judgment and perception are impaired. A whole plate full of appetitzer/bar food looks much different to me after a few margaritas. Suddenly it sounds like a great idea! (when I probably wouldn't seriously do much damage without the margaritas). I think, in general, that first year after WLS is all about learning a whole new way of life and adjusting to a healthy lifestyle. Unless the lifestyle changes, we stand very little chance for long term success. Limiting alcohol is part of that healthy lifestyle. (I never heard the thing about risk for erosion, but it makes sense). All in all - I think it's good advise to just avoid it for a while. Shelly

I was just told to wait 6 weeks post op. Obviously the empty calories are something you dont want to over indulge in, but as far as actually consuming alcohol, I was told it was fine.