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Beer hurts!! Plain and simple. Maybe not early on in the begining before you get any fills but the carbanation on any like products do not feel good. I've heard people saying to let your drink sit out and sort of get flat then it's tolerable but at that point who wants it? Besides if you're getting banded to change your eating habits then plan on changing your eating habits- or you'll be one of the people who find themselves posting on how "the band doesn't work" for them a year out. But if you really need a buzz I'd suggest a distilled alcohol on the rocks over beer, they have the least amount of calories and get to the point since you wont have the capacity to gulp down multiple beers anyways!

My guess would be that since you're generally eating a lot less, the alcohol is getting absorbed into your system faster. I can handle a glass of wine (maybe two on a good day) and that's about it. The upside is it's a lot cheaper to drink! As for beer, I generally stay away from it these days. If I do have a beer (I'm a Pennsylvania girl, so I gotta have my lager once in awhile!), I let it sit for a bit before drinking it, and then I drink it VERY slowly! If I try to drink it too quickly or don't let it sit for a bit then it hurts. It's a good idea to stay away from it for the most part.

addiction is addiction, I am a recovering alcoholic of 29 yrs. we (alcoholics) tend to trade one addiction for another. when we remember we are not the master of all we can succeed. we need to believe in a higher power to find success. we have to remember that many people want to do this surgery and for many reasons, don't. instead of hate think love. you don't have to say anything to them, just think a positive thought for them. you never know, it could work. it has for me. I know that if I feel hate (or even strong dislike) for another person, I set myself up for failure, because of the guilt. keep doing what your doc tells you to do, tell the people you know will support you, take it one day at a time. our health is the most important thing. we want to live and feel that health for a long time!

Hello all!!! I really appreciate the words of encouragement. They're amazingly helpful. So I started off yesterday on the right foot. Writing in my food journal, ate my breakfast, packed a quick lunch. It was my 2nd day of my nursing clinicals...the clinical was good. I passed my physical assessment on my assigned patient ...buuuuuut not time to eat!!!! So as soon as I was done, I ate my 2 slices of deli turkey and a couple carrots! I had lots studying to do so I came home and spent 30 minutes of 'catch up' time with my fiance and fixed up a quick snack 6 strawberries and 2 tbsp cool whip then hit the books. We had a party to go to which I had been dreading for 2 reasons...1) I have soooooo much studying to do and feel guilty for not and 2) it's a PARTY with drinking and food and I'm only day 2 in!!!! ugh!!! Ok so we were running late and no time for dinner, my fiance (his name is Paul...so now I can stop saying fiance which sounds so corny lol) said we'd stop for something quick (remember from the last blog that he stated he wouldn't ask for Taco Bell) but I didn't want to be tempted so I popped one of those broccoli and cheese steamer bags in the microwave and emptied it into a cup and chowed on it on the way (only 145 calories for the whole bag!!! but...no protein though)...so we get to the party, I was happy that my friend's husband was secluded on the back patio AWAY from the yummy appetizers galore! I brought a can of Coke Zero and sipped on that while they enjoyed their beverages of the alcoholic sort I was doing pretty well until about 930. I hadn't planned to be there so late and the pesky hunger pangs snuck up on me Luckily, they had Coke Zero and some veggies. I had a itty bitty spoonful of ranch with some broccoli, 2 slices of strawberries, 3 small slices of provolone cheese AND 3 mini quiche....eeeeeeeeek but seriously, this wasn't that bad...not my 'on the wagon' diet but I avoided the chip, dip, taquitos, chicken and cheesy rice, cake, pizza, etc!!! So, we stay awhile longer...then head home and Paul plays video games and I study. And, again, around midnight those hunger pangs rear their ugly heads!!!! I make some coffee and drink some water in an attempt to rid them. No help. I'm hungry!!!!! And...a terrible thing happened...I'm so upset...only day 2 and I already have a weak moment...this is usually a thing I would hide but the new me is holding myself accountable for the things I eat and do....Paul made blueberry muffins for his snack I had one with honey and a glass of milk....annnnd if that wasn't bad enough, I binged!!!!!!! Left over pizza and Velveeta pasta leftovers readily available...ah!!!!! I eat half a piece of cold pizza standing in the kitchen...realize what I'm doing and throw it away...BUT then that pasta was talking to me (I'm such a fat girl) and I snatched it up, popped off the lid and took 3 ginormous bites!!!!! I automatically felt guilty and wished in that moment that I could take it back but I couldn't so all I can do is own it. Usually, I would just continue to eat like Oreos or the rest of the left overs since I'd already cheated but I didn't. I went back in the living room, logged onto my laptop and finished my studies then to bed. So, today is a new day. And, I haven't given up even though the urge to quit is whispering 'you'll always be a fat girl'...I'm owning it. I'm writing it in my journal and need to calculate the calories so I can see the damage...BTW any suggestions for an easy website to do that? I've had my cup of coffee and 1/2C of oatmeal and about to hit the shower then hit the books. So...what did I do well yesterday? I increased my water intake and almost had my 64 oz!! I made smart snack choices before midnight( I know we aren't suppose to snack but I have no restriction right now) . I recognized the opportunity to eat out would rear it's head so I ate the broccoli. While binging, I recognized it and restricted myself a little. What I learned? That if I go out, I need to pack a bag for 'just in case' to eliminate the dilemma of eating what's available. Midnight is a bad time for me...and I need a better coping strategy for late night hunger pangs. I can't just go to sleep because I must study late in order to stay on track...I need to brainstorm! Thanks for reading and helpful suggestions are most appreciated!!!! Have a great, healthy day!!!!

