Search the Community

You were lucky that you were able to vomit. I drank too much a couple of months after being banded. Woke up in the middle of the night and tried to make myself vomit as usually that would help to make me feel better quicker. Needless to say i couldn't. It was the most horrible feeling. The positive part of that is I now try extra hard not to imbibe too much alcohol as I know how awful I will end up feeling. Hopefully your band is OK> I would baby it for a few days to give it a break and hopefully let it settle.

I have the same problem. I now limit myself to 1 (large) glass a night when I want it, but I go into it telling myself that I'm only allowing myself to drink because I will NOT allow myself to eat after consuming alcohol. I eat dinner before, and nothing after alcohol. thats my rule..out works for me

I totally understand. I have followed every single rule that they have set for me. Getting sleeved should not mean the end of all the things that made us happy. I can deal without the grease and junk food. I get that it will get me nowhere, but caffeine, COME ON doc!!! I'm not going to OD on it when the only time I consume it is through coffee. Funny story (speaking of condescending)....I asked my NUT when I could start having the occassional glass of wine. She literally looked down her nose at me and said, "We will talk about that at your next appointment, but you must remember that alcohol is nothing but empty calories." I wanted to look at her and say, "well so is Water, but you sure want me guzzling 64 oz of that crap a day!" Besides, I don't think there was ever a time in my life where I drank a beer because of how HEALTHY it was. DUH!!

LouiseC, alcohol = empty calories. Only a person with a hardcore drinking problem would dare sabotage their diet by drinking not one, but TWO glasses of wine! I can't believe you would do this to your body! So irresponsible. And to post it where newly sleeved folks for whom alcohol may pose a bleeding risk can see it? Tsk, tsk, tsk. Really, you should be ashamed of yourself. Now, see how ridiculous that sounds coming from some stranger on an internet message board?

i keep coming back to this thread and it makes me shake my head as a newbi it also makes me want to watch what I post honestly- what if I slip up and say I did and that’s it its full on your stupid get help tut tut bad girl?! I just want to say to no one in particular diet/zero soda ARE liquids they are mainly Water which you CAN drink in the liquid stage of the diet so frankly the day after the op you can drink it if its flat. Yes it happens to be fizzy unless you let it go flat, and yes it has alot of empty calories and some crap and crappy sweeteners but its still Fluid. Some of us have been told while it’s not ideal BECAUSE of the crap and empty calories in it but we can still drink it if its flat. Its in my paperwork on the pre and post op diets that I can drink it how it comes pre and flat post right there in black and white just because some of your were not told that doesn’t mean your right and we are wrong or vice versa! i mean god I was told not to drink tea or coffee or full fat milk all they give me in hospital was tea with full fat milk! I don’t get why people are jumping so hard on a person assuming he is chugging gallons of fizzy soda and dismissing everything told to him and being told in not so many words he is gonna stay fat or get fat again or going to stall so tough luck and we warned you! That’s pretty shitty to me honestly its like a bunch of ex smokers who go around telling you how bad it is for you all the time when they smoked 80 a day! Yeah we want support yeah we offer support where we can but frankly I am over the tutters and shamers! Please do not tell me not one of you tasted, licked, nibbled, drank a single thing you shouldn’t have since the op or never ever will for the rest of your life! No one is that perfect weather its alcohol a sweet treat takeaway whatever there is bound to be a slip somewhere along the lines no one is perfect and there is a reason within all of us that we got to the point of needing this in the first place! I think people who have been out longer than others forget their old life their habits and mindset. (not everyone just some i have seen around the forum) How hard it is sometimes to adjust and forget the head cravings or the emotional ones of just years and years of ingrain habit instead they are all knowing and just preach to the new people and scold them like kids. I have seen posts on this forum what people eat in the first week out and yes I shake my head and say F’ing hell! But I also know each person has their own struggles and own ways of rebelling in frustration and own demons with food and its pretty safe to say self sabotage. You don’t get to the stage we are at and not have tried diets and healthy eating before this is a brand new way of life some learn quickly some take longer some have more issues to work out before they get it but throwing digs and coming down on people not at your stage or not doing exactly what you did just hurts the person more than it helps. Say your concerned say they shouldn’t do it in your opinion, don’t get mean and personal and snide it doesn’t help anyone.

I'm a teacher too! I've been trying out different bars for Breakfast because I can't seem to get up early enough to get dressed much less make breakfast. Anyway, I tried one that contained those sugar alcohols...ugh....never again! My insides did not appreciate it at all. I had a Zone bar this morning-chocolate Peanut Butter. It was really good. No badness for the tummy. It was 200 calories with 14 grams of Protein. It did have 25 carbs which I know a lot of people on here are low carbers. I'm not.

Here's an interesting hypothetical. What if they had a surgery to cure alcoholism, or nicotine addiction? What if that surgery was available to everyone? Would the general consensus be that alcoholics and cigarette smokers are weak for having the surgery instead of quitting on their own? Would those surgeries have such a stigma?

