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I used to drink red wine with regularity, but after surgery, I don't really have a taste for red wine. But, I do enjoy a glass of white wine on occasion - on the weekend. I went on vacation for a week and there was plenty of white wine flowing. I can't drink as much as I used to and one glass is usually my max, sometimes two. I didn't gain any weight on vacation, but I didn't lose like I was either. This past weekend I had a watered down margarita which was very yummy but is very high in calories too. My surgeon said wait 8 weeks before drinking any alcohol. My nutritionist said to have a drink if I want to but make sure I count it in my daily calorie count. Also, you need to drink more water than usual if you drink alcohol since it is a dehydrating beverage, so that's what I do when I drink an alcoholic beverage. Everything in moderation, just like high calorie, high carb foods.

When I was being evaluated by the shrink, we discussed drinking with the sleeve. The first thing she said was that you couldn't drink for 6 months after the surgery. The next thing she shared was that she was doing a study of the relationship between WLS and drinking. Although the study isn't finished, she's seeing a high correlation between weightloss surgery and alcholism. Her findings are already indicating that it takes much less for a WLS patient to become an alcoholic -- even just 2 drinks. She also said everyone is different. Be careful how you roll the dice!

Post-Surgery Weight Regain: Mental Health Regular readers will appreciated the importance of mental health factors both as a promoter of weight gain as well as an important barrier to weight management. It is therefore no surprise that in our systematic review of weight regain after bariatric surgery, published in Obesity Surgery, we found substantial evidence for the role of mental health factors both in failure to lose adequate amounts of weight or to regain any weight lost. Out of the sixteen studies included in the review, all studies that examined this factor, implicated uncontrolled mental health issues as an important cause of weight regain. These included, binge eating disorder, depression and addictive behaviours (alcohol and drug use). In fact, there was a linear relationship between the number of reported psychiatric diagnoses and the magnitude of weight regain. Overall, patients with two or more psychiatric conditions were approximately six times more likely to either lose no further weight or regain weight than patients without psychiatric problems. At least one study reported that 80 % of patients identified pre-operatively with an eating disorder, and who did not receive any treatment pre-operatively, had recurrent feelings of binge eating at 6 months post-operation. In addition to binge eating, some researchers describe a new sub-clinical disorder described as “grazing” (consuming multiple small meals with feelings of loss of control with eating), the incidence of which appeared to increase after surgery and was associated with an increased tendency for weight regain. Interestingly, one study found that completion rates of behavioural modification therapy increased to 91% when performed post-operatively, compared to 14 % when done pre-operatively. Nevertheless, it probably makes more sense, when possible, to address mental health issues prior to undergoing surgery. In summary, our review finds ample evidence that a wide range of mental health problems can lead to maladaptive eating, which if unregocgnised and untreated will prove a persistent impediment to surgical weight loss. This is why extensive mental health assessments and interventions both prior to as well as following surgery should be a routine part of bariatric care. If you have experienced specific mental health issues to be an important factor in weight gain after surgery, I’d like to hear about it. @DrSharma Edmonton, AB Karmali S, Brar B, Shi X, Sharma AM, de Gara C, & Birch DW (2013). Weight Recidivism Post-Bariatric Surgery: A Systematic Review. Obesity surgery PMID: 23996349

I am curious about sugar free products such as jellies jams and desserts for diabetics, and what it means when It lists sugar alcohol levels does that raise your sugar? for a lapband patient would those things be okay as a treat in small amounts?

Re-evaluate your diet. I to have had bad diarrhea and eliminated sugar free pudding and jello and it slowed down quit a bit. I also had problem with milk but I love milk so much that I still try to have some to maybe get used to it again. I talked to my NUT yesterday and she informed me that sugar alcohols in sugar free products will cause diarrhea (as posted earlier in this thread)

I would say hard liquor hits you about 3 times as fast as pre-surgery. I enjoy a nice glass of wine on occasion, but I am no longer hooked on sugar laden mixed drinks!! For the record, the drinks are easy to tolerate....but do the math...alcohol has a lot of calories, probably best for a special occasion or during maintenance stage : )

I gave up alcohol during the second month of my six-month pre-op diet. Some days it is still hard to believe that I haven't had any in 5.5 months. My plan is to see about bringing it back in (in small amounts, of course) mid-December, but we'll have to see how everything goes between now and then. I have made peace with the fact that drinking post-op will NEVER be like it was pre-op, and I have re-conceptualized my social life where food and alcohol isn't the centerpiece of everything.

