Search the Community

I would love to have a couple of glasses of wine more than once a week, but I've only had two occasions since I was banded on April 8 that I have indulged. I had a Baby Shower on May 3 and a party to go to last weekend. Both times I indulged, but my goal is to drink only for social occasions and limit it to 2 glasses of wine when I do indulge. The calories are empty and they say that alcohol slows down your body's metabolism. Alice

I had been sober for 9 years before weight loss surgery. Everyone told me I had to be careful after surgery and really protect my sobriety. About 3 months after surgery I ended up relapsing and almost died. Like literally almost died, had to be taken to the ER in an ambulance. I have since regained sobriety but it has been very hard. You have two choices, continue to drink like an alcoholic and see where that takes you or get into a program of recovery. I got sober in AA and I know the program works if you are committed to it. Ultimately it’s your choice and no one else’s. If you choose to keep drinking then more power to you. No one can make you get sober.

Good warning. About 4months post op I had t the tiniest glass of wine at my sister's 40th wedding anniversary...oh it burned! Later, after getting to goal, I allowed alcohol as a social treat. I made a mistake one night, opened a nice red to have and essentially blacked out on 2 glasses. Yeah , I forgot to eat. I am 4 years post op and do drink socially but the key is food. Empty baby tummy plus booze is a bad idea!!

I just had my psych eval this last Wednesday. Basically, I had to take a written test of 350 questions. The questions focused on drugs and alcohol issues, self esteem, suicide etc. Then I had a 40 minute session with the psychologist. He asked me some medical history questions. Asked about my attempts at weight loss. He asked a lot of questions about my family. What kind of relationship I had with my mom, dad, siblings. Then asked about my relationship with my husband. What he thought of my wanting to have WLS. I was robbed at gunpoint at work several years ago so we discussed that. And it was only brought up because on my paperwork I had to disclose that I had been in therapy before. The psychologist is part of the Scottsdale Bariatric Center. His job is to evaluate me to see if I am ready for any WLS or if I have any issues I need to deal with first. His other function is to help my surgeon determine which procedure would be most beneficial with my personality and medical concerns. It was decided by both my NP and the psychologist that I am a perfect band candidate. I think a major part of that is the fact I have done a lot of research (here and on my own) and I have a very realistic expectation. I would say just be honest and don't worry about it!

I have moved from wine to beer and mixed drinks because wine hurts so much. UGH, @@monyLiza , I feel you. I only have 1 or 2 before I am done. I'm usually at home, so no fun stories, but alcohol does hit me hard. Glad you are safe, glad you had fun! No guilt should be had, but you now know what makes you uncomfortable so go forward with that. Personally I think your experiences were fun -- certainly nothing to fret about. I'm a ho like that.

I have a band, and I will have a few drinks when on vacation... but just remember every shot you intake is probably worth one or two hours work on a treadmill. It is all empty calories--zero nutrional value and over 100 calories for a 1.5 oz. shot. Alcohol doesn't bother me, but I suspect tolerance is an individual thing; along with the usual caveats about alcohol absorbion being more rapid in folks who've have WLS. Whenever I think about a drink, I think about the long hour I spent on a treadmill at the gym the day before--that is a reality check If my weight was falling off, I'd might be a bit more liberal about indulging in libation. Smoking I gave up thirty years ago.... if I hadn't I wouldn't be here now. But I believe that adults can do what ever they want, so long as it is legal.

Well, I set a goal to be at 150 by this Sunday when I left for vacation and I am at 150.1, I would say close enough! To date I have lost 30.5 pounds and this coming Monday will be 9 weeks post op. I continue to follow low carb, low fat, high Protein and it is working for me. Weight loss is slow and steady and I am fine with that. My Mom, who has not seen me since we said goodbye in the DFW airport when she went home and I still had to fly back to Dulles after surgery, has been asking me to send her pictures of my progress but I told her she will have to wait until I see her in Orlando on Monday! My babysitter came over last night to watch the kids so I could go to dinner with a friend and she screamed when she saw me! Said I looked so much smaller! That was so awesome to hear!!! Like I told a girlfriend at dinner last night, if anyone ever accuses me or anyone who has had WLS that we took the easy way out I think I would come unglued on them. This is not EASY! I watch what I eat everyday. Do I regret having to follow this healthy lifestyle, ABSOLUTELY NOT! This is what I needed to get control of my eating and my life. It is a blessing in disguise because I was feeding my face and drinking alcohol to deal with emotions. Now, I can't do that. I have moments where I want to grab food or a beer and I know I cannot. This has given me the push I needed to start dealing with some very deep routed issues in my life and I am so grateful! It will be a long process but well worth it all! TGIF!

