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Yes! I cannot agree more! Im glad someone understands what I am saying. I don't want to go gorge myself but I do want to experience the food and culture. We walk so much on vacation, and I totally understand being restricted but still trying all the things you want... And yes I travel literally maybe 3 weeks out of the year at most I think that's acceptable. How is it making sure you get your water in while vacationing? How long have you been sleeved? Have you had any issues with your sleeve and eating certain things, and drinking beer? I am also a beer lover but I have been curious about the alcohol and carbonated drinks. I know it doesn't have any effect on some. But others can't drink it. I went to Scotland last year. Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities I've ever been too! Is it your first time? [emoji2]

Many of us had the same feelings. I cried all the way through pre-op, wondering if I should get off the stretcher and leave the hospital! This decision is huge and definitely takes courage, but for me, one the best I've ever made. I have a brand new body and I am loving it every single day, with all the things I can do now. OK, so you have to commit to a new, healthy lifestyle! For sure! No shortcuts there. You have to reframe your thinking so that you see the new changes as part of your new, healthy life - not as deprivation.Yes, you have to give up the crap - but you get so much more in return. I started making these changes long before surgery, but have solidified them since surgery. I think a great motivator is starting to get the weight off and once you can start enjoying new things (like smaller clothing sizes, activities that you couldn't do before, etc.) it becomes easier and easier to embrace the healthy changes, because the payoff is so great. For me, those changes are: no wheat (I have been gluten free for years already), but now do not eat refined grains - only whole cooked grains. No sugar and no soda of any kind. No juice. These were biggies, but I feel SOOOOOO much better without sugar. It's not even a temptation anymore. No coffee or alcohol because I don't want to risk any irritation (I already have Barrett's esophagus with a pre-cancerous polyp removed, and as a GI nurse, I've seen the really ugly side of WLS patients who start drinking again.) No processed foods, period. If it comes in a box, it's not for me. Lots more veggies, low carbs, higher protein. Intermittant fasting is a very powerful weight loss and maintenance tool to use later on in the journey, Lots of exercise. For me this started out by getting 10,000 steps a day. (My step tracker never leaves my wrist and is my best little buddy.) Gradually, I've added a lot of other exercise components, and they get more fun and more motivating as I see strength and muscle definition increasing. This is a journey. You start out with baby steps and commit to follow the plan. Do not cheat. Don't let your mind even go there. Some people look for ways to flirt with forbidden foods or ways to game the system. This is a recipe for failure. Your determination to be successful is the greatest predictor of ultimate success in this venture. Develop some mantras to get you through the temptations.: "I AM NEVER GOING BACK!" "IT'S JUST NOT WORTH IT!" "I CAN'T HAVE THAT NOW, BUT I WILL HAVE IT LATER, DOWN THE ROAD." You can do this. Learn from the mistakes of others and be motivated to avoid their pit falls. The fact that your mom lost weight successfully is a good predictor of success for you. You just have to make sure you take your vitamins and keep on top of the nutrition.

I have a question for all of you vets (although anyone with experience or thoughts on this topic are most welcome). I am completely at peace with the food restrictions but I am very anxious about the drinking experience (I don't mean alcohol). There are few things more satisfying to me than chugging a nice cold beverage after a day in the sun or after a workout. I know small sips are the norm post-op but for how long? Will I ever be able to down Water when thirsty without getting sick? I am really afraid I'll miss this.

I gave up craft beer. I tend to smoke when I drink and only like one ot two cigs. And when I'm drunk and in the right company I've smoked weed too. That being said, I'm looking for a different life. I want to do this surgery so I can be healthy, not be in PAIN, have energy, be athletic, feel good about myself, and look good for once in my life before I'm too old. All of the things (besides the flesh sacrifice of the stomach) the over indulgences of alcohol, laziness, food, drugs , ect... will ALWAYS BE THERE! They aren't going to stop making any of these things any time soon. There will ALWAYS be cheesecake and fried chicken and pop. Just because you don't or shouldn't indulge right now doesn't mean that you never will again. Do your body the favor and give it a chance to thrive and heal. It's a temple. I'm not judging because I've taken my temple to the hood and have had bums living in it too long lol! And it's easy for me to speak not because I'm still presleeve. I know that this os only a hell I can imagine and I haven't been through it yet so I hope I can have the strength in my conviction. Good luck and even though you can smoke and it hasn't hurt you yet, you know it hasn't helped. Later in life vices will be there waiting for us all. Just my 2

It's easy to make soups. Use unflavored or chicken flavored protein powder, combine with water or broth, and add soft cooked vegetables or lean meats. You can add even more protein with fat free greek yogurt. Spices to taste. The 14 day pre-op diet is to shrink your liver so it isn't in the surgeon's way. So the no fat, no sugar, and no alcohol part is very important.