I'm on my third week and feeling good. I've been reaching my Water intake goal but was wondering other than adding crystal light what other beverages can I have. I used to be a Coke drinker for decades but none at all since surgery. Thank you for your suggestions. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

You can eat real food again, but the question I found is whether I want to. After losing weight like I have, I just don't want to go back there. I think of it as an alcoholic would think of drinking alcohol. If I indulge in many of the foods that got me to the weight I was, how long before a eat a little more and a little more and a little more. I really embrace the "life style change" aspect of this thing. I rarely eat red meat, almost never eat bread ( I totally love bread), eat a lot more vegan type meats and chickens, keep my sugars and fats to a minimum. Every once in a while, I will have something that I shouldn't like pizza, a hot dog etc but I make sure it is a small portion and I stop after that small portion. I have suffered too much to allow myself to relapse and gain back all the weight. It is a mental fight as much as a physical fight for us to permanently change our eating habits and keep weight off. I try not to think of "real food" in the context of what I used to eat. In the past I would have a huge appetizer at dinner out and then an entrée and sometimes dessert. Now, I may pick at my wife's appetizer or we split a small app. I eat a reasonable entrée, usually fish or chicken and by that time I cannot fit dessert. It is still enjoyable to eat out, but again, if you mentally convince yourself that you need a chicken wing or flat bread appetizer then a 16 ounce steak and consider that normal, then there is going to be roadblocks. Instead, a tuna tartar app and a piece of tuna at dinner is what should become real food for you.

Great question. I am now 5 months out w/ 70 lb's off, 50 to go and loving my new size. I mention this because part of me is thinking maybe I am loosing motivation and that is why I want more food. I eat a 1/2 cup of food and if I try for more I am nauseous, I don't throw up but I hang over the sink thinking I might. Up until 4 months I was fine w/ the small portion. In December I found out I can eat anything, where b4 that I was not sure if I would dump. Then I started feeling like I wanted a quanity, like my husband eats. Before that, I am now remembering, the few restraunts I went to I had 1/2 in a doggie bag, ate a quarter of the serving and left the rest. I was satisfied. Now I want more. So I went to a support group, I always force myself to tell the truth there. As I listened to myself share I KNEW I needed to shift my thinking. Now when my head gets mad that I I ate a 1/4 tuna sandwich and that is it, I stop and remind myself I am thankful my pouch stops me because I continue to get smaller. Someone shared "as an alcoholic is new in sobriety, they think about alcohol and want to drink. As they continue to abstain & work a program the desire lessens.". It is the same for me, as I continue to work this tool I will have my success right next to me, w/ my continued exercise, exploring my food addiction and gratefulness I will deal with what comes my way. This post is convoluted , I hope I made some kind of sense. It sounds like I was loosing sight of my original goals. I am a work in progress.

So I have an incredibly controversial and rather personal question for the lovely people of BariatricPal. I’ll be upfront, I’m a 20 year old guy in college so pre-op I was a party animal. My question doesn’t relate to alcohol but to illicit-drug use.. I understand this is a super touchy subject but is there anyone that would be willing to share how they get felt or reacted to the use of illicit drugs (molly, snow, bars etc.)

I'm 11 days post op. I had vsg in Mexico, my doctor didn't really give me a good plan, but my coordinator just told me 2 weeks of liquids, 2 weeks purée she said I should be able to eat almost everything except bread, alcohol, at thanksgiving, I've had yogurt egg drop Soup, chiken pea soup, jellos. What has I believed really helped my stomach is kiefer (probiotic) no flavor with a little honey and I feel like it's just helps I have had 2 very small bowel movement. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I am 3 years post surgery, lost around 150lbs. I have settled on a meal plan that is not overly neurotic about all the stuff they said we must do at the beginning. I eat 2 - 3 meals a day. I try to eat mostly Protein - meat, fish, chicken. I don't eat much vegetables and I eat no fruit - it upsets my stomach too much. I will eat carbs when I feel like it, including sweets, and when my weight moves I adjust accordingly. I gave up all alcohol completely. My weight has gone up a max of 10 lbs, but I easily got it back in line. The whole attraction to the sleeve was that it simply gave me a smaller stomach, hence smaller ability or need to overeat. Supposedly us sleevers don't have to worry about all the mal-absorption issues of bypass surgery. Supposedly we can eat like normal people and as long as we eat a balanced diet, we should get all the nutrition we need. Which is why all the obsession over tons of protein, tons of Water, doesn't make total sense to me. I am not sure how much protein I get every day. If I had to guess my protein intake, I would probably say 40 to 60 g/day. I just eat my 2 to 3 balanced meals and I watch my weight, which has been relatively stable - certainly more stable than any other period of my life. By the way, I do aerobic exercise (elliptical) 45 min x 5 days/week. I do drink the required daily water. All seems good, except for uncontrollable heartburn, but that is another issue - maybe related, but all my doctors have given up on the heartburn. Anyway, my hair all of the sudden (last 2 months) is seriously thinning. I figured that this was probably just my time to lose my hair - I am a 58 year old male. But I have always had very full hair and never had any signs of receding or thinning. I didn't have any hair loss after surgery. In just two months, my hair is falling out rapidly and my hair thickness is visibly different. I'd hate to say I was wrong about my laid back approach to my eating - because, I really found it tedious to obsess so much about every little thing I ate, but I do like having hair! I guess what I am saying is that I would go back to the obsessive diet route prescribed by all the Sleever experts if it would get me back and keep my hair, but if there is no way that 3 years post surgery my new hair loss is from my diet, I'd rather stick with a diet that seems to be working for me. Could this be about too little protein? Or is it wrong to say that us sleevers don't need to think about mal-absorption and not sufficient for us to eat like normal people is smaller portions. Thoughts? Thanks