We went to a Mexican restaurant last night for a birthday party and I had my first beer since surgery a month ago. I ordered a second, but couldn't drink it because the effects of the alcohol from the first hit and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to drive home. I was a beer maker for 20 years and was able to drink, but not anymore. I think that after WLS, at least the band, alcohol has a much greater effect than it did. The carbonation wasn't a problem, but the alcohol was. So I guess we just have to be more careful. After fills it'll probably be a different story. Then the carbonation will<BR>probably be restrictive.

Yes, I have had that problem once. My stomach is tight skinned, and my port looks like a golf ball under the skin. People at the gym have asked me if I had a hernia. I can palpate the skin and feel the tube that runs from the port, going mid-line till it disappears and goes deep through the muscle to the band. I like to prop myself up on my elbows and watch the Dr. do the entire fill procedure. First time he explained everything to me. First thing he does is extract ALL the saline out of the band. This way he checks for discoloration, and also measures how much he extracted. Anything less that what he previously put in indicates a leak. Like I said you can feel the tube that runs from the port to the band. It does not go straight, but it snakes. It's only about 2 inches long. He told me this gives it slack for abdominal muscles stretching and contracting. If it was straight and tight, it could pull and hurt, if not worse. Well one time, when he was extracting the saline, he could not get anything out. He tried and tugged a few times. When he palpated the skin over the tube, he found that at one place where the tube curved, actually kinked! just like kinking a garden hose. The harder he pulled a suction with the syringe, the more it kinked! He had me feel it so I would understand what was happening. Since the tube is just under the skin, he just massaged the area with 2 fingers to straighten out the tube a little. Then everything worked fine. I have noticed that ever since then, he automatically starts the procedure with a little massaging of that area, along with the alcohol wipe.

I have an aunt who thinks I'm taking the easy way out too. He mother was an alcoholic, who beat her addiction after 30 years, and she thinks that being overweight is the same as being an addict. I love her to death, but she just doesn't understand weight issues, because she watches everything she eats and works out. It's a part of her life and always has been. I am huge because I eat the wrong things, and I eat too much of everything. I know what I'm doing, but I don't have the control to do this on my own, and I don't understand how the choices I make that lead me to be fat have a negative impact on others. I told my aunt that the band is a tool that I am using to help me lose weight and that I owed it to myself to try it, but she insists that I should do it my own. I asked her why anyone would buy a cordless drill, when a screwdriver got the job done just fine, and she didn't quite know how to answer that one. She wants me to get into a 12 step program to deal with my weight, and she is "praying" that I can have the band removed some day and keep the weight off. She told me all I had to do was to avoid "all bad food" for the rest of my life. I get so frustrated with our society, because we help and treat all other addictions as a disease, at the same time we legally discriminate and ridicule those of us with weight problems. I hope I'm not coming across as unsympathetic to those with addictions, I don't intend to. We can and should help everyone to the full extent of our ability. I'm just wanting to understand why enjoying food and being overweight should be considered some kind of personality flaw, that deserves to be ridiculed instead of getting the same kinds of treatment options as those available to addicts of any kind.