I agree with what everyone else is saying. You have plenty of life time to have those "legal" drinks of alcohol. Just wait 3 months and see how you feel. It is not worth it!

Have some diluted fruit juice instead. Or water with lemon or lime. You don't ever "have" to have alcohol to celebrate anything.

I too was a "gulper" (let's differentiate that from drinker so as to not confuse people with alcoholic consumption - another subject entirely). I would swig down anything and everything. Soda, water, Chrystal Light - whatever was put in front of me I would drink 2,3 or 4 or more glasses of. I hated going to a restaurant where they served drinks in "normal" size glasses as apposed ot the jumbo size that many use, I would for ever be trying to get the wait staff to bring me another or fill it up again. I was ALWAYS thirsty, I remember being thirsty as a kid too. I too was NOT diabetic although I was starting to show signs of insulin instability for the last few years. Since the operation I can drink very little, in fact I went to the ER yesterday with a kidney stone, largely a result of not drinking enough water to keep my kidneys flushed. I also suffered from hyperhidrosis - I sweated profusely and constantly and have since I was a skinny little kid. It got MUCH worse as I got older and fatter. I've noticed that this is not nearly as bad either, although the weather has been cool since the operation. I used to sweat so bad in bed that I would leave salt stains on my sheets and pillows and leave a funky smell in the bed. I get chilled very easily now and hardly ever turn a fan on - which was the first thing I'd do when I came into a room. I'm not sure what changed but this change is very welcome.

Man, I am worried about this too. I tend to drink a LOT of ice Water or ice tea with my food, especially when eating out. Right now it's not a problem, because I'm still having so many liquid meals, but after I'm on to normal food I'm going to have to be really careful about the whole 1/2-hour before or after thing. Also, this thread is both funnier and sorta sad if you assume we're talking about alcohol. "I JUST CAN'T STOP DRINKING. "

What's happening is that your liver is burning off the alcohol. The results would be the same if you tested after drinking vodka. It does not necessarily mean you are out of ketosis. Alcohol can actually increase your ketone level in some instances as it's burned off. But you are burning booze, not fat. Two glasses of decent wine have at max maybe 8 to 10 g carbs. That will only toss you out if you are right on the border of your body's ketone max limits (which do vary).

This is not true. People who don't understand wine often think that because wine is made from grapes, it must be full of sugar, like a grape right? The issue being is that the sugars in wine are cooked off during the fermenting process and turned to yeast. A typical glass of wine (4oz) has 3 to 5 carbs total in it when it's served to you in a bar. Wine will NOT Throw you out of ketosis. But as with ALL alcohol, what will happen is that while the booze is in your system, your liver will be processing the alcohol first, then when it's done it will go back to processing fat. The more booze that you drink the less time the liver has to work on fat. The only wines that are high in sugar are cheap cheap wines with added sugars (which increase the alcohol content). Flavored coolers etc are also high in sugar. Cheap sparkling wine often has added sugars as well, though not much. Drink good wine and don't drink a lot of it and you'll stay in ketosis. Drink lots of cheap wine and add those numbers to your daily totals...and you might find you're thrown out of ketosis, but good wine alone isn't going to do that any more than any other alcohol. BTW...due to labeling laws, flavored vodka's are not required to list a sugar content. The flavoring does have sugar in it so if you do feel vodka is your choice drink..make sure its not flavored.

Happy Birthday! I just want to say that I had a tiny sip of a fall punch about 4 weeks post-op-well, about 20 minutes later I was sick as a dog! It wasn't worth it at all! Meanwhile, I asked my doctor last week at my 2 month post op visit about alcohol and she said they recommend waiting 3 months and then to avoid beer and wine. She said have Crystal Lite with a dash of vodka would be ok. Also, she warned that sleevers are cheap dates-be careful, the buzz sneaks up on you! Good luck!

We can still enjoy alcohol after surgery!