Just got back from Mayo last night. I've been having what I thought was gastric reflex, which started at about 6 months post op. So I did antacids, prilosec, ranitidine, and baking soda. I am really not doing anything that could cause it, no alcohol or drugs, no caffine, no eating before bed (well OK, very little), no smoking, no chocolate. At my year visit, the nut wanted to either put me back on prilosec for a month, or scope me. I said "Scope me." They did and found a slight narrowing at the base of my pouch. Then they did a contrast upper GI which was fine. Then they did a contrast lower GI which was fine. Then they decided to stretch my "narrowing" and go further down the GI with scopes. Turns out I have an enormous ulcer just below my pouch. The swelling around it was causing the narrowing they had noted. I saw the scope video yesterday and it was scary. But, they assure me, fixable. My symptoms? burping, and gas, burning sensation, Low meat tolerance, Waking in the middle of the night with intestinal discomfort. So now let's get me healed.

The alcohol is probably your problem. Whenever you drink alcohol your body will burn that for energy first before anything else... it's like pure energy. No matter what diet I've ever been on, alcohol always causes a stall.

I was sleeved August 16 and have lost 55 lbs (37 lbs of which post surgery). I'm female aged 60 and have started exercising, mainly swimming and cardio/strength at gym, in the last 6 weeks. I still have severe lower back pain. I've found it hard to quit alcohol but have certainly cut back. So long as scales keep heading South, even slowly, I'll persevere x

I had my surgery on May 16th 2011. I was so excited due to my rapid lost which was like 27 lbs in just a couple weeks. Once i began eating normal foods I watched the scale come to a complete stop. I have been on a stall since my 3rd week. Sometimes i would notice i lost 5lbs but that would slowly creep right back up. I feel so helpless and depressed. I used to come to this site to be encourage but now I feel so alone because everyone is losing the weight and yet I am lagging far behind. Due to this I have notice that I have started drinking alcohol which i think isn't good due to the calories. But I feel like I have really given up or having a very nonchalant attitude about losing weight. I get full quicker but still not losing weight. I just don't understand. I have changed my diet and am eating alot healthier and still on a stall!!! AHHHHHH, i feel like screaming and hiding. Someone help me plzzzzzz........

I had my surgery when I was 17 and I'm now 21. Having surgery before my senior year in high school wasn't the best idea.. I'll admit, my friends and I always have been partiers so all the alcohol and late night taco bell completely squashed any progress I had made. I've lost 45 lbs and gained 25 back. I'm almost 5 years post-op and feel like shit for not having made it far at all. I've forgotten everything I learned about what I should and shouldn't eat. I've been eating like I have my entire life.. I need to get on track again. My grandma needs to see me healthy before she goes to heaven... Can someone help me out?

For me alcohol is about 3X more potent after being banded. So, I drink much less. Maybe one beer or one glass of wine. Rarely any hard liquor mixed drinks. The calories are empty so there's really no use for the stuff other than a stress reliever. You have to be very careful with alcohol once being banded. You can't afford to over-indulge and get hungover or throw up. Throwing up with the band is one of the main causes of slips. I've never smoked and agree with Catfish but I've read of many on this forum who say most docs won't do surgery unless the patient stops smoking. Recovery can be diminished for people who smoke. Something to do with slow healing. Best to just quit altogether.

You can do this! I smoked for 22 years. During the last 15 of those years, I was smoking 3 packs or more a day. If I took the elevator from one floor to another, I needed to have my smokes with me in case the cable broke. If I wasn't dead, I was gonna smoke! SO... If I can quit smoking, the devil himself can – and so can you! I've been smoke-free for 19 years now, but I remember my addiction as if it were yesterday. Aside from marrying my wife, having a child, and now having bariatric surgery, I still consider quitting smoking as one of the greatest accomplishments of my life. Okay, Here are some tips: Sipping citrus drinks helps curb cravings. Since fruit juices are forbidden after WLS, perhaps Crystal Light lemonade will work. Quick intakes of breath also curb cravings. If you need to suck on something (since candy will be off limits), try cutting a soda straw to roughly cigarette length. Then stuff it with two coffee stirrers to give it a "draw". There's some satisfaction to be had there. For a week or two after surgery, all of your routines will be broken. That also breaks your smoking routines and makes quitting a little easier. I quit the day I had my hip replaced. Do not drink alcohol! Whenever someone tells me they quit and then started smoking again, I ask if they had an adult beverage in their hand when they had that first smoke. 100% say yes! The good news is that you're not supposed to drink booze on this program anyway, so that should help. And finally, nicotine cravings only last 30 seconds or less. At first they keep coming, but each day that passes, the cravings get weaker, and the time between them gets longer. You can tolerate anything for 30 seconds, right? Keeping this concept front-and-center really helped me make it through. Good luck -- you can do it! And imagine the double-health benefit you will achieve. You'll feel so much better!!!

