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My NUT says look for SF with sugar alcohol under 5 grams

You do not need to unfill to fly, in fact according to my Dr air in the band will swell and cause problems whilst saline won't.So in other words it is better when flying to have Fluid in than for it to be empty. I have flown many times since being banded and have never had an issue. Many of those flights were long haul Australia - Africa. If you are concerned then request a special diet in advance. I ate the plane food and surprisingly didn't have any issues. Keep hydrated, stay away from the alcohol and you should be fine. And if you do feel slightly tight whilst in the air it should resolve when you land. I would advise against unfilling for any reason other than being too tight. It is way too hard to get back to the green zone afterwards and you may find that you regret it.

"....the child of an alcoholic, recently divorced, in therapy and banded...." Holy Motherload of burdens to bear! Reading into your first sentence made me say "Whoa!" I also get comfort and soothing from eating to fill the Hole(s). But like any addiction, it only soothes and comforts for so long, then the consequences sneak up and attack you, making it worse. Yet you still played by the rules and lost a wonderful 22lbs! You are living proof that taking control of your own life, works! You should be very proud of yourself! Keep up the good work! I'll try your coping mechanism of drinking water (I already do, but not in the car) or chewing gum. I've read that some bandsters have accidently swallowed their gum. Can't remember how that affects a bandster though. But a good Peppermint (strong flavor that I don't particularily like) gum would do it for me, I think. IDK, I'll give it a try, thanks! And keeping busy must help. I was thinking of learning how to knit or crochet. I get my head hungers at night, when I'm alone, so crocheting would be a great diversion. Like you said, keep busy! I wish you all the success in the world to build a better self esteem and success with your new banded life!

Thanks for this thread. I have noticed a lot of sugar free stuff have sugar alcohols and I have no idea if that's ok. Surgery 7/25/12

I was wondering if sugar alcohol has caused anyone to get sick? I was thinking about getting some sugar free candy but was scared to try it. I'm 2.5 weeks post-op. Jess...Surgiversary 9/19/12

Pretty strict...if it won't go through a straw, I can't have it. No sodas or alcohol though...lol I can have low fat creamy Soups and blenderize chunks, which is nice. I can have SF Jello and SF popsicles, but no SF pudding, which I was really disappointed about. And this struck me as odd, since they say to crush meds postop and mix in unsweetened applesauce, but I can't have that preop 1st 3 days, hunger wise weren't too terrible, but I developed headaches each day and had a heck of a time with focusing/concentrating on anything. Now that I am past that 3-4 day hump, I think my body has adjusted. Getting better concentration and no more headaches

OK guys, I enjoy a glass of wine before dinner more days than not and I truly don't want to be a stick in the mud. But there are a couple of things to at least be aware of. Keep in mind that alcohol will likely hit you harder and much faster than it did pre-op. There are some nightmare DUI stories out there from bypass patients that had a single drink. One often quoted ratio is 3 to 1 - one drink post-op is like three pre-op. Would be a very good idea to give your keys to someone else before you take that first drink. My surgeon said absolutely no alcohol until six months post-op. Your pouch is doing a lot of healing from the surgery and alcohol can be an invitation to an ulcer. We pay doctors to be conservative and as others have said, there may be absolutely no problem. But the risk is there. Whatever you decide, have a wonderful trip!! My wife and I will be there in late Nov. and have tickets to opening night for Shania Twain on Dec. 1st. I just have to go to Vegas every now and then and visit my money! Lol!!

The child of an alcoholic here. Didn't know that the damage was so far reaching for me until the past year. Got divorced, got into therapy, got my band. food is comfort for me. Filling an empty hole only I feel/see. Covering up anxieties at work or socially. Thin people will ask "but does it make you feel better?" yeah! It does sometimes. Soothing. Comforting. It's what I know? I was banded 9/10. Down 22#. Here is a trick I use in the car. I love to eat in the car. In private. In shame. When I want to eat something I shouldn't (fast food is my drug of choice). I drink some Water. I put a piece of gum in my mouth, I get out a bottle of lotion and I close my eyes and put lotion on my hands and arms slowly . Calming. And I breath deeply and repeat a mantra. My go to is "I am what I am. And it's enough.". I'm struggling with self esteem this year. Some of the more powerful ones don't ring true for me. But I'll work myself up to them! usually the cravings pass and then I quickly make myself busy. Bless you on your journey!