Dear Wiley, For once, I agree with someone who is at a plateau and thinks they dont need a fill! Well, that being said here's my advice for what its worth. I totally know what you mean about the snack foods, they go down pretty easy and they are not good. I have mentally told my self that I can have anything because any restrictions or dieting is just no good for me and it leads me to the snacks. So I instead have foods I MUST eat and those are the proteins. For me that is mainly beans, tofu, and fish but you get the idea. I MUST eat those at the beginning of every meal (or whenever I want to eat regardless of mealtime or even hunger) and then usually after that I cant eat very many snacks or whatever else. I just mentally cant have no-no foods - it just makes me want them more! So now I have MUST-HAVE foods and they keep me out of trouble for the most part. Also (for what its worth) I have a glass of wine after dinner and it really curbs the snacking...I think I would be a skinny alcoholic! But for a lot of people, any alcohol lowers their ability to say no, to snacks or whatever else! Good luck...you posted a very interesting situation and I will be interested to see what others say... PS: There are two ways to turn on your metabolism in the morning: eat (not an option for me either) or exercise. Even a 20 minute walk will do it.

My NUT said to start getting off caffeine 2 weeks prior, just because you don't want to have a headache while you're recovering. I think I switched to half caff for the first week and decaf for the second. My surgeon told me that the alcohol just needed to be out of my system before surgery, so a couple days.

Our nutritionist discussed this at one of our support group meetings. Her advice is not to ignore the fiber and sugar alcohols because each of us absorbs them differently. And even if the calories are not extracted in the stomach, they can still be absorbed by the body on the way out. I think the ADA recommendation is a good rule of thumb. So your drink was 3 full carbs and 15 half carbs or 10.5 all together.

How long (Weeks/Months) before your surgery did you stop drinking alcohol and caffiene???? Thanks for your responses! Julie

OK, I found an answer about net carbs online here: Net carbohydrates can be calculated from a food source by subtracting Fiber and sugar alcohols (which are shown to have a smaller effect on blood sugar levels)[citation needed] from total carbohydrates. Sugar alcohols contain about two calories per gram, and the American Diabetes Association recommends that diabetics count each gram as half a gram of carbohydrate.[4] But how does that impact us? Do we want to watch all carbs or just net carbs? I'll have to ask my nutritionist, but does anyone else know?

Wow. Sounds like you have a lot going on in your life. I am sorry to hear how alone you are feeling but try to remember that there are so many people going through alot of the same issues that you are- reach out for support in place of that comfort food. I know it is much easier said than done but if you can do it just once a day it will minimize the negative effects of your emotional eating habits. Surround yourself with supportive people who won't judge you- even if it comes from the forum instead of people in your life. I went 3 months at a time on 2 different occasions without seeing so much as a pound loss and the less progress I saw the more I felt like it was pointless and it wouldn't hurt if I slacked off in the gym or snacked a little more since I wasn't losing anyways. I found myself eating with my emotions instead of my logic and then feeling guilty about it and doing the ol hide the evidence routine too so I know how that feels. This band only works with our discipline. But dont be too hard on yourself for slipping up- even for alcoholics the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. You've done that much. Changing your life won't happen over night and it won't come naturally but you can do it with alot of effort and focus. Stay inspired and stay hungry for your life instead of just hungry for food. "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." If its an option for you, lean on your faith as much as possible and pray for strength and guidance. Im not married but Im sure it's not easy having to balance your need to take care of yourself with your duties to take care of your husband but I would think its impossible for you to give of yourself to your husband what you dont have to give. Judging by the way you speak of his surgery Im thinking its not something too critical? But if it is I guess that comes with the territory to deal with his issue first if it is more critical but if you were approved to be banded your health issues could be critical too. Just try not to lose yourself in all this chaos. You have every right to take the time out that you need for yourself to be healthy and happy. You have as much obligation to yourself as your husband so don't feel guilty about that. But it may do you some good to open up to your husband and let him know how you're feeling and come up with a plan to deal with both of your battles together so its not just all on you to care for him and yourself and therefore push you into the comforting arms of food. Focus on the good and not just the bad- you said the scale hasn't moved so at least you're NOT gaining! Thats a victory in itself for those of us fighting the battle of the bulge. Sorry I can't be of more help but if you ever need someone to vent to or an accountablity buddy feel free to message me. Dont hold in your feelings or they'll just show up on the scale. Best of luck and stay strong! You may have lost that particular battle with yourself but you havent lost the war. My prayers go out to you and your husband!