The surgery is only a tool to help us lose weight. If there are deep rooted problems or compulsive behaviors that might undermine the success of the WLS, they will help people address these or at the very worst, get control of "what is eating them" first, before the surgery. Also, if someone has an addictive personality, there may be a cross addiction (alcohol, smoking, gambling, etc.) that could be developed post-WLS. Answer honestly, it is for your own good and success.

With any procedure over time it is more about food decisions than the actual procedure. You can gain weight back after any of them. For me logging my food always helps me when I feel off track. As pointed out by others the alcohol can add a lot of extra calories. It sounds like you are pushing yourself to eat more...if you are eating as much as your friends and cramping then you aren't listening to your body signals. If it were me, I would go back to the beginning. Do a couple of days of liquids. Then go back to the fundamentals of 60g of protein and 60 oz of water. Protein first. No liquids 30 min. before, during, or after meal. No alcohol. Reaquaint yourself with the fundamentals and then see where you are. Sent from my SM-G920V using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi, My guy friend had weight loss surgery in Germany. He lost alot of weight and he gained all of it back 2 years later. He's not as big as he was but he's pretty fluffy and admits he kept drinking beer and alchohol. The beer and alcohol did it to him...On your profile picture it shows you enjoying or holding a mixed drink...I would highly keep beer and alcohol to a minimum.

I have been so very fortunate in that my entire family has supported me since I first announced my decision to go through with this. DH was totally against gastric bypass and I honored his decision not to have it, but when I presented him with (literally) a year's worth of research about the band, he was OK with it right from the beginning. He has been wonderful. I have had no second thoughts at all. None. I am diabetic, have sleep apnea, bursitis in my back and shoulders, aching knees and ankles, and quite frankly, have been so miserable for so long that the thought that I would have a chance at some relief far outweighed my addiction to diet sodas. When they told me I was approved, I stopped drinking sodas almost immediately. It was hard at first, but I started drinking Lipton diet green tea, Ocean Spray diet cranberry juice, Crystal Light peach tea, and Water, and never looked back. I'm three days post-op and I don't even miss the sodas. The decision to do this wasn't because I didn't want to be fat. It wasn't because I wanted to fit into a bikini or for vanity. My husband LOVES me exactly the way I am. My decision to do this was so that I could be around for many, many more years to be loved by him. The only advice I can give you is to take a pad and pen and write down all of the pros on one side of the paper and all of the cons on the other side, then decide, looking at that list, what's more important to you. For me, living to be a ripe old age and watching my future grandchildren grow up was far more important than soft drinks, alcohol, food, or what anyone else thought of my decision to do this. I wish you luck in whatever you decide.

First of all not everything works for everybody. That said here are some suggestions I got from my Dr. 1. Are you eating 60-100gm of Protein a day? 2. Are you eating 25gm of Fiber a day? 3. Are you avoiding all liquid calories? a. Soup can be sign of "soft calorie syndrome" b. Alcohol contains a lot of calories-7 cal per gram 1) it's also a stomach irritant c. fruit juice is just sugar Water. 4. Are you making healthy food choices from a wide variety of foods? a. Are you avoiding soft foods? b. You can't just eat what's easy, (foods that are liquid, very soft or crumble through the band easily) c. cheese is glorified fat. Limit your quantitiy to 1-2 oz. per day 5. Are you drinking, 6-8, 8oz glasses of water a day between meals? 6. Are you eating too much junk food? a. chips, chocolate, nuts, ice cream, Cookies and other highly processed junk foods are claorically dense to be regular parts of your healthy diet. But don't avoid them completely to the point where you feel deprived. b. Stay out of fast food places. 7. Are you getting in two servings of Calcium daily? 8. Do you always eat the protein first? 9. Then do you eat vegetables or fruits? a. Five servings a day b. Potatoes are NOT a vegetable. 10. Is you portion size, appropriate? a. meat or fish 1) 3 ounces-the size of a deck of cards. b. Vegetables 1) 1/2 cup-the size of your fist. c. Starch 1) If you eat the protein and the vegetables first you don't need much 2) Avoid: rice, potatoes, Pasta 11. You might try avoiding artificial sweeteners. a. Some people think that artificial sweeteners stimulate the appetite. b. They are HUNDREDS of times sweeter than sugar. c. They teach you to like things too sweet. d. There is no evidence that people who use them are any thinner than people who don't. 12. Avoid most diet foods. a. Real food usually tastes better. b. Real food is more satisfying than low calorie substitues c. When you're only eating a tiny bit the caloric savings is not that great 1) Use a teaspoon of real butter instead of a tablespoon of diet margarine. 2) The body has no way to break down artificial fats. a. They may go into permanent storage b. Some people think liposuction is the onlyway to remove hydrolyzed fats from the body. If you look at the slim-fast Protein Bars yes they have protein in them but also about as many calories as your average candy bar. Not really such a good trade off. Also the shakes are liquid and flow right through the band therefore leaving you feeling hungry before too long. I know this sounds weird but EAT your protein, you will be satisfied longer. I find the deli turkey is very easy to eat on the run (if you have to) These are just the first 12 questions you need to ask yourself. In my experience when you go on a "diet" most people drastically reduce their intake (which is what you would think to do) this puts you body in starvation mode thinking it is not going to get anymore therefore it hangs on to what it has. The lapband is a tool not a magic solution. It is to be used to help you make healthier choices. If you look at what you were eating before surgery, hamburgers, french fries, cake, cola, etc. more than likely well over 1200 calories a day. If you were to get a food guide pyramid and measure your portions, eat your recommended daily allowance of food (protein, fruits, vegetables, etc) and limit to around 1200 calories your body would be getting its nutrients and not feel as if it was starving. You on the other hand would not feel tired, drug out, listless etc. Better choices-not easy choices. O.K. I will get off my soap box now. I'm sorry if this sounds harsh but sometimes we need a dose of reality. I know I did and after doing more research I have found there are some good points here. It is a tough road we are on. Keep looking towards the destination and good luck. We are here if you need us.

