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Thanks everyone! I ended up telling my two friends tonight that my sister was making me dinner and I would come meet them afterwards. I got there when they were done eating, I ordered a virgin, frozen, strawberry margarita and only had 1 or 2 sips. I really ordered it so they wouldn't think something was up and I told them I wasn't drinking alcohol tonight because I still wasn't feeling great (I had told people I was sick with a GI bug/flu during surgery and recovery). I hate all the lies, but I don't think it is really anyone's business either. They, of course, had chips and guac at the table and kept asking me if I wanted any. It was surprisingly easy to say no. When I got home I had some sugar free jell-o

It won't mess up your band if you drink alcohol. What messes up your band is throwing up. Trust me, if you eat something you shouldn't or if you get sick, you will throw up. BE CAREFUL WITH THROWING UP! I had the band and am now going to the sleeve because the band was causing problems for me. Throwing up is not normal and if you do start doing it and it lasts, you need to go to the doctor and have it checked. I'm sure you know this but alcohol will put weight on you faster than anything. Be careful.

Throwing up when you get too drunk is a protective measure our body takes to prevent alcohol poisoning. Just keep it in mind that you cannot even make yourself vomit now. I have zero judgment about drinking, but safety requires that you keep yourself from a point of danger even more so now that you are banded. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Yes sugarfree Popsicles.. But it did have like 2 g of alcohol sugar some like that

Just throwing my 2 cents worth in.......... I also drink only tea now. When I want something a little sweeter, I use a tea that is more spicy with cinnamon. If you can stay off the artificial sweeteners, you will find that your taste buds will change. Bigelow's Vanilla Chai are Celestial Seasoning's Bengal Spice are two of my favs. Artificial sweetener does you no favors. It messes with your stomach/brain communications which can cause you to eat more, can trigger insulin release in some situations, and can cause loose stools (the sugar alcohols). Repeated studies have shown that people use drink diet sodas actually gain more weight than those who drink regular soda. Using fruit and sweet spices like cinnamon can go a long way in satisfying the need for sweetness, but you have to give your taste buds a couple of weeks to make the transition.

:smile:Welcome! I also have BCBS but mine is FedBlue..which I don't think is much different than yours! I too have 2 years invested in researching and waiting for the insurance to acknowledge that this type of surgery is a bonus for them. I had sleep apnea, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high tryglycerides, heart disease in the family, the metabolic syndrome, and diagnosed with non alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver. :wink2: I was just banded this past February and let me tell you what, I have had my blood pressure meds cut in half and my last visit with my liver doc was that my liver is regenerating and doesn't show the negative symptoms it had just 3 months ago! He is also weaning me off my cholesterol meds since my tests have come back so great!! All this has happened since Feb 8 of this year! I have lost 32 pounds and last Thursday went in and had a slight fill (.6cc) because I knew on some afternoons I would come home and snack on chips and salsa! I was upfront with my doc and told him that in the afternoons after work I would get a hunger pang and asked if he would tighten me up just a tad. I can really feel the restriction now and am trying to adjust to a tighter band without feeling like I'm going to puke after every meal!:blushing: This forum is most interesting and I have enjoyed reading several threads and have gained a lot of information. I hope you too will find it helpful. I wish you much luck and joy in getting banded! I was told in the 3rd week of January that I was approved and asked the coordinator, knowing I had to follow a 10 day preop diet, what is the first available date I could get my band. :sad: After waiting for 2 years and checking out the Lap Band.com site and talking to 5 different doctors, my family doc, my liver doc, my heart doc, my brain doc (I also suffer from migrains) and my Lap Band doc, I was more than ready and with any surgery a little apprehensive but knowing as much as I could about the surgery helped me get ready and after it was all said and done I feel great! I have read in this forum that there are some that had a rough time but I didn't and hopefully you won't either. When my endocrinologist told me I had maybe 10 years left and my liver doc was telling me that the next step for me would be the donor program, nothing was or could be as bad as the news I heard from these great doctors! So I extend my greates wishes for you, your surgery and your recovery! Enjoy this site, I certainly do!!:biggrin2:

oh this happens to me without the caffeine - for my body, it is a reaction to any kind of chemicals/fake foods/preservatives/hormones etc. I also have mild allergic reactions to anything with flour, alcohol, white sugar, and even apples!