Remember which of the two has no calories, and is great excercise.LOL.My doc said sex when you are ready pain-wise and alcohol only in moderation only after complete healing-about 6 mos.I am totally over alcohol though so I could care less bout that.Be aware that all bandster-related texts that I have read state that alcohol hits you harder after surgery because it stays in our small pouch and gets you drunk quicker,Some folks recommend drnking at ho me the first time just until you find out what will happen to you/how you'll react.I think the last thing I would wanna do is drink for the first time in public and then possibly vomit unexpectedly.

OK. So it has been 4 months since I was banded. I have been eating less and less. I weighed yesterday and my scale has not budged. Got so frustrated. I said screw it and made some pralines. Of course, hubby doesn't know that. I have hidden them and are secretly eating them without him knowing. Like a junkie or alcoholic hiding their drinking. Thing is, I know it's wrong but I do it anyway. No one one is forcing me to do it. I think to myself Just one more. Like a drug. I feel alone. Even with hubby in the house. And now he is admitting he needs to have surgery to repair a huge problem he has. I think I dread it more than he does and that is saying a lot. I remember how he was so many years ago with his other surgery. He does not handle pain well. It also doesn't help that he is a smoker. He is not pretty when he is in withdrawal. I feel guilty because I just want to run and hide. It's not like this condition arose overnight. I had some plans to go on a little trip with my daughter in a month, but he told me I may have to not go so I can take care of him. I figure if he has put it off for this long, he can put it off a little longer. Then I get to feeling guilty for thinking that way. Then I look for something to eat. Lord help me.

I agree - plan for it. This is life, in the real world, not perfect nutrition. I try to eat whole foods, things that are as they were in nature, and avoid additives and such, but in the whole scheme of things - people smoke - take drugs - abuse alcohol - if you have a couple of cookies or a chocolate bar at 3pm every day, what does it really matter?

My doctor also said 6 months on the alcohol and I didn't ask about the sex since I am a widow who doesn't date.

it's very encouraging to hear coffee may be ok fairly quickly! Coffee has been a part of my families life for a long time (were English, maybe it's ok to give kids coffee in England?! ) and I don't see being able to give it up entirely, my dad roasts his own Beans, my husband and I do too. Realistically, I only have 1-2 cups a day, but it's nice to know I can enjoy coffee again after. I tried a 100% alcohol free night at our night club (all the way until 4am!), and it was great! I never get genuinely "drunk" at our club, but its nice to know I am fine interacting with our drunk customers while completely sober. I agree that alcohol is not conducive to healing, so I'm gonna lay off that one as long as dr. Kelly recommends, perhaps longer.

As long as carb is controlled, my doc has no retrictions on coffee, carbonated drinks, alcohol, sex, and all the other stuff I can't live without! I did plication and band together mid-July, and after a couple of weeks I started drinking coffee again. At first I had a lot of bloating (not from coffee) and the coffee necessarily did not make it any better, but after a month or so, I was good to go. I drink at least 3 cups a day. Most days one cup is Strbucks' Americano (basically two shot of espresso but I add half and half (almost 0 carb) and 1/2 packet sweet n low). No carb and very satisfying... If I want to splurge, I get a sugar free vanilla latte with soy milk (has less carb than non-fat regular milk). Even before my surgery I would never get the high carb drinks somehow. As mentioned, my doc is really big on no carb (only 30 gr. "incidental" daily), and fat, calories, etc. is fine as long as Protein intake is high... So every now and then I do add a bit of whipped cream (again almost 0 carb) on the top, which makes it even better... And I have been losing even better than planned, so I must be doing something right ) As for carbonated drinks, it took me a bit longer to be able to drink them after surgery and enjoy too. I can drink diet carbonated soda now just fine, but I pour over lots of ice and let it sit for a minute. I never drank non-diet soda before the surgery, so no compromises there. I definitely crave soda much less than before surgery somehow. Trying to stick to Water for the most part. Good luck, and drink (coffee) to that!