Yup, my doc said one glass of non carbonated alcoholic beverage is fine per day....so one before midnight and one after

I have no clue on the reason for gain, but have a suggestion. Start taking your measurements. Record them now and check them again in a month. Note what you are wearing and measure wearing the same thing next month. My trainer says to measure as early in the day as you can before you get active to minimize the muscle swelling effect. I started doing this when my weight loss slowed way down and I was getting discouraged. I've seen a big change in measurements. Yesterday I took back to the store 5 pairs of shorts that I bought this summer, but had never worn (still had tags). They were too big. :hi: Getting thyroid and other hormones checked is a good idea. I love Zumba. Went to a Zumbathon (3 hours.. I did 2) weekend before last.. it was like being at a club .. minus the alcohol. Hang in there. Keep us informed of what you find out.

For about a year after surgery I counted total carbs. I did that because anything that didn't count as a net carb, (fiber and sugar alcohol) was likely to screw with my stomach and I wanted to avoid it anyway. Now that I am in maintenance mode, (2.5 years post op) I watch the total carb count, but only count net carbs. Whether I am counting it or not, I still like to know exactly what I'm eating.

I'm not! Alcohol wont make or break the evening for me so I will just forgo it this time.

I was told no alcohol for one year post sleeve. Just with post op diet progression, every doctor has his or her own thoughts. I was also told to be careful because you don't know how you a hard and fast a drink will hit you post sleeve.

Well I had problems trying to find one that I could STOMACH never mind the carbs and calories. If you are only going to eat one a day (I use mine for Breakfast sometimes when I am in a hurry or for Meal Replacement if the cafeteria at work has something that I can't handle - greasy spagetti etc) If you are only going to eat one a day then you don't really have to stress about the carbs. My favorite one so far is Balance bar Peanut Butter flavor (blue and white and orange box sold at walmart) for about 6.00 you get 6 bars. It has 200 calories, 21 grams carbs and 15 Protein. I was looking MORE for a bar that had MORE protein. Also...SUGAR ALCOHOLS give me the farts (sorry if that is too much info....but just wanted to warn you because I have seen alot of people post it does it to them too) so I stear clear of those esp on the days I am working..........lolol.... If I eat 1-2 eggs in am. lunch of chicken breast couple bites of veggies dinner fish and few bites of whatever I made for family Snack of nuts or string cheese Protein Bar to make up if i have not met my protein for day Then I am still WAY under for carb count. I stay away from carbs because I noticed years ago I just don't loose if I eat carbs. After surgery I really only crave peanut butter and sugar free popsickles so for now I am staying away from carbs because I don't really miss them yet.