There is nothing wrong with having a few drinks occassionally...however, don't forget that while under the influence of alcohol our better judgement is quite distorted.......for me it means that I do not have the control I need when it comes to making the right choice when eating....watch out for this! Not only could the calories from the alcohol get you, but the bad food choices as well. Carol

I had one food that I didn't tolerate well earlier on (a cheesy, potato dish - I know, bad me!), but I had it again this past week and no problems. Take note that when I say I had this dish, it amounts to about 2 teaspoons max - after I start with my Protein. I haven't had anything that really bothers me. I do indulge in a treat here and there because I don't do well with feeling forbidden from certain foods - it makes me rebellious after a certain point. At three months out, I still have quite a bit of restriction so a few bites of a cookie or piece of cake really doesn't do any damage. I tend to not want any more after that. I'm trying more things every day now that I'm in the normal diet phase. Even though I'm still losing, I want to be able to eat normally out in public (as much as that's possible with my stomach). So, I try different things every now and then at home to know how I will tolerate them in social settings. I tried a piece of cupcake at home so that if I was at a birthday function at work, I would know if it would be ok for me to have a few bites of cake without falling out in cold sweats or running to the bathroom. I'm just starting to try foods with nuts in them here and there and no problems with those either. I just knew they would ball up into a knot in my stomach and send me to the ER. NOPE!!! I've also broken down and experimented with diet soda this past two weeks after reading several stories here on the boards about sleevers having no problems with carbonation. I bought a diet mountain dew 20 oz bottle. The first time, I poured a little in a glass and stirred alot of the bubbles out with a metal spoon. I took a few slow sips with no problem and then poured out the rest in the glass. A few days later, I decided to be brave and sip a little straight out of the bottle. After two sips I felt fine and left it alone so I didn't push my luck. Same thing a few days later. There's still over half a bottle left in my fridge and that overwhelming urge I had to drink some soda is fading away. I'll probably continue to drink a few sips here and there, but don't plan on making it a habit. I just want to be sure I can do it safely in public if the situation calls for it. I'm still curious to know if anyone tried soda and ended up doubled over in pain or feel as if it has stretched their stomach. I have yet to hear of this from anyone despite the dire warnings we get from some doctors. Still haven't tried alcohol or salad...

Have you ever been to an AlAnon meeting? As the former wife of an alcoholic, may I highly recommend that you attend one ASAP?

I don't understand why people can be so mean about those of us who are "fluffy." I teach school at an alternative placement center (punative middle school where students go to school for 60 days as punishment for things like drugs, alcohol, knives, guns, threats, etc... some for doing stupid things like pulling fire alarms, etc.). I love my job with the kids.... if someone gets mad at me and calls me a "fat (whatever)," I don't even flinch. I reply... with "Oh, really? Tell me something that I don't already know." or... I prefer to think of myself as fluffy. Frequently, I'll say something about being fluffy or fat so they will think calling me names with regards to my weight won't hurt my feelings. (I mean, at 350 pounds don't you think they'd know that I'm fat?!) Anyway... I digress.... What really hurts is the comments made by my fellow teachers. One time a student called his art teacher by my name (hey, it happens... sometimes they call me "mom") and her reply to the student was, "Oh I couldn't be Mrs. W. I'd need two chairs to sit on!" The students were so enraged by her comment that when they came to my class the next period they told me what she had said and wanted me to fight her! :-) It put me on the spot, because I had to tell them that it was okay, that 2 wrongs didn't make a right, etc., etc., etc. The more I kept saying that we weren't going to talk about it anymore, the more they insisted that I tell the principal and the more upset I became-- not at being called fat, but because it angered them so much. I was so touched by these kids, who really don't have such a great homelife, who really don't care about anything or anyone, and they were so angry that some adult should say something like that about me. So... I started to cry (and one of the teenage girls came up to me and hugged me and said, "Oh, poor thing," in Spanish. I'm going to get my friends to beat up that "b". This made me laugh, but it took over a year for the kids to forget about this teacher. Then another one, who heard that I was dieting made a comment to her friend... "Oh, she'll never lose that weight." The moral of this story is that I haven't told many people at work. They just don't understand, or want to understand. To those people I just have to learn to accept them for what they are. They will have to deal with their own demons. Well... I've ranted enough. Back to my Serenity Prayer. 2BTHIN