You seem way to intelligent to believe this. There is no "dislike" button, or you might be seeing different results. In order to disagree with your points, one has to take the time to write a post and be willing to "publicly" disagree with you. Plenty of people here aren't willing to do that. They are too nice. I'm sure if you met up with a bunch of alcoholics carrying a bottle of whiskey you would be quite popular. That's what you have here...people who do not want to change their bad behavior one bit, they only want the sleeve to control their portions for them. But for people with food addictions and eating disorders, that approach absolutely will not work. They will find ways to eat around the sleeve.

@PDX.. Ok. I do feel the same about you in terms of not listening, but let me try to answer quickly.. Yes, I so agree that telling people not to follow their docs orders is dangerous! Yes, I so agree that I am not normal in terms of how well SO FAR I have adjusted ... Tried to tell you that I am not telling people to disregard and only talking about preop and the first 2 weeks. So, yes, if a doc tells them they need two weeks of liquids, I am simply sharing that mine, as well as many others only require one week, so they can do the math or decide if they want to have a healthy snack during that 2 weeks of pre diet liquid hell. Even for me, on one week pre-op, my nurse there told me WHEN I CALLED that I could have chicken noodle soup and not to sweat it...... Re the next 2 weeks, I am not talking about how well I tolerated purees. That is NOT why he put me on them. I pointed out that he puts ALL of his patients to purees on day 2 post surgery.. NOthing to do with how well I handled my food. NOt saying they will and not saying they should do anything differently if they don't want to OR if their doc specifically told them not to do anything because of their specific issues.. People should know that many docs allow it and that the majority of posts I have read about what it will do to you if you do, as to be BS as a)then no doc would allow purees on day 2 and things like your staples getting caught in a pretzel is comical.. That was my point. People can read the whole thing I wrote (hence what it was a long post) and make their decisions if they need to obsess or just have try for ONE meal on ONE day, some tuna etc (like I or many did)..... I feel they are guidelines and tried to find out which were musts (ie need a majority liquid pre-op for liver to be nice and limber and shiny is a MUST) and which are opinions that many Docs vary on...... Re my back up, sure. But u didn't say I may or may not be a troll. You disagreed with some of my points on my replies and called me on it and also said "I have to call BS on that. No doc would tell you to have meatball".. .. So, your last post was very professional, and hence my reply to yours now is. But that was not the case.. That said.. NO doctor would put "eat meatballs" in their post bariatric diet plan.. He told me that at my two week follow up when I told him where I cheated and how well I tolerated that.. How I can't believe how many obsess and is it ok for me to try some of these things.. He and the NUT explained the risks of not being strict and eating a full bag of chips or a 4 meatballs, but told me that I should live it up and have a half if that makes it easier..". FOR ME, not for the populous. Things like the alcohol or caffein, etc should not be taken by me at all as what they should do.. HOWEVER< they should , if they wish, ask their docs and get their advice! I asked about the coffee FOR ME and about the Alcohol FOR ME". We had a discussion about the reasons and possible mental risks, but they concurred. I was just sharing. I hope this both answers your questions and explains my position so that you also finally get what I am saying.. I suggest a truce on the topic, unless we find new material to debate professionally over :-)

Hello to all my sleeve sisters. I had quite a few days of catching up with everyones postings. Was sorry to hear of the troubles of some and glad to hear of those who are rockin their sleeves! I am 16 days out from surgery and also having some issues with the soft foods my program allows, doing alright with the fluids most days. I hate the stuck feeling I get after eating only 2-3 bites of an egg, and have thrown up a few times. Some days I regret doing this to myself but I also regret that I let myself get so fat!!! Reading the posts of my sleeve sisters helps so much as I don't feel so alone in all this. My center has support meetings but the few I attended were weird b***h sessions about the not smoking and being allowed alcohol.....which I am sure are tough if you have those things to give up but I was looking for more of a nutritional and lifestyle support group. Thanks for listening. My prayers are with you all!