Just curious...has anyone been diagnose with stomach ulcer since surgery. If so, how was it treated? I'm almost 1yr post op and attended a 1yr post op support group class on Wednesday. The RN really focus on things to eliminate after WLS. The top three are smoking, drinking alcohol and caffeine.

In a word: yes, but in generally less than one-quarter the prior proportions. I can tolerate anything, and alcohol feels just like it did before. I was frightened by all the stories about one drink feeling like six but that has just not been the case. That said, I am choosing to generally abstain from any beverage but water because I am trying to maximize losing phase.

I think I may have been an alcoholic before surgery, on top of having a food addiction. I'm only 2 mos post sleeve surgery, and have loved not being tied to having to have a drink every night after work. I'm terrified that if I take one drink, it will turn into a daily issue again. I also worry about my liver, without the proper anatomy to properly process alcohol, what damage would that do. I'm just going to opt for trying not to drink alcohol again. Sent from my SM-N976V using BariatricPal mobile app

I'm doing okay so far, but won't even take a taste of alcohol for fear I'll take it up again. We went to a party last night and it was not as hard as I thought it would be to not have a drink. Sent from my SM-N976V using BariatricPal mobile app

I was told it has empty calories, no nutritional value and can be a gateway to other foods/bad habits. It just isn't worth drinking. Before surgery, I wasn't a big pop/soda drinker, but I would get a craving for Coke. It is the only thing I've ever truly craved. I know for me, it was one of the things that factored into my originally gaining weight. I had no idea how many calories were in it, and I was drinking it daily. That hasn't been true for me for many years. When I started on my weight loss journey, one of the first things I did was stop drinking pop. In reviewing my bad eating habits before surgery, I've found that I drank more pop when I was eating more on the run. It seems to be a gateway to bad habits for me. And I figure I can only have so many bad habits. I plan to resume drinking alcohol in the future, so I am willing to give up pop.

wow... she's one of those that think that they don't need to change their way of eating, they will just eat less.. that doesn't work.. this band is a tool to me... and like an alcoholic in AA, I have to work this program EVERY day of my life for the rest of my life.. I hope she get's her act together for the sake of her and her children.

Its really pretty easy. The first rule of healthy is variety. Dont eat the same thing day in day out. You need to decide whether the low carb thing sits well with you or not, for me I dont believe in it, dont have an interest in living that way and would have to relearn planning and cooking a healthy diet, so I just eat "normally". So..... eat a lot of different foods, try to include a few different coloured vegies on your plate with your evening meal, try to eat two fruit, five veg a day, dont overdo the bread, Pasta and rice, eat the wholegrain or wholemeal varieties where possible, dont add fat when cooking and definitely dont bread and fry things - the grill and the barbecue and dry roasting are best. Most nights of the week we do eat boring and plain - ie. a piece of Protein be it chicken, fish or red meat simply prepared, potato and vegies. We'll do a rice or pasta meal once a week. Home made Soup makes a good dinner and your family can have a bread roll with that even if you dont. Salads, yogurt, fruit and nuts, someting on crackers and some fruit makes good lunches, and I always stick with a basic good quality Cereal (oatmeal, muesli etc) for Breakfast, usually with some berries and a dollop of yogurt, or a piece of wholegrain toast with Peanut Butter (or vegemite, lol, I am an Aussie after all). I pretty much stick with 3 meals a day, no Snacks, no seconds, avoid sweet stuff nearly all of the time and dont have a lot of alcohol or liquid calories. I lost 130lb, and have maintained that loss unfilled for five months now, just a basic, sensible diet really does work - but I do run for an hour or so or go to the gym most days.