I have to be on this milk diet for 3 weeks. I want to know has anyone else needed to be on this diet as well? Im worried I will fall off the wagon because a week into this diet, I am going to my high school reunion, and with the food, the alcohol, and the party scene, well, I think anyone would be worried... Any suggestions, or advice for me? Elaine

Wow! It sounds to me as though you are too tight. Keep in mind while not being so tight, will let you eat more, it also will relax you some, and allow you to eat enough that your body will respond. It is in a starvation mode now, and while you will lose weight, it will be muscle mass, and you really don't want to lose that. You need to be able to eat a normal type of food to keep your body healthy. We all would love to be instantly thin, but we REALLY need to keep the health aspect in the fore front. Our relationship with food has to be compared to an addiction, in my opinion, I was/am, addicted. It is hard, especially in your situation to think of little else, because right now it rules every breath you take! When you cannot eat---is when you want to the worst. It is just like when our car breaks down, is when we want to go somewhere, or your hands are full of something when your nose itches the worst. We always want what we can't have---it is human nature I guess. I really do feel like you would focus less on food and eating if you weren't so tight. Being that tight can also lead to other issues, and cause you to lose your band. If you were to lose it now, you would not have learned any other eating habits that would allow you to keep the weight off without the band. I went through the bandster hell I mentioned earlier---same as everyone. I literally purged our house of food I couldn't have for a few weeks! I also made a point of getting up and taking a walk around the house or out into the yard...eventually down the road---whenever the urge to eat was just overwhelming!!! I missed favorite TV shows, because the urge to eat, and the commercials were just too much, so I went for a walk. Ironically the walking did me good---but my goal was just to get my mind off of food! I was not going to walk down the road eating---I could just imagine what people would have thought or said---and instead I imagined them watching the transformation of me....as I lost weight! If I owned a dog, he would have been one happy camper---I walked a lot!!! Short quick bursts around the block---but got away from where there was food. Then as I could I started putting out flowers, watering....anything, that was out of the house and away from the food. Soon the weight was dropping, and some of my habits had changed. The longer you stay away from the carbs and sugars, the easier it is. I would seriously consider a small unfill, until you can at least eat say tuna fish, or ground meat...something that will do your body good. You know how an alcoholic has a sponsor in AA---maybe that's what we need to start here. If you don't have someone you can call on to talk to and stay away from the food---you let me know, and I will PM you my #. This CAN be done without starving your body. We want to be healthy hotties!!! Consider it anyway.... Kat

Alcohol is worrying me right now, we have had some devastating family news and I've found alcohol is becoming my new habit most nights as I can't eat myself happy now. I had my op on May 6th this year. My weight loss is very slow and I know why. I'm trying to stay away from it now. I don't need to go from food to replace it with this poison xx Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I read about a study done on alcohol mixed with diet drinks and alcohol mixed with regular drinks and studies showed that there is something in the diet drinks that makes a body absorb the alcohol faster than the regular drinks. That was enough evidence to me to explain why when I drank Propel and Vodka, I was drunk way faster than everyone else. Dasani now makes a sugar free flavored Water that is uncarbonated and goes very well with Vodka! As for beer, I love beer, it's my choice of drink. I have on occassion just drank beer, but it makes me unable to eat well for a few days. I think maybe the carbonation affects the band by making it swell or something, so I stay away from beer!!!