You will be fine.... I had wine about 8 wks post op and have wine a few times a week. I have not ventured to any other alcohol yet. Just be careful with your first drink, maybe try something at home first to see how you handle it.

So first i am not posting this to get anyone to jump all over me. So dont please. Anyways i am headed to vegas in nov. And i have not even thought about alcohol due to the fact i am not a huge drinker. But is it ok to have a drink or two? I mean hello girls weekend in vegas! Nothing carbonated..clearly lol but something simple...? Yes i understand cross over addictions and blah blah im not making a a habit... Anyways by the trip ill be 3.5 mo post op.

My surgeon always says at his seminars that after surgery you will become a "cheap date" because for most alcohol hits you quicker and it dont take much to catch a buzz lol

I probably shouldn't be saying this out loud but I tried alcohol last week and it gave me the diarreah. It's only been a month since surgery. Ooops. I'll try again in a week or two. Is that bad?

I was just wondering, after getting sleeved, can wine or any other alcohol be consumed? I'm in no way an alcoholic but I have a wedding in April to go to and I was wondering what the rules were?

The good news is my place smells like lemon/lime margaritas (minus the alcohol smell) and I dont stink of smoke I dont know if it is just as harmful as cigarettes or not (and i refuse to get into it), but whatever. It tastes amazing (im running through several different flavors right now (Pirates Cave (lemony/limey), Queen of Sex (skittles flavor/smell), Purple Savior (Kind of fruity with some spice and flower aftertaste), and Melon Blue (honeydew/blueberry flavor). I think hookahs make great conversation pieces and when my friends drop by, i can smoke while they drink and then they can try my flavors too.

Yes it was 7 days! My tolerance is pretty low I havnt had an alcoholic drink since sugery so I was careful I did drink way to much champaign one night it snuck up on me real quick! 4 pounds a week is a lot that's why I was do surprised I normally lose about 2 a week.

Yes I would do it again. I'm three months post surgery and finding the satisfaction from eating a reasonable portion of food at 3 meals, chewing my food slowly with every bite, making conscious choices with my food and portions and losing weight as a result has been worth it. Yes, I could and have done these things before without the lapband, but I found I slipped and returned to bad habits and regained the weight. This was the core reason for me getting the band. The band is the reminder to definitely chew slowly and thoroughly and I've found with even only 1 fill, I'm more satisfied with smaller portions than I was ever before. i've had one stuck episode and between sheer embarrassment and feeling terrible for the rest of the day, it's reminder enough to follow the rules. I've also found given I spent both the time and money getting this surgery, telling myself my health and well being is really important has helped me focus on not just the eating, but exercise, reducing my alcohol intake and adequate sleep. I fortunately started a new job post this surgery and have a new persona as the fit healthier one in the office which is a nice change. Although all that said, I did really feel like crap for a week post surgery. I was uncomfortable, having to sit up or shift around to move some of the gas pains and as a side sleeper found it difficult to get some decent rest having to lie on my back. I was really lethargic and felt like a bit of a zombie, as well as nauseous from the anesthesia. Come week two just felt like I wanted to eat something and was on the hunt for food, despite being on liquids. Week 3 & 4 on mushies, was better, but just had to be smart planning ahead or limit the amount of going out and social interaction that involved food if I didn't think having something soft and mushy was possible. But come the end of week 4 I was happy and proud to go back to the doctors to show how well I did sticking to the rules, the weight loss achieved to date and ready to get on with the real deal living with the band day to day.

Crissylu nailed my band on the head. Mornings & stress cause my band to be tight. Also if my allergies are really bad then my band will get tight. One bandster said the band was like a toddler, you never know what's going to happen from day to day. That's my band, the toddlers. Lol I know several bandsters do not approve of drinking alcohol with the band, but if I have a really tight band I'll have a glass of red wine before dinner, it relaxes my band so I can enjoy my meal. It works for me.

That's great!!! How did you do with alcoholic drinks?? Tolerance?? And great that you are loosing 4lbs a week 9 months out?!?! Was it 1wk vaca? Regardless, Congrats!!!!