food -- particularly carbohydrates -- is a powerful mood-altering substance. This isn't just the case for people with food addictions, it's at least partially how the body works. Carbs, for instance, have been shown to have strong connections with serotonin levels, and other foods (notably chocolate, but there's more... just can't remember them all) have strong affinities for dopamine. The bottom line is that going to food for comfort is very normal. Without this crutch it can be very difficult to self-soothe. Again, this isn't just "addictive behavior" -- anyone who is low-serotonin will feel stressed and anxious and blue. Tiffykins' recommendation to get a massage is spot-on; you have to find other behaviors that help to soothe you without being unhealthy. A hot bath and a glass of milk is another method; the heat relaxes your muscles and lets metabolism byproducts like lactic acid get released, and the milk is full of tryptophan, which is a natural serotonin precursor. Exercise is also a good choice -- exercise ALWAYS makes me feel better -- but you have to be careful not to overdo it, because if you're feeling stressed and anxious because of "low reserves," then burning up the LAST of your reserves with exercise isn't going to help. The best medicine is a good night's sleep! Protect your sleep time fiercely, because consistent sleep deprivation is an almost sure way to lapse into low-grade depression and anxiety. Mild exercise is good as a sleep aid, as are the relaxing effects of a hot bath or shower. Also, milk and its tryptophan-explosion. So maybe the ideal thing is: exercise mildly to moderately (around midday when it won't affect your sleep time). In the evening, drink a tall glass of nonfat milk and take a long, hot shower or bath. And then, sleep like a baby. The odds are that you'll wake up feeling right as rain! The thing to NOT do is to "relax" with something like alcohol or marijuana -- these things will further deplete neurotransmitter levels, and while you may feel better in the short term, over the long run you're just digging yourself in deeper!

I haven't had much alcohol since my surgery I don't have any craving for it and I used to love a Margarita with Mexican food but since my sleeve I really don't have any desire for it. I did try to have a glass of wine and it didn't set well. I got terrible indigestion and only a few sips and I was feeling the effects of it right away. My husband says I am a cheap date now...LOL My doctor said that he advises all his patients that want to have a drink to do it the first time at home since the alcohol will affect you very quickly. He was right. I was never a big drinker and now I tend to just stick with water with lemon even when we go out. Everyone is different so try it slowly and see what you think.

I went in for surgery in Jan and he ended up just doing a liver biopsy as my liver was enlarged, diagnosed with non alcoholic fatty liver. Surgeon required me to lose 30lbs prior to trying again. I ate 1200 calories a day and limited my carbs to less than 100. Lots of salads soups and tacos. Lost most in 6 weeks and had my surgery. Lost more the week before surgery on the pre-op diet. Youve got this. I was pissed for a while but got over and got it done! good luck!

My boys were 7 and 6 when I had my surgery in April this year. Last year my husband had to have emergency quadruple bypass which terrified them when they were able to see him and he was in the hospital right at a week. I sat them down before going to the bariatric doctor and told them what I was trying to do. they told me I didn't need to because I was pretty the way I was. I had co morbidities and I needed it for my health. I told them that I was trying to do what I can to be a healthy mom. they also know I'm in recovery for drugs and alcohol and they know what my AA book is and I told them momma is trying to be a healthy mom both from bad things like germs and things I can control so I can be with them as long as possible. I was in the hospital for my wls for about 4 days and they stayed at their grandmothers house for a few days and then my hubby went and got them to see me and see I was ok in the hospital and being taken care of. They also were told because I was going to be sore and walking around uncomfortable for a little bit. They were my big little helpers when I came home. Now, since I've talked with them like miniature grown ups (on their level) they actually look at calories and ask me if I can have certain foods. They are a huge part of my journey because they have motivated me to be the best me.

*laughs* You didn't piss me off, Donna. In fact I agree with you. At our support group last week (which really is kind of pointless at only 1.5 hours per month in a group of 25 people) several people talked about what a crock the psych eval was and how stupid the questions on there were. They pointed out how many questions about drugs and alcohol were on there and asked how in the world that pertained to getting the band. I guess what they were overlooking was that while those questions might not be relevant to them, there is a very real chance that they might be very relevant to the next person. I too have a very hard time with blanketing everyone with the same conclusions based upon the "normal" or "typical" responses from a test study group. Everyone is an individual and letting a stranger speak to you for a few hours out of your life to determine something so important about you is down right scarey. I guess it comes down to this. They'd rather be safe than have us be sorry. Getting a bit healthier, mentally or physcially, before going through something so extreme can't be all bad. It's not a permanent "NO", it's just a "Get a little better first so you can have better success" kind of a thing. Like Crystal said, it's not a patch you can pull off and return to old habits. I was just reading and posting on the thread about what others think of your weightloss, and it really hit me. It's time for some serious issues in my life to be dealt with as I progress to my physical goal. Otherwise, my mental state will have a heck of a time dealing with my physical state. I think those pre-tests picked up on that - for me anyway. And his advice was right on the money, "Whether it be me or another counselor, you need to start seeing someone to help you through this."

It will get better. I liked to keep ice on my belly. I would do it all day and night. I sucked down the liquid pain meds when I needed it. I just used a chaser like I was doing a shot of alcohol. Take it easy if your in that much pain! No need to rush yourself. Relax a little.