I've drank coffee since being about 6 weeks post-op. As long as you can get in 64oz of clear fluids (which is ANYTHING that is decaf and sugar free), then coffee was not an issue for my program. Outside of pregnancy, I probably consume 20-30oz of coffee a day, and in pregnancy I have 1-2 cups per day in my 3rd trimester. As for alcohol, Here's my standard reply when anyone asks about alcohol post-op: 1) You have a healing staple line for 6-8 weeks, alcohol = harsh not conducive to healing 2) Empty calories = impeded weight loss 3) Transfer addiction (take away a fat girl's ability to cope with food, and it makes it easy to turn into using alcohol to cope) 4) This is the big one for me; Our livers are working double time during the rapid weight loss phase, right?? Why toss more crap in there for the liver to have to breakdown, process and clear out of the body. I was restricted for 3 months on alcohol consumption. I refrained until I was at goal (6 months post-op), and my first glass of wine hit me hard and fast, then I sobered up fast. Over the coming months to first year, my tolerance returned to normal. I'm a very social drinker (not in pregnancy obviously), but enjoy a couple of drinks weekly. People do it all the time. I don't tell anyone to NOT do it, but I don't think it's the best option regardless of how many calories you have left for the day, or how many others think it's perfectly fine to drink through the losing stage. Get to maintenance and worry about boozing. Believe me, I'm a party girl at heart, I have pics to prove it so I am not condemning drinking/partying/having a few, I am saying it's not conducive to losing phase.

I was a coffee drinker and like my bevies so I can relate! I had surgery in early August.. I tried a coffee a couple of days ago and it doesn't sit all that well with me. I was told that it wasn't about the caffeine but something else in the coffee itself, so it didn't matter if it was decaf or regular. When I spoke to my surgeon he said it was best to wait 3 months for coffee. I find that I no longer like it.. how strange is that? As for alcohol, I was told that at 6 weeks a small glass of wine or a drink was perfectly fine. I have had a couple of glasses of wine since surgery with no issue. You are going to find that everyone has a different protocol from their surgeon so you end up needing to just make a decision based on many responses. Hope this helps

I am not a coffee drinker, so I have no advice there. I did enjoy alcohol pre-sleeve - usually tequila sipped like cognac or irish whiskey the same way. Occasionally I would drink a mixed drink, glass of wine and rarely a beer. I have tried alcohol twice since the sleeve to see what happened / how I tolerated it. I really have no interest in drinking until I hit goal, because alcohol is worse than carbs from a calorie standpoint and turns to pure sugar once you drink it. It is 7 calories per gram (Protein and carb are 4). The first time I tried tequila, 2 mouthfuls and I had a buzz. These were after I had eaten food, and spaced a little apart. I had the same reaction after drinking about 2-4 oz. of beer. If I am that sensitive to alcohol's effects with food in my stomach, I cringe to think what it would be on an empty stomach. So to me - booze is out until I am maintaining after hitting goal. When I have had to be in a social setting where people were drinking alcohol, I drink a glass of bloody mary mix with a lime wedge. No carbonation like sparkling Water would have. Or, you could tell your friends you are watching your weight, and are skipping the added calories of alcohol while you are in the losing phase. Good luck.