I've been on a few dates since getting sleeved. Ive noticed that my confidence has gone up drastically. Im a super cheap date as well - thankfully my dates understood. Im pretty open with the surgery and told them and they had no issues, just interested in the experience. My most recent date and I are going out again shortly. As far as alcohol goes, Im only 3 months out, but I will admit that I have had a few. I honestly dont feel a difference. I was able to drink 2 Jack and Cokes (asked the bartender to flat the soda for me) and did not get super drunk or tipsy at all - just a nice mellow buzz. I will probably wait until after 6 months to test the waters further with alcohol. So far, so good?

@butterthebean Believe it or not, I sooo agree with all you write.. I know I'm a newbie FOR SURE! I know it sounds down right righteous to some. It wasn't my intention nor point. My theme was to indeed KNOW yourself and we are all different.. And soo many posts like licking the cheese off the dorito or chewing and spitting.. That sort of thing (ALOT OF IT ON HERE) is what I am referring to! I know I may have issues. When I do, I'll scale back! You are also so right about the food addictions, etc. My psych visit caught all of that (and the recent comments about alcohol and cross addictions). I know for ME, I have no alcohol addiction. Others need to be honest.. Re food addictions, yep, I think all of us have them.. My point wasn't to cave into whims. Junk food indeed got me here.. Or bad choices... I am working on changing that and only time will honestly tell. I don't think I'm enabling anyone, because my point was have the ONE dorito! but, if yuo are the type who can't handle that (only you know that), then don't do it! It works for me.. Same for the 2 pretzels. Etc. So, yes, I do agree with your points and that's why I love this forum!