You have great advice here. The only thing I will add is to watch out for sugar free junk food. (No nutritional value). Artificial sweeteners like acesulfame-potassium (in virtually every diet pop and many sugar free products) cause a noticeable spike in insulin. If you are insulin resistant (very likely if you are overweight) this will only compound the problem. Saccharin (sweet and low, pink packets) will also compound problems with blood sugar regulation. Xylitol and maltitol (sugar alcohols) cause gastrointestinal distress for many people (Google "Amazon reviews Haribo sugar free gummy bears" for some very entertaining recaps). Powedered Splenda is usually blended with maltodextrin, which also causes raised blood sugar and insulin spikes. Ditto for powdered stevia. liquid splend and stevia are your best best, but good luck finding packaged junk food that contains those relatively expensive formulations. The bottom line is that there are multitudes of ways these frankenfood products can be thwarting our best efforts. The simplest and cheapest way is to just cut them out. Deal with the cravings short term (buy some L Glutamine supplement to help, if necessary) and suffer through. You'll be better off long term.

I would'nt be to hard on yourself about what you had on Sunday. I listened to a personal trainer for several NFL players on the radio and he said to treat the Super Bowl like a holiday (Christmas or Thanksgiving). Eat on that day but get rid of everything the day after. Think Holiday not Holiweek. As for general ongoing drinking personally I would cut it out. While I know plain alcohol does'nt have fat would you sit down and have 2 snickerbars a couple days a week after working out? Probably not. Alcohol has a lot of calories.

I too suffer from anxiety an depression; I have for at least 20 years. I've been on several medications since diagnosed, but the one I remain on consistently is Zoloft. I take 200 mgs a day, which, from what I understand is a pretty high dose. I also have Xanax and Valium to help control my panic attacks. I'd be lying if I didn't say I self medicated with alcohol as well pre-op. It was hard getting it under control but I did. Since surgery, 9 weeks ago today, I am still on my medication. However, I haven't needed the Xanax or Valium. I feel like the exercise I am getting is helping me cope with the stress to the point that I don't need those medicines anymore. Also, seeing weight come off has really helped boost my morale overall. I haven't tried to lessen my Zoloft dose, but as things progress I plan on trying. Over all I feel better both mentally and physically.

I am 13 weeks post surgery, and this past weekend I had my first taste of alcohol since October. It made me feel very flushed and sick to my stomach. Was never a vodka and cranberry gal but it did taste really good! I will admit I miss drinking with friends but personally for me I am making the choice not to drink for a while.

I used to drink before socially, I'm not worried about alcoholism, but that's a pretty interesting study. Transfer addictions are a very REAL problem with post bariatric surgery patients! I work in psychiatry. I hope to have exercise be my T.A.

Pre op I used to like to drink once in a whole mainly when I went out. I'm 7 weeks out and have not had a drink I was told at 6 weeks I could have red wine. I still have not had any I'm waiting for a weekend that I'm at home with no plans I'm scared to how it's going to effect me. I'm not worried about alcoholism because I don't/never had alcohol every day or had a eating disorder. I must say I miss my wine and vodka specially after a stressful day at work a nice glass of wine would be great.