Search the Community

Can I just be clear, Look at my profile and check the posts and responses I make, they are all positive, uplifting, supportive and coming from a warm place. I come on to this forum to build people UP and share this experience with people going through a similar circumstance. Now I don't know if years after the surgery you become jaded, and a little bit sick of the same questions on this forum but this is new for us, we are learning to walk and find our feet again with this whole process. I will not tolerate this behaviour, vet or not it's bullying in my eyes. I was told by my doctor I could drink at 6 weeks, I have not deviated from my meal plans, I have lost 43 pounds in 7 weeks.. I'm doing something right. The original poster asked a question about alcohol consumption, I shared my personal experience and said that I haven't had any problems.. Everyone is different, but this is what a forum is about. What I will not tolerate is newbies posting a question or response and then fearing one of the vets will attempt to embarrass, humiliate, or ridicule them for being new to the process and inexperienced.. We all appreciate your personal journey, and your story.. But it's just that, YOUR story, there are ways to express your concerns without upsetting others. I'm here to support people and spread positivity, it's a shame I can't say the same for a lot of others. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Well, i'm out 3 + years, have been doing well and maintaining great. . however, (yes always a however) I've been drinking coffee, alcohol, and taking ibuprofen a lot. I work in a very high stressed job and even though i know i should probably quit before it sends me to my grave, i continue to do my "prison sentence" (yes, I realize it's all self inflicted). . .now in the past 1 month, I've notice daily nausea to the point of nearly vomiting, a horrible burning pain when i eat or drink anything except water. . . i have told my doctor and she has given me some meds, but they aren't helping at all. . . i have to call her tomorrow to let her know how things are going. . . well. . . they aren't. . . has anyone else had ulcers that probably needed surgery? What happened? I'll let you all know what happens with this. . . thanks for listening.

I think the only thing I miss at nearly 4 months out is dinner with my husband, a stay home dinner date with Chinese food and a movie... or going to a restaurant and splitting an appetizer and having an alcoholic beverage after a long week.... but for the weight loss? I'll get through it LOL

My nut said wait about 3 months to drink alcohol or eat out. But everything she said about alcohol was more precautionary about the empty calories & getting drunk fast. Nothing specific about it being a problem medically.

Nah, I went Monday for my 3 week check up and that was one of my questions. When can u have alcohol. Doc told me 6 weeks out.

FYI, the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS - the organization that certifies bariatric "Centres of Excellence") has this to say about the use of alcohol post-op: At https://asmbs.org/patients/bariatric-surgery-misconceptions Misconception: Many bariatric patients become alcoholics after their surgery. Truth: Actually, only a small percentage of bariatric patients claim to have problems with alcohol after surgery. Most (but not all) who abuse alcohol after surgery had problems with alcohol abuse at some period of time prior to surgery. Alcohol sensitivity, (particularly if alcohol is consumed during the rapid weight-loss period), is increased after bariatric surgery so that the effects of alcohol are felt with fewer drinks than before surgery. Studies also find with certain bariatric procedures (such as the gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy) that drinking an alcoholic beverage increases blood alcohol to levels that are considerably higher than before surgery or in comparison to the alcohol levels of individuals who have not had a bariatric procedure. For all of these reasons, bariatric patients are advised to take certain precautions regarding alcohol: Avoid alcoholic beverages during the rapid weight-loss period Be aware that even small amounts of alcohol can cause intoxication Avoid driving or operating heavy equipment after drinking any alcohol Seek help if drinking becomes a problem If you feel the consumption of alcohol may be an issue for you after surgery, please contact your primary care physician or bariatric surgeon and discuss this further. They will be able to help you identify resources available to address any alcohol-related issues.

Jeez Louise! That's nearly 1,000 calories -- of nothing but alcohol and sugar. I'll say it again ... Jeez Louise!

Explaining not drinking is easy. Did you know that one drink stops your weight loss for 3 days? In other words, you will stop ridding your body of fat for per week. A study done by the weight loss group suggests this. The reason in that alcohol stops the production of an enzime required to break down the fat cells. So, you can tell your friends about the parrelles of drinking and weight loss and that you are taking weight loss very seriously and will you do not want to slow your prograss donw by half for having a drink. You can flollow with, you will re-address sodial drinking after you have reached your goal weight.

@@vogue Love this idea (my husband probably will too!) and I've already told some of my big drinker friends that I am getting healthy and don't like feeling the effects of alcohol (which they already know) and so am going to limit myself to one drink for at least the near future. So that goes hand in hand - if and when they try and push, my husband can save me! @@jenn1 thanks for all your thoughts - I know I'll feel a little strange at first (it will be a big change from the way I usually eat) and it's good to hear that it does feel strange but is still do-able. Shortly after solid foods is great - I'll probably put a 2 week buffer in and book something and hope for the best. thank you all!