In a post somewhere in this forum, I read that someone orders Water with a splash of cranberry juice when going out. I want to thank you! I went out last night, and I ordered that. It was wonderful. I was able to drink 5 glasses over the course of the night. It was more Fluid than I've been able to consume in a very long time. I plan on buying some cranberry juice for me to mix with water at home too. (It also helped me match the pace of bathroom trips with my beer drinking friends. LOL!) Plus, it wasn't immediately obvious that I wasn't drinking alcohol, so I didn't have to "defend" myself for my drink choice. (I don't mind doing this, but it is nice not to have to.) I hated cranberry juice when I was a kid. I had to drink it because of kidney and bladder infections before Welch's juice blended it with other things to make it tastier. But now, I like the taste mixed with water. It isn't too sweet, and it makes plain water taste much better. Thank you for suggesting it. :-)

I adore coffee (black, no sugar), and figured I would be able to drink it again a month or so after surgery...BUT, I keep reading about people taking several months to be allowed coffee. Really? Why is this? I'm fairly certain I'll miss the ritual of coffee, I don't even care about the caffeine. Alcohol: My husband DJs at a night club, and though I'm happy to wait a couple months to drink..I've heard people say their Dr.'s say "never" or "a year"...this will be odd to do, I can do it...but will there be harm in sipping the same drink all night? I don't want our friends to think I'm pregnant or intentionally sober due to alcoholism, which I think they might. Success is my priority, and Id rather be healthy and at the right weight than have 1-2 drinks a week. Does anyone manage to drink small-moderate amounts if alcohol? Does anyone still enjoy espresso and coffee daily? How long did it take?

OK. I had surgery June 15, 2007. Yes, 4 years ago. And I weighed myself this morning, and I am 1 pound away from where I was the morning of my surgery. How did I let that happen? When I first found this forum, a couple months before my surgery, I would read stories from ppl who have had their band for a while but hadn't lost, or who had lost, but had since regained. I thought they were crazy, weak, STUPID - for going through a surgery and then not following through an what was needed to ensure long term weightloss and health. I am now one of those people. On June 15 2007 I weighed 382. Today I weigh 381. Within the first 10 months after my surgery I had lost 120 lbs, weighing in around 260. That was thinner than I was in high school. I looked great and was wearing a size 22. (Down from a size 30.) But then, right around the 11th month I started having horrible reflux. After 2 weeks of living on about 3-4 crackers and a few sips of water a day (because the pain when I'd swallow anything was HORRIBLE!) I finally went in for an unfill. It was my birthday. I felt immediate relief! One of my close friends was with me, and since it was my birthday, and I could finally eat (plus I could REALLY eat, cause I only had half the fluid left in my band) we went out for Italian food, and then ice cream. I had not had either of these in nearly a year. It felt WONDERFUL to be able to eat like old times. That was the best ice cream I'd ever tasted. Here is the deal with me. I'm a food addict. But not for 'food'... for SWEETS. Candies, cookies, cakes and pies - Oh My! Lol. I hadn't had ANY of these AT ALL in 11 months. And it literally took just that ONE ice cream to do me in. I became unraveled. I could suddenly relate to drug addicts and alcoholics, how just one slip up can do you in, and destroy everything you've worked so hard for. The weight didn't come back all at once. Its taken me 3 years to gain back that 120lbs. I guess thats something. At the time, initially, I was still exercising, and eating fairly healthy, except for the daily ice creams and other assorted sweets. Once I couldn't fit into my gym clothes anymore, I quit going. Then I started thinking "I've got to do something, I've got to get back on track. Tomorrow will be a new day!" But that proverbial 'tomorrow' never came. I've been back for fills, and unfills. I'm either so tight I can't eat and get reflux, or I'm too loose and can eat anything. My band doesn't let me eat fast, but I can eat more than I should - probably because I eat slow. If I go slow enough, I can eat an entire meal (large portions) in about an hour, sometimes 2. I rarely ever get full. And when I do get full (band signalling full) it doesn't last long and I will be stomach growling hungry again within an hour. I have a TON of bad habits with regular food. But sweets are still my addiction. Just this morning I had half a large bag of M&Ms for breakfast. Sweets fill me up emotionally, mentally, and physically in a way that nothing else can. I guess the benefit is that I know my downfall. I know when and where and how things went wrong. I even know HOW to fix it... but I do not think I am strong enough to do so. Downstairs, right now, I have 6 large bags of M&Ms (they were on sale...) and a huge glass vase full of other random mini chocolate bars. I cannot throw them out or give them away. I need them. It would be like asking a herion addict to just throw away her drugs! I need an intervention. All comments and suggestions are welcome. I know I need help.