<div> <div>This is the general guideline I was given by my NUT.</div> <div> </div> <div><strong>Phase I Clear Liquids</strong> (Weeks 1 and 2)</div> <div>IsoPure</div> <div>Broth</div> <div>SF popsicles</div> <div>water, decaf tea</div> <div> </div> <div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-transform: none; text-indent: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; word-spacing: 0px; white-space: normal; border-collapse: separate; orphans: 2; widows: 2; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><b><font color="#8600a4">Phase II Full Liquids</font></b><span> </span>(Week 3 -- 500-600 calories)</span></div> <div>runny Protein shakes<br /> Low-fat soups (strained / pureed)<br /> runny cream of wheat<br /> Non-fat milk<br /> Sugar free/fat free ice cream</div> <div> </div> <div><font color="#328712"><b>Phase III Puree</b></font><span> </span>(Week 4 and possibly 5 -- 600 - 700 calories)</div> <div>Baby food<br /> sugar free/fat free pudding<br /> pureed cooked meats with broth<br /> pureed cooked beans<br /> low fat cottage cheese<br /> nonfat yogurt<br /> low fat mashed potatoes *<br /> pureed cooked veggies *<br /> unsweetened pureed fruit *</div> <div>* add protein powder</div> <div> </div> <div><font color="#fa7a00"><b>Phase IV Soft foods </b></font>things that can be mashed with a fork<span> </span> (Week 5, possibly 6 -- (700-800 calories)</div> <div>scrambled eggs<br /> steamed or poached fish<br /> low fat cheese / string cheese<br /> skinless chopped or ground meat<br /> soft canned fruit<br /> well cooked veggies</div> <div> </div> <div><font color="#3665ee"><b>Phase V Regular Diet</b></font><span> </span>(Begin week 6, 7 or when ready -- 800-900 calories)</div> 3 meals, 1-2 Snacks or 5 small meals the first few months<br /> each meal 4-6 oz (always start meal with eating protein)<br /> High Protein, Low Fat, Low Carb and avoiding simple carbs (concentrated sugar), alcohol<br /> Add one new food and record intolerance</div> <p> </p>

I threw up once when I had Cookies and Water, and I probably took too big of bites. I have had scares, but the only time anything has came up was once. And I learned my lesson to limit my drinking and eating at the same time. What are some dense Protein foods that can keep you full? eggs are apparently dense protein, dont do **** for me. Doesnt help that I cant cook. Doesnt help that I can eat a full bag of cereal and not feel a thing. I dont know how to take personal responsibility when I THOUGHT that was the point of the sleeve, to help me out. All it did was make me hurt like hell for two days, hurt bad for another 7, then be sore for another so and so weeks. TJL, Im mid summer. I have been taking my Vitamins once a day, maybe three days a week or four, when I want to be taking them twice a day seven days a week....Maybe thats why Im losing hair so fast. Its a bit disgusting. And guys Im not an alcoholic........I dont know why you got that picture. Alcohol now gets me soooo drunk that before I used to control myself, now its harder. I remember taking a shot of a 100 proof vodka and almost immediately felt it. It just goes through me.....

OP- only YOU can decide if you have a problem with alcohol. The reason we are all picking up on that is because it is fairly common to see an alcohol problem emerge after WLS. It seems to me that alcohol is very important to you. That doesn't necessarily mean you have a problem with it. But consider also, if it is not a 'problem', then it shouldn't be a problem to give it a rest for a while. I must tell you that I, personally, am a recovering addict with over 3 years free of drugs or alcohol. When we are having trouble succeeding, we have to look at our self-destructive behaviors which may be contributing to our failures. I wish you much success and hope you can get some assistance to help you get on track.

I'm about 6 1/2 months out. I have had alcohol once and I haven't had a single bowl of cereal since I was sleeved. Nobody can make you drink and eat that stuff except for you. The sleeve doesn't make you change your eating habits--you do that. Remember the part about not drinking when you eat? You can't eat cereal with milk--same thing. You're just diluting the cereal down, it's passing straight through and you get hungry quicker. I strongly suggest meeting with a dietician. Your physician should have provided you with a meal plan. I lost hair between 3 and months. You should be taking a multi-vitamin, vit D, Vit B12 and Calcium at the very least. You should be eating 60+ grams of Protein a day. Stop buying cereal. You will not be able to eat like you used to and keep the weight off. I'm down 77 lbs and I still cheat every now and then. I keep chocolate chips in the freezer so I get a crunchy/sweet snack sometimes. I eat pretzels ( I count out 10) when I want something salty. Stop buying cereal. If it's not there, you won't be able to eat it. Don't even go down the cereal aisle. And lay off the partying for awhile. There are plenty of things you can enjoy without alcohol. My diet plan is basically 3-4 oz of protein 3 times a day. I can have a low-carb veg if I'm still hungry AFTER eating the protein. I stay between 500-800 calories a day. Sometimes I still do a Protein shake at Breakfast. I eat around 20 grams of carbs a day. It's really a mindset, changing your attitude about food and developing self-control. You have to do the work--the sleeve only helps you with portion control. There are days I eat crap too. I think probably everyone does sometimes--protein can be boring. Save the crap for special occasions or just the occasional splurge.

Lol, you forgot beer or alcohol lol Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App