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Here's the nutrition... I mean...not terrible. Not great either. Here's the thing, I have a program that I'm following but if there is something that is going to make my life a little better, more enjoyable... like a wonton wrapper, I'm going to do it. I don't think these nutritional facts are going to break the bank for me. I don't make these exceptions for sugar, pasta, processed foods, bread (exception of whole grain, once in a blue moon), alcohol, or simple carbs in general. My exception is a wonton wrapper. It's crazy about all the conflicting info. Even on here, I find people are ALWAYS saying things that go against my program rules. But such as life. There is a 1,000 fad diets for a reason. Every person, doctor, or tom, d**k, or harry thinks their way is the best way.

I have yet one more theory on tolerance, You have very little food in your stomach AND the liquids slide right through and hit you hard and fast. Yet more wise advice: Vodka, whisky, gin, grappa, cognac, rum or any other distilled alcohol, with no sugar added (all turned into alcohol) have zero carbohydrates. Beer has lots and so does wine (red more than white, but still a lot.) A good rule-of-thumb is anything even slightly sugary or malty has carbs. Alcohol is sugar in another form (better, I'd say) and not a calorie is lost. You still get the energy. But no carbs, natch. The carbs have all been magically turned into booze. However, they severely delay weight loss. I guess they keep the liver too busy. All those "empty calories" must bounce about a lot. Atkins died before he'd come to a conclusion on the matter, though I remember him recommending a glass of vodka rather than beer, wine or, supreme sin, fruit juice. But booze not only delays fat loss; it withholds Water and puffs you up. Distilled alcohol is still a miracle little understood and appreciated.

Hi all. Here is my questions... I am not nearly ready for a drink but do wonder WHAT to drink when I am. Yes I am thinking way ahead I know. Here is my thing... I love Rita's but I am sure the sugar content in them will be terrible for sleevers. Beer you are not supposed to have because of the bubbles or something?? Mixed drinks with juice have sugar in them too. What is safe to drink that wont send you into dumping syndrome? Thanks for any advice yall have!! I just want to make sure that I dont do anything that will cause me to have any problems down the road.

so, i started drinking again about 3 weeks after my surgery. wine is a good drink to start back with. it will help you to gauge how you do with it. some people get wasted really easy. i like to think that i dont but i do feel one glass of alcohol, where i barely felt it before. i am a margarita lover as well, so i will give you my homemade recipe. you might want to cut everything in half: 3 limes 2 shots or 1 large shot of tequila 1 shot or 1/2 large shot of triple sec it has WAY less calories than the mixes in bars and besides, it tastes WAY better!!

I'm taking the bariatric advantage 500mg calcium chews... they have 15 cals and 0 g sugar (2g sugar alcohols), very tasty and only have to take 3 a day.

True that you are under NO obligation to tell anyone your personal business. But what I don't understand is why lie about it???? If someone would lie about WLS what else would they lie about?? It makes that personlose character and seem less creditable. Is this person ashamed of having WLS?? Honestly, myself, I am more ashamed of letting myself go and getting myself into this position than stepping up to the plate and doing something about it There's alot of reasons why people become overweight. Medication.....depression for starters..... food is an addiction just like drugs, cigarettes, gambling and alcohol. I have beaten 4 out of the 5. I've been obese for 20 yrs....I've tried EVERY diet in the book and haven't been successful for very long. Research has proven that only 5% of people who lose any substantial amount of weight will gain it back in time. Hell, even if someone has WLS, they can gain it back in time!!!

As for cream in coffee, I use Mini Moos (Half & Half) when I'm at work, which are 10 calories each. And I use Silk soy milk when I'm at home, which is 28 calories for 2 oz. and has 2 grams of Protein. So, on a week day I get about 68 calories from "cream" in my coffee and 2 grams of protein. On weekends I get 84 calories and 6 grams of protein. I use Truvia in my coffee at home and work. If I'm out somewhere and don't have Truvia as an option, I use Splenda. The calories in alcohol are NOT trivial, so I am pretty careful about that. I rarely drink. Maybe once or twice a month? My experience with alcohol post-sleeve is that I get "drunk" feeling VERY quickly, but then I also sober up very quickly (don't worry, I never drive if I've had ANY alcohol at all). It's like my body just processes the alcohol much faster than it did pre-op. I was on vacation in Gatlinburg, TN back in April (7 months post-op) and moonshine is a big thing there. They have a whole bunch of competing moonshine places on the main drag that offer free samples in tiny little shot glasses, about 1/4 the size of a normal shot glass. They are literally the size of a thimble. I drank 4-5 of those and I was SOOOOOOO drunk. Granted, moonshine is pretty high proof, but still, I basically had the equivalent of ONE shot and I was wasted. But probably 20 minutes later, I felt completely normal and sober.

My surgeon only said to wait a month after surgery for alcohol. None during the pre-op diet phase either so about 6 weeks overall.

I drink a cup of coffee every day and drink alcohol probably twice a week. I'm 8 months post-op and I've 92 lbs. I've lost 92 lbs and feel great

I have coffee daily and alcohol sometimes. I am 8 mos out and I still need a daily acid blocker, which lots of people don't need after the first month. When I drink, I don't lose that week. So, you can do it, but there might be tradeoffs.

Consumption of coffee/caffeine seems to be an issue only with doctors in the US. I've never heard of any doctor in the UK even mentioning it. I have always had at least two cups a day and it has never caused me any problems. I rarely drink alcohol anyway, so that's not been an issue either, but I don't recall the dietician mentioning it other than in the context of empty calories. As always I just think it's a case of 'moderation in all things'.

I was really shocked when my post op nurse offered me coffee as one of my liquid choices after surgery... I can have coffee if I want it. I usually have a really big cup every morning with my GENEPRO Protein powder in it to get me going As for alcohol, I've only had a couple of drinks since surgery 6 months ago. One thing is true... A little goes a long way! haha! My doctor just said to be careful with alcohol and drink in moderation. The only beverage I was told is definitely off limits is anything carbonated because it can stretch my sleeve.

In my work, I find that one of the most common explanations people give for their struggle with diets and with obesity is “I’m a food addict.” When asked what this means, most people explain that their inability to maintain the weight lost from diets and the fact that most or all of the weight eventually returns is proof of their “food addiction.” Additional evidence they cite is that their eating is “all or nothing,” that they can completely avoid so-called “forbidden foods” or binge on them with regularity, but nothing in between. This kind of reasoning is called reasoning from the converse. This is where you have a conclusion or an end state and you then go backwards to explain the cause and use the existence of the end state as proof of the cause. This invariably leads to circular logic that goes nowhere. Here’s how it works: “I am a food addict which explains why I cannot moderate my intake of certain foods, and my inability to moderate my intake of certain foods proves that I am addicted to them and am therefore an addict.” But does it? There is actually another, more accurate explanation. There are three facts that must be considered: 1) 95% of people will regain most or all of the weight they have lost on a diet within five years. 2) Many, if not most diets teach avoidance of “forbidden foods,” not moderate consumption of them. 3) Very few diets or weight loss regimens are successfully maintained indefinitely. These facts are very important to our discussion because they are true for almost EVERYONE who has tried to lose a significant amount of weight. Therefore, either everyone who has failed to keep their weight off following a diet or eventually resorts to eating “forbidden foods” is a “food addict” or there are other explanations for this phenomenon. But why is it that so many of the people I meet are eager to call themselves “food addicts?