Im not a big drinker but when i do drink socially. I have several weddings coming up as well as briday showers ect. I im not lush but can i have a few drinks?

It's the body eliminating all of the fat and impurities that have been stored up in the fat cells. It eliminates it any way it can - through urine, bad breath, sweat glands, through the skin - in any manner possible. One friend of mi e who was sleeved felt greasy for the first 3-4 months - wiping her arms and coming away with fat that had come through the pores in the skin! All sweat and secretions are a bit more offensive because they're old fat and old impurities. Consider the zits a win! I keep towelettes at hand to wipe my face, underarms and other places to ward off the sweat; maybe alcohol pads or make-up remover pads would help the zits. Drink more water; that's the best think for you.

1st Mistake: Not Taking Vitamins, supplements, or Minerals Every WLS patient has specific nutritional needs depending on the type of surgery you have had. Not only is it a good idea to ask your surgeon for guidelines, but also consult with an experienced WLS nutritionist. Understand there is not a standard practice that all surgeons and nutritionists follow in guiding WLS patients. So, it is important to do your own research, get your lab tests done regularly, and learn how to read the results. Some conditions and symptoms that can occur when you are deficient in vitamins, supplements, or minerals include: Osteoporosis; pernicious anemia; muscle spasms; high blood pressure; burning tongue; fatigue; loss of appetite; weakness; constipation and diarrhea; numbness and tingling in the hands and feet; being tired, lethargic, or dizzy; forgetfulness, and lowered immune functioning. Keep in mind, too, that some conditions caused by not taking your vitamins, supplements, or minerals are irreversible. 2nd Mistake: Assuming You Have Been Cured of Your Obesity A "pink cloud" or honeymoon experience is common following WLS. When you are feeling better than you have in years, and the weight is coming off easily, it's hard to imagine you will ever struggle again. But unfortunately, it is very common for WLS patients to not lose to their goal weight or to regain some of their weight back. A small weight regain may be normal, but huge gains usually can be avoided with support, education, effort, and careful attention to living a healthy WLS lifestyle. For most WLSers, if you don't change what you've always done, you're going to keep getting what you've always gotten -- even after weight loss surgery. 3rd Mistake: Drinking with Meals Yes, it's hard for some people to avoid drinking with meals, but the tool of not drinking with meals is a critical key to long-term success. If you drink while you eat, your food washes out of your stomach much more quickly, you can eat more, you get hungry sooner, and you are at more risk for snacking. Being too hungry is much more likely to lead to poor food choices and/or overeating. 4th Mistake: Not Eating Right Of course everyone should eat right, but in this society eating right is a challenge. You have to make it as easy on yourself as possible. Eat all your meals--don't skip. Don't keep unhealthy food in sight where it will call to you all the time. Try to feed yourself at regular intervals so that you aren't as tempted to make a poor choice. And consider having a couple of absolutes: for example, avoid fried foods completely, avoid sugary foods, always use low-fat options, or only eat in a restaurant once a week. Choose your "absolutes" based on your trigger foods and your self knowledge about what foods and/or situations are problematic for you. 5th Mistake: Not Drinking Enough Water Most WLS patients are at risk for dehydration. Drinking a minimum of 64 oz. of water per day will help you avoid this risk. Adequate water intake will also help you flush out your system as you lose weight and avoid kidney stones. Drinking enough water helps with your weight loss, too. 6th Mistake: Grazing Many people who have had WLS regret that they ever started grazing, which is nibbling small amounts here and there over the course of the day. It's one thing to eat the three to five small meals you and your doctor agree you need. It's something else altogether when you start to graze, eating any number of unplanned Snacks. Grazing can easily make your weight creep up. Eating enough at meal time, and eating planned snacks when necessary, will help you resist grazing. Make a plan for what you will do when you crave food, but are not truly hungry. For example, take up a hobby to keep your hands busy or call on someone in your support group for encouragement. 7th Mistake: Not Exercising Regularly Exercise is one of the best weapons a WLS patient has to fight weight regain. Not only does exercise boost your spirits, it is a great way to keep your metabolism running strong. When you exercise, you build muscle. The more muscle you have, the more calories your body will burn, even at rest! 8th Mistake: Eating the Wrong Carbs (or Eating Too Much) Let's face it, refined carbohydrates are addictive. If you eat refined carbohydrates they will make you crave more refined carbohydrates. There are plenty of complex carbohydrates to choose from, which have beneficial vitamins. For example, if you can handle pastas, try whole grain Kamut pasta--in moderation, of course. (Kamut Pasta doesn't have the flavor some people find unpleasant in the whole wheat pastas.) Try using your complex carbohydrates as "condiments," rather than as the center point of your meal. Try sprinkling a tablespoon of brown rice on your stir-fried meat and veggies. 9th Mistake: Going Back to Drinking Soda Drinking soda is controversial in WLS circles. Some people claim soda stretches your stomach or pouch. What we know it does is keep you from getting the hydration your body requires after WLS--because when you're drinking soda, you're not drinking water! In addition, diet soda has been connected to weight gain in the general population. The best thing you can do is find other, healthier drinks to fall in love with. They are out there. 10th Mistake: Drinking Alcohol If you drank alcohol before surgery, you are likely to want to resume drinking alcohol following surgery. Most surgeons recommend waiting one year after surgery. And it is in your best interest to understand the consequences of drinking alcohol before you do it. Alcohol is connected with weight regain, because alcohol has 7 calories per gram, while Protein and vegetables have 4 calories per gram. Also, some people develop an addiction to alcohol after WLS, so be very cautious. Depending on your type of WLS, you may get drunker, quicker after surgery, which can cause health problems and put you in dangerous situations. If you think you have a drinking problem, get help right away. Putting off stopping drinking doesn't make it any easier, and could make you a lot sicker[/b]