I, too, was going to suggest the antibiotics + alcohol = no can do. If you do some online research, you will surely find some other drugs that prohibit alcohol use temporarily. It sounds to me like your social calendar needs to get "filled up" (air quotes) REAL fast -- perhaps out-of-town trips to see family on weekends, etc. I totally respect your desire / need NOT to tell your social circle about your decision to have WLS. You can figure out how to do this. Just don't feel like you OWE it to people you know (even those you know well) to share this with them. I'm not telling anybody! (Except my husband.) Good luck to you.

I haven't had a drink in 20 years and I'm no buzzkill! I just don't drink. My husband does and so do most of my friends. They're happy to have a built-in designated driver! Just tell people alcohol is not allowed on your new eating plan and let it go. I'm confused as to why you would need to wait five minutes between bites of food. I've never heard of that. I just eat my puréed food in front of my friends. I don't care who knows about my surgery, it makes life very easy.

my dietician said no carbonation for at least two weeks after surgery and no alcohol for a whole 6 months... I too am an import girl. Most imports have about 200 calories per bottle but I have tried amstel light and it has only 90 its not my favorite but Its still pretty good. Not banded yet but I sure hope I can still drink beer after

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.

I'm 7 out. I'll occasionally have a soda, but mostly lost my taste for it and it takes me all day to drink one. Plus, the sugar. Soda is a slippery slope to regain for people that are addicted, in my opinion. But carbonated water? Oh yeah. I'm on it. I alternate that and still water all day long. An occasional beer or cider, yep. I was never told no carbonation. Obviously it's not good for a healing sleeve, but the gas in a sip of a carbonated drink cannot physically stretch your sleeve. So really, we need to be mindful of what we're drinking calorie-wise and account for it. Empty calories add up quickly, be they juice, tea, alcohol, whatever. Cheri

I don't see any sugar alcohols in them ... There is 1 gram of sugar date of surgery 02/21/12 surgery weight 340 lbs. current weight 146 lbs

leeann71, I'd say the root cause of my obesity was the sexual abuse in my childhood. Only happened once but what a profound, deep scar it imbeded on my spirit. I turned to food to soothe me in my alcoholic, dysfuntional home. Food was my friend and was AlWAYS there for me. It never turned away from me, called me names, made me feel unloved or inadequate. It was readily and easily available. Overeating put me in a stupor and buried those emotions I didn't want to deal with. I think food was the way I survived my "childhood". I put it in quotes because at times, it wasn't much of one. One of the results of this is I live in South Texas, a few thousand miles from my family. I'm going to Michigan in July to attend a wedding. I'm actually not looking forward to being in that environment again. I wish there was some kind of "brain cleaner" so I could flush those memories out. God, why is it so hard to put the past IN THE PAST and just move on? What I wouldn't give to flip a switch and just get on with my life without the past. I guess I need to see the flipside and realize--that very past which was so difficult at the time, has made me the strong, independent woman I am today. It also gave me the absolute determination to loose 75 pounds and join the Army so I could leave that small town and get an education, in both the world and at college. Got out of the Army and quit smoking--weight came back with an absolute vengence. That's what brought me to weight loss surgery. Took the same determination to escape that small town I had in my twenties and applied it to the surgery. Now here I am, strong, independent and a smaller size to boot! Clothes are falling off and a regular thrift store shopper--out of sheer necessity. Sorry to go so long and off on a tangent. Blessings, Kathleen

This got me to think, I would say my root cause to my obesity is both genetic and that I am addicted to food. Ever since I was little I have been the big kid. I come from a family who was obese. My grandpa was 500 pound man, my mom was overweight, and multiple other family members as well. Also addiction runs in my family, so the whole addiction part is what gets me today. I love food like an alcoholic loves liquor. It has always been that way up till now. Addiction runs in my family as well with many different vices. My vice and my downfall is food. It is a comfort in all of its glory. I saw my grandpa with the same addiction tragically lost his battle back when I was a sophomore in high school because of his obesity. I thought I was ready to change my life outa high school and had the lap band put in place. Then life happened and that addiction came back stronger than ever. It took me five years of soul searching to finally tell myself "hey, its time" and get healthy. I fight this addiction and the obesity factor everyday. What keeps me going on this path of my new healthy self is knowing that in the future when I have kids I will be around for them, I will be able to live longer than my grandfather, also I am finally happier than I was 100 pounds ago.