50 Shaded is definitely a distraction lol. I started reading it when I first came home from the hospital. I just finished book 2. I didn't even think to look for sugar alcohols but when I ran to the bathroom I knew they had to be in there. I bought them because there was a Protein bar thread and people seemed to like those. I'll go back and try to find another. I always plan ahead, but looking for things to stash in my drawer that can keep.

What kind did you try? Had you eaten anything else with sugar alcohol in it today? My stomach has been very sensitive to SF candy but during my 4 month pre-op diet I sometimes had 2-3 Atkins bars a day and never had problems. I'm not sure which varieties have more SA but I would recommend the ones without chocolate. I got sick of the fake chocolate and towards the end I was only buying the oatmeal squares (so good in microwave), apple cinnamon bars and peanut nougat one (not sure of exact name). Unfortunately, I've never seen these ones sold individually but I will tell you WalMart carries Atkins products for MUCH cheaper than anywhere else!

Sugar alcohol is nasty. I can handle a tiny bit but I have to really watch the amount if it's in something. I get the caramel nougat Atkins and those only have 4 I think . I don't know why they put it in there. They had them before without sugar alcohol.

So I'm 6 weeks post op and experimenting with different options. I'm on a full diet and return to work Aug 6 (teacher) so I said I would try a bar to see if that could be an option if I'm in a jam or working late unplanned. I ate the bar slowly, it went down well and I was very full. About an hour later....my stomach started to send me hate mail lol. It is the first belly ache that I've had post op. Ugh! Soon after you know where I had to spend some quality time (at least I finally finished 50 Shades while in there lol). When I looked at the ingredients I think it was the sugar alcohols which I didn't have much trouble with before. Welp....cross those off my list!

If the bartenders give you crap about ordering a NA (non alcoholic) drink- just tell then you are a few weeks pregnant, smile sweetly and ask for your cranberry juice- I guarantee that will get you NA drinks w/o attitude! Also- maybe take Water shots instead of real shots. I don't drink but no one has really noticed cause I always slip off and order my own "shot" right before the big toast so I have something to join in with or when they are tossing em back- dump it on the floor quick. Maybe you even tell one of your friends and have her take all your drinks for you?

I allow myself 2 alcohol beverages a week but it's usually only 1. Alcohol reduces your inhibitions and can lead to binging. Hershey's and Dove make these small dark chocolate bites that have about 40 calories each and I have one every night. tmf

I celebrated national tequila day in true form. I never had an issues with alcohol. I just watch for carbonation and I know that it is going to affect me more.

I'm 23 and haven't had any alcohol in about 4 months (my surgery was almost 3 months ago). I was never a big drinker to begin with, but I did recently ask my doctor about it at my last fill appointment. She suggests no alcohol for the first year post op, but that one drink on special occasions is fine. Keep in mind alcohol does effect most of us more/quicker once we have the band, and it is empty calories. Like everything else, it's okay in moderation as long as we plan for it.

O I like the chocolate chip pure Protein. I also have some Protein Bars from Bariatric Choice that I like. But I try to eat more nutrious meals to get the Vitamins and minerals. Plus I have been having issues with diarrhea, nutritionist told me it is the sugar alcohol that is causing it. Plus with not having my gallbladder I can't tolerate fatty meats. I have been getting pains just below my breast bone occasionally for about two weeks now. Went to primary dr not my heart or lungs. The pain is like a brick on my chest or someone has a vice grip twisting my chest. The weird thing is that they happen at night but it happened the other morning on our way to the shore. Every time this happens I get up and eat 1 oz of nuts and the pain subsides. Going to have dr check it tomorrow.

It's funny because I went on a date this week and tomorrow I have plans with some college friends... I'm more worried about the drinking and eating issue with my former roommates than I was on the date. The guy knows I had surgery but not what kind and has been very polite about not prying. He knows I can't drink for a while and this week was our first meal together so of course he wasn't going to say anything. However, tomorrow I'm worried about the pressure to drink with my friends. We go out to bars with the sole purpose of drinking and dancing. I've heard some of the places we frequent will refuse to serve Water. I've gone out and been DD or sober by choice but I usually have at least 1-2 beers and nurse them all night. Not being able to have a drop is going to look suspicious. Plus, one of the girls just got engaged so I can only imagine how much "toasting" they are going to want to do! lol I was planning on saying something about not drinking due to medications but I found out a friend of a friend is coming also... who is a pharmacist. I really don't want to get hassled about it but I'm not sure all of these women will be supportive and/or not blab it to everyone so I don't want to 'fess up just yet! I'm a little worried and it sucks. I tend to get defensive in these situations and I don't want to make it a huge issue but I'm committed to the 6 months of no alcohol my doctor wants.

If you want to go with a bar I would go with the Atkins or South Beach. Most protein bars have a ton of carbs, even the ones that have alcohol sugars. You are better to go with a plain Greek yogurt and a fruit. The fruit is a complex carb which is better than the sugar in most protein bars. Also, sometimes our Timmy's don't like protein bars, too sweet.