At 20 months out, the eating slow, chewing things to mush is not my life. I do not eat slower than my girlfriends or family UNLESS, I want to eat more. Stretching the meal over 45 minutes, allows me to eat more food. I haven't been chewing food to mush for a year now. I did it until I got into maintenance because I had to get in more calories until my body was settled. As for Protein first, I don't always, and will never follow that rule 100%. I love veggies/fruit, and especially salads. I eat salads 2-3 times a week, I get in plenty of spinach, and other veggies. Never was a big fruit eater so I have it on occasion. This whole difficulty with drinking is short term as well. Yesterday, I slammed 20oz of Water in 3 minutes. I think that's pretty normal. I had zero pain, I did burp once, but no discomfort. As for the drinking/eating simultaneously thing, I sip during my meals. Again, this is a way to eat more. If I eat a bunch of dense protein, the water kind of just sits there. But, if I eat meat and veggies, liquifying my meals can lead to that empty feeling because food gets soft faster and can pass through the pyloric valve faster. I never get hungry so I can not comment on getting hungrier faster if eating and drinking at the same time. I do drink wine with my meals sometimes, and alcohol relaxes my stomach and allows me to eat more food as well. Avoiding "drinking" with meals helps you keep a good satiety level with your meals. There is plenty of data out on partial and full gastrectomies for stomach cancer and ulcer patients that indicates they have zero issue consuming enough calories/protein/fat/carbs over their lifetime. Even though the "sleeve" is fairly new, it's actually been performed as a stand-alone since 2001-2002, research is slow to report, but gastrectomies have been performed for decades upon decades. The concerns you are reading about are for people that are still early out with major swelling/trauma from the surgery. Some heal faster, some take longer. I was one of those that took longer, and I relied on soft Proteins to get in my calories/protein goals. It was boring, but my body did not suffer. My labs have never been anything short of stellar. Bread, Pasta, rice, crackers are all sliders for me at 20 months out. Nothing gets stuck. Cornbread causes some discomfort, but all other types of bread really go down just fine. Early out bread did expand in my sleeve and I had zero room for anything else. Now, not so much. If I eat bread and meat together, say a hamburger, the bread goes right down without issue, and I can actually eat the same amount of meat, it's like it gets mushed up along with the protein and goes right down.