Ok. Rules are SOMETIMES meant to be broken. So, Here's the deal. I am 2 weeks post op today. I am one of those who had zero issues and had a smooth ride from recovery room to date!! This post is not intended to mean I am sure I will have a long term good go at this! It also doesn't address the future, but really ONLY the many threads that I have read regarding the preo op and post op liquid diets and the Pre and post few weeks Do's and Dont's! I have read almost every post on here before and after surgery, lol. Here is the point that I will explain. Your/Our obsession over following diet rules is what got us here in the first place.. isn't it?? I mean, it's great to have black and white rules.. Do's and Don's. can and cant's.. That's why we were ALL great on Atkins (remember the carb counting obsession), and South Beach (remember how carefully we chose the meals), weight watchers, low cal, grapefruit, slimfast , yada yada yada......RIGHT? Sure, it worked. THEN WE WENT OFF THE WAGON and got sick of the rules and restrictions and put weight back on (and then some).... That's because it was a DIET.. Why do so many of you do that on here? I'm not judging, but trying to help! Yes, it's easier for me, since I have had no issues. I come from a strong medical family (i had bio as a minor,4 docs and 2 nurses in immed family) and I always love to understand WHY the rules are in place. If something doesn't make sense, I want to know why and not just follow a rule because it was put out there. My surgeon told me that "rules" are on here for the lower end of reaction spectrum. meaning, many need not follow them, but since 30%, for ex, will have issues with some things, they want to make a general rule...... As EVERYONE says on here, as well as EVERY doc, ALL OF US ARE DIFFERENT! We heal differently, We tolerate pain differently, foods differently, weight loss differently, etc..... EVERY SINGLE ONE So, the rules need not be applied to the T! Now, as a caveat and from feedback so far on this post, this is not an excuse to eat junk NOR stay on bad habits. I don't mean to enable anyone. here is what BUTTERTHEBEAN wrote: "The only reason I say "enabling" is because I think there are some people waiting in the wings to hear someone tell them it's okay to eat whatever they want. They haven't tackled their food addictions and they are hoping for "permission" to go back to their old ways. I know there are some that can learn to eat "all things in moderation." I have no problem with that. For me, I chose to embrace my inner health nut. It's not fear or weakness or lack of self control...it's the desire to live a long, healthy and active life. I'm not depriving myself, or sacrifing. The things I'm doing and the life I'm leading now feel way better than eating pizza and cupcakes ever did (even in moderation). By that I mean that food did not give me pleasure (never did, I just thought it did), so I no longer look to food to satisfy my needs, except nutritionally." Ok... Back to the post. Specifically, here is what I have had debunked by my brother (Anesthesiologist for bariatric), My mom (nurse and nutritionist), my bro's good friend and bariatric surgeon, and my surgeon.......... * Yes, the liquid PRE OP diet is not to be messed with. It sucked, but we need the liver to be soft and looking like liver in a supermarket. That will happen in most cases with one week.. Many docs do one week only and many do 2 weeks..... So, if you have a 2 week doc, don't worry if you cheat a little and wants some low calorie food.. It's OK!! have the Soup... etc. I didn't cheat as mine was only a week and I did not want to have a lifetime of liver issues if it was frail and broke a bit/injured while being moved for my surgery.... * Most docs on here POST OP put you on liquids for 2 weeks.. Why?? NOTHING medical. Really? Many docs, including mine, put me on Clear Liquids only day 1 in the hospital and then put me instantly on pureed foods (tuna salad, chicken salad, egg salad, greek yogurts, ricotta cheese, etc).. Yes. DAY 2! He does this for EVERY patient.. He has had NO MORE COMPLICATIONS than anyone else ever.... It is NOT true that eating this will cause a leak.. It can't get caught in you stitches, lol, as they are on the outside and you can't see them even in your stomach.. The ONLY risk is a)that you eat way too much and thus can cause leaks, so don't do that. and that is WAY too much. Meaning you go out of your way to test the limits. As any surgeon will tell you, stretching the stomach to break the staples is no easy task.... easy enough to follow that rule .. and the risk is that you get nauseated.. Ok.. we are all different. Some take 90 minutes the first time they eat to get down 4 oz of chicken salad.. I didn't . I got it down in 15 min and could have done it in 5..... But the point is, listen to your body. start slowly and if you tolerate it, then screw the rules..... What does this mean? It means so what if you doc put you on 2 week post liquid. That is soo hard.. so, do it mostly, but don't obsess about cheating. have a friggin plate of tuna salad.. It will taste yummy.. Add some great yogurt. If you can handle it, you are good to go! I did.. They also want you on this liquid to max your weight loss for motivation up front? do you really need that?? I don't care if it takes me 1 more week than you to hit the same goal? Frankly, I decided to keep my calories around 800ish anyway for my first 2 weeks. It was a little hard, but nothing like your liquid nightmare and i lost as much weight... I'm now on 1200 cal full diet plan (less hard carbs and hard veggies) as of last night. I've heard people say they are craving one Dorito chip.. Then the advice replies were "lick the cheese off" or "take a bit and spit it out...." LOL. Really? This is your diet/lifestyle for the rest of your life. HAVE A CHIP.. See if you get a lot of gas.. Chew it well.. If not problem, then enjoy the one chip. You got here because you at a half bag . One or three chips won't kill you! You need to find a way to eat what you will do.. The docs want you to build your healthy habits now. *The