I'm 9 days post-op and have been having a really tough time of it. Hard to get fluids down, hard to drink those stupid Protein shakes. I so miss my Diet Coke - some people smoke, some people do drugs, drink alcohol - I do none of that, I just like my Diet Coke. So today, I took one of my caffeine free Diet Cokes (when home, I always drank caffeine free), opened the bottle to let out some fizz, poured it over ice in a glass, and took small sips. It was like drinking a little glass of heaven. No stomach upset and I feel almost like a normal person again. No caffeine, lost a lot of the carbonation, and when the ice melts down, I'm even getting some extra water! It's amazing how this diet can make a person so miserable at times, but the little things we took for granted before can make a world of difference now with just a little modification (I would chug all fizzy from the bottle ).

So I went camping this weekend with a huge group of friends. I had just a few worries about packing the right foods and being in a social situation for the whole weekend. It went ok though! I did have a few sugar free jello shots and 64 calorie beers thruout the weekend. As long as I don't make the alcohol intake a regular habit I think I will be ok! But come on, it's summer and I was among many great friends! I did notice that my energy level wasnt like it usually is and I attribute that to the carbs. For meals, I took along several pouches of tuna for lunches and had a hamburger patty each night from the grill. We had plenty of cut up fresh veggies and for breakfast, I brought boiled eggs. I didnt even feel left out about s'more time! I know that if I have something that is high in sugar, I will feel terrible afterwards, so it is easy to say no to those foods! I have learned to just plan ahead for situations like this and it goes fine. It is even true for my work week. If I make the effort to plan ahead things go so much smoother

You can have anything you want...just be prepared to accept the consequences for your choices. It's not a sin to have alcohol...it's just not advisable. And when you had your band placed, you should have been aware of the need to stop having carbonated beverages. There are medical reasons for these rules. Carbonated beverages have gas in them...the gas in your pouch has the potential to distend it, thus creating pain, and the possibility of causing harm to the placement of your band. I believe I have also read that over time carbonation can also be a factor for erosion around your band. Can't you enjoy the beach without the drink? An additional consideration is that once you give yourself permission to break the diet rules, it can become progressively easier for you to do that in the future. Some people have the willpower to avoid that scenario...if you believe that choosing to have the drink will place you at risk to begin a new pattern of risky behaviors, just say no.

I know it's bad for you, full of calories, and a sin. But I'm going to the beach next week and I would really like a drink. I have always been a bourbon or rum and coke guy. Is it okay to have carbonation every once in a while like that?

drinks or coffee might be hard on your sleeve if you're nervous. Remember you can order tea at most places that have coffee; it might be a little easier on your tummy acid-wise. You might not get nervous; I seem to remember being kind of flipped when I went to meet my now-husband for the first time. :-) If it was dinner, I probably wouldn't just come right out with the fact of my surgery early, but it's hard to know what this old married chick would do. LOL I know when I've been on business dinners with new friends/colleagues, I haven't really felt like "going there," so I fall back on my usual restaurant routine-- 1. Order Water so the waitperson will not worry about you not having a drink. 2. Order a side salad as an appetizer and Soup or appetizer for your main course. I always say something like this: I'd like to start with a side salad, please, dressing on the side, and for my main course, I'd like the appetizer shrimp cocktail (or cup of soup), please. Then I smile and hand them my menu. Nobody bats an eye. 3. When the salad comes, push it around, nibble, enjoy it but don't eat until you're full. Nobody will care--I promise, if they notice, it's not going to be a big deal if you still seem like you're enjoying yourself and are relaxed. I did have a colleague once ask me why I wasn't eating very much, and I said that I didn't like to eat big meals when I was working (which is true, although sort of evasive). He teased me about "being good," and I just laughed and went on. No big deal. I have also said, which is also true, that big meals make me sleepy, and I like to stay sharp when I'm working. People understand that completely. Ironically, the smaller I've gotten, the less people seem to notice that I'm not eating much--wait staff are all very unconcerned that I'm sharing my husband's meal--they just bring an extra plate and no big deal. I think it's pretty common these days, with restaurant portions being so huge. I also like the tricks of putting down my fork/spoon often, talking, enjoying the table conversation, really having time to listen to my dinner companions. You might get the reputation of being the nicest date in town--a cheap date (you don't drink alcohol and don't eat much!) who really pays attention to her companion!! Best wishes!!

Terry, I'm so sorry, but you made me laugh out loud. I wasn't laughing at you per se, as much as I was laughing at the fact that everything you described sounds exactly like what would happen to me. No matter who I'm with, I always end up being the one to "fall down". Curious about the drunk one minute, sober the next. I wonder if because of the surgery and the hormone changes if your body is processing alcohol differently. Very, very interesting. Thanks for the peek inside your adventures. Always QUITE entertaining. Glad you're well and safe (all but a few cuts, scrapes and bruises).

Went for my last pre-op today with the swallow test. 13 more days...Family reunion is this weekend. I'm going to work hard to ignore the comments about not eating and not drinking alcohol. They'll definitely assume I'm pregnant without a beer in my hand. Hopefully it will be busy enough that no one will notice. Have a great weekend everyone!