I know everyone has different instructions for sugar/carbs/sugar alcohols etc. I'm wondering what you ate that made you dump? I don't mean that you are too much...but something specific you ate that caused textbook dumping: Nausea, quesiness, cramping, diarrhea, weakness, sweating, vomiting, heart palpitations.

No alcohol for at least 6 months.

I don't think they test for alcohol but If u drink right after surgery you'll be in emergency room! Lol Wait at least 6 months the longer the better as it slows down weight loss.

So I am new to the group and haven't introduced myself or given my story. I am 43, female,at start 259 lbs. I have been big my entire life. I have always done a lot of bluff hiking and walking but never lost much for very long. Started getting sick, never feeling good, ending up with diabetes, high cholesterol, high BP oh had I have hidradenitis suppurativa which they say is because of my weight. Which I know is bull because other family has it that is not fat. So when I found out my insurance would finally cover it I decide it was time to stop thinking about it and just do it. So on December 14th I had surgery. It has been a struggle since then. I found out I have non alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver. I skipped the fatty liver and scaring of the liver and went right for cirrhosis. I guess I am doing ok and they are hoping it will turn around or at least stop where it is at. That freaks me out really bad but I can't let my family know that. I am the one that keeps everything together and running smoothly. So I suck it up and worry on my own time. I am having such a hard time getting in my fluids and protein. I get about 20 to 30 oz. of fluids and 20 to 30g of protein a day. I still can't eat more then about 1 med cup of food and I am so full I get sick. I just found out I have a nodule in my stomach that is taking up all the room why I feel full all the time. Oh and I still have to take 30 units of lantus and they still are in the 130-170(for diabetes) But on the plus side I have lost just over 20lbs and 3 in on my waits. I check my weight and measurements and pics every week.I just want to feel better. Going in once a week or so for IV fluids sucks. They usually get the IV in after about 5 pokes and I'm afraid of needles. I however enjoying not having to work. But would go back if it meant feeling better. Any advice from anyone would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading

If you're following the program but not losing any more weight then you probably reached the maximum weight loss you can get with your sleeve. Of course if you aren't happy with that weight you can still push your body more by increasing your exercise. Your nut will help you with maintenance. If you don't start eating sugar and alcohol again you shouldn't have a problem with it

My Doctor said at minimum wait 3 months. I know some on here that say theirs told them to wait 6 months or a year. I think this is primarily because alcohol is completely empty calories and usually associated with sugar that you might still be sensitive to. Remember, your body will burn the drink before it burns fat and also, there is a HUGE risk for us as overweight people to develop alcoholism post weight loss surgery. I've actually witnessed someone go through that first hand as I worked for them in home and saw her take on 6-8 beers sometimes nightly. Counterproductive after her bypass because one, beer is carbonated and two, even though she looked like a twig, she was diagnosed with fatty liver disease and likely has cirrhosis. I don't know how that wasn't stretching her pouch. Anywho, if you are talking about just a drink, I would make sure that most of your sensitivities to foods are done and over with before you test your new tummy. Never drink and drive. and last but not least .... remember you are now likely going to be an incredibly cheap date. Just sip on one drink very slowly and the effects will be felt, as soon as you feel them, I would stop drinking. If anything could make you dump, it would be a drink not sitting well.