first year is where you get your max weight loss- Ok. For sure,, so, as noted, build your healthy habits now.. but make it last. So, if I want a Dorito chip. I have one or two.. On my pureed phase, my kids had pretzels at a game. I took 2 small ones....I had a qtr of his hotdog meat.. The point is, if we can seriously lower the number of calories we eat (which, for me, they figured i was eating between 3500-4000 per day and needed to be at 2400 or so.. Now, with 1200, which believe me, with the sleeve is a mini feast, I will be eating half the amount and will lose a lot of weight. So, yes, build good eating habits and i'm working on good food choices that I can live with! Can I eat white bread. Damn right?should I// nO?? it's a waste of calories and spikes your sugar and appetite. But, I sure will if i want a hamburger or great sandwich. A month ago i would have had 2 cheeseburgers and 2 hotdogs at a bbq. .So, guess what, i'll lose weight. Can't make it a daily thing.. But, again, stop obsessing.. *Eating and drinking slowly eating- well, you don't HAVE to eat slowly, but as we have been told our whole lives, eat slowly so that when you are really full, you know it! Also, you need to see what your bod can tolerate and if you eat too quickly, you may not have realized you were about to puke. If you can tolerate it, you can eat and drink quicker than others, but not a good idea for reasons mentioned. so work on it, but don't obsess.. At the hospital, they told me I had to drink in in little tiny medical cups a few cc evry 20 min. I laughed, as Water went down easily in recovery even. ALL NURSES TOLD ME NO. When I saw my doc, i asked why I can't just drink as I can tolerate it at home and get my 64 oz is. HE said dont' chug, but do whatever you can do without discomfort. So, 8 oz bottle of water went down in 5 minutes... etc.... *Chewing your food- ALL true... We have that banana sized stomach.. So, the doughy breads, and stringy veggies and large pieces of non chewed enough food INDEED often get stuck! Not stuck like a lap band, but rather, they move toward the pyloric valve and are too big to pass through it, since there isn't as much acid, etc in your stomach and, well, the route to the valve is now MUCH shorter.. So, it sits in front of it and as soon as the next item goes there, it waits in line. your body puts out gas and then knows there is a problem, so will signal you to vomit it up. not fun... So, chew! All true! Also makes us take longer to eat and thus enjoy the tastes more than ever and have the full signal sent to our brain while we are still eating or pretty close to that! *Caffein is bad... Ok. Google whether it's an appetite suppressant or stimulant.. It's hysterical.. You'll get equal replies from GREAT sources that say the opposite. I WANT my one cup a day. I'm not an addict. I asked. I am now sipping on my first REAL one. It is indeed a diuretic for some. So, drink a half cup more water than a day! If you feel it makes you hungry after you have it and you don't want to hold back, then stop the coffee.. It doesn't for me. It does for some... But what will you be doing in a year from now??/ There is NO medical reason why you can't have caffein after a few weeks *ALCOHOL is a no no for 2 months. NONSENSE.. Again, just there so we don't put empty calories. BUT what if I WANT one drink or two on a date tonight?? I am told, go for it, but just know you will have ingested 400 wasted calories. Ok. I get it, but I WILL drink in my life, although never drank a ton and that was not the cause of most of my weight.. Watch the calories and don't do it twice most weeks.. Or if you will, then cut back a bit on your Snacks, etc. Anyway, looking forward to a martini with my date tomorrow at dinner.. Oh, most people on here for a while, will tell you since there is less food to bind with alcohol, it goes into your intestines/blood stream much quicker and you get a nice buzz faster with less! way cool! * Most other rules and comments on here are just not universal and again, if you feel the NEED to cheat, then well, cheat! How can it be cheating if this will be your new life! WOrk hard at right food choices and don't make this soooo hard. The harder you make it, the more YOU WILL revolt and end up going off the wagon like the good old days... Since I have had no pain, etc and pretty much eat what I wanted (and cheated on my puree period even), I feel this is just toooo easy. I hear so many of you struggling (not because you have pain, but because you want to break a rul) and so many of you "supporting them" to stay strong, that I just wanted to add this post! Also, again, much of the medical advice that our well meaning friends on here provide, just isn't true. Sorry, but it isnt. I hope this helps some of you enjoy your Pre and Post diets much more than you may be now! Best, my friends!

Hi For me the final straw came last fall, I went away for a month long training course, and even though I did my best to watch what I ate and I found a gym and was able to go a few times, I ended up regaining every pound and more that I had worked the last 2-3 years to lose. Since my mid twenties(prior to that I was slim) I have struggled with my weight. I have tried Nutri-system, weight watchers, tai slim, I have had 2 different personal trainers and in the end I only succeeded in yo yo ing with my weight. Each time it gets harder. In addition over the years I have developed high cholesterol, asthma, clinical depression, and arthritis in my hips and knees. Am I alone? No, my dad and my brother and sister share the same story, except my brother has also added a heart attack at age 38 with 2 stent placements since, non alcoholic fatty liver disease and severe sleep apnea. We went on vacation with them this summer and I was amazed at how little he could do. And do you know what? BOTH of us have exactly the same amount of weight to lose to reach a normal BMI. I am starting menopause and I know when I am finished with that I will lose the protection for my heart that my premenopausal estrogen has given me. I want to live a longer and better quality life.