I have a glass of wine occasionally. I think the first time I had it post surgery was at around 5 months. Yeah, you definitely feel the buzz a lot faster; I don't know if it's the lower body weight or the fact that I'm such an irregular drinker--I'm talking maybe a glass of wine once a month or so. I do drink margaritas on occasion, as well, and find those kick my fanny pretty fast (so have to be very careful). If you tend to drink while there is food around, be very cautious about over-indulging because of lowered inhibitions or just not paying attention to what you eat. I actually can use that to my advantage sometimes--if I drink a few sips of margarita and chill for a few minutes, I can actually eat a bit more than usual (I think things just relax in my tummy a bit?); for me, this is not a bad thing and can be a really good thing, as my sleeve is still really small and very picky. If you're still in an active losing phase, maybe it's not such a good thing and is another reason to be cautious regarding alcohol. Also, remember the dehydration factor. Alcohol can cause dehydration, so if you're having any trouble at all getting in your Water, subbing alcohol for some of that liquid probably isn't a smart idea.

I'm not sure that friends that make you feel like you HAVE to have a drink are really friends. Eat what you choose. Drink what you choose. Why would a fried care if it's not alcohol?

Janet, That was a wonderful response. I have not been banded yet (8/16) however, I feel like you. I have done every diet under the sun. I even sent a woman that was on Oprah a few years back that had lost weight $1,000.00 over the internet to help me lose weight. Yes, embarrassing but true. I did every and anything to lose weight and I had some success but could never keep it off for long because I didn't change my habits or thinking. I feel like you I am not going to risk my life having major surgery to lose weight and then 5 days out I'm having the same junk I'm used to having or going against my Dr's instructions. I feel that would be like a drug addict or alcoholic coming out of rehab sober and then falling back into the same bad habit that will eventually kill him. I don't mean any disrespect to Jessica. I know how she feels I have been there done that. I have the fear too that I will have the surgery and not lose weight ...just fall back into eating whatever not a binge or volume eater just eat whatever, whenever. Like you fish but not baked ...fried. I was having a drink every night there for a while. I realized that I have to change those habits starting now. So I cut out the drinking and I'm stopping eating earlier. I used to sit in bed and eat as late as 8,9pm. I hope I never forget the fact that I had surgery to lose weight and let that be a motivating factor to help me to do what I'm instructed to do and to do my best to conquer this horrible weight problem once and for all. Dee

So how much ARE you taking in on the weekly "cheat days?" What types of drinks are you drinking... and the snacks that *usually* go with them? You might be surprised by the calorie content of some alcohol drinks. I LOVE margaritas... but that can have some SERIOUS calories associated with them. Especially when they are drinks the size of your face. (When did they start supersizing margaritas? My lord!) It's easy to undo a whole week's worth of low-cal eating with 3-4 of those bad boys. Easy.

lol @ honk..three ice creams...that's funny! well i think it's kinda funny that you don't understand where you are going wrong. I'm guessing by reading the comments on here that alcohol has alot of calories..i don't drink so i wouldn't know. I know it's hard not to cheat [although i've followed the doc's orders since i've been banded]. I would kill for a cheese burger and fries but i know that is why i'm at this weight in the first place. Like someone said..you are looking at this as a 'diet' when it should be looked at a life style change. i do have to commend you for admitting it..i'm sure you knew you'd get alot of feedback. Just remember WHY you got banded in the first place! good luck to you though!

Oh! One more thing, sorry~~ of course how he relates to you is different. He's not just shrinking in size, after WLS he is changing emotionally as well. I know for a fact that I am becoming a new person~ the person that was buried under mounds of fat and obsessive unhealthy behaviors. Be aware that there will be changes, some will be major. It's akin to an alcoholic getting sobriety. I don't know if he is working on the inner issues that got him to his highest weight or not, and there's no way to know, not even for you. It's a highly personal journey and not really your business....sorry. But be prepared for changes. Whether or not the relationship will survive the changes has yet to be determined. Meanwhile, like I said above, I highly suggest you return the focus to yourself and keep it there.

There are plenty of threads on here that talk about this...the soonest in I've seen is 8 weeks with doctor's permission for a special occasion. I am curious as well. What I am interested in is - aside from the accelerated affect of alcohol - what are the true risks? The things I have seen alluded to - by my interpretation- and I am not 100% sure is 1) the stomach itself remains swollen for 4-5 weeks? 2) subjecting the stomach to anything so harsh so early is a risk of ulcer? 3) Of course, extra un needed calories as well as poor decision making I would love to hear the specifics- I always operate better with the facts. I have decided to wait at least 8 weeks and to discuss it with my doctor before doing anything. I do know there are people who enjoy drinks every week on here - and I have a regular night out that I would like a glass of wine also- but for now tea, decaf lattes, etc are doing just fine for me.

Be prepared if you drink any alcohol....it affects you in very big ways in even shorter times. I have become quite the "cheap date" since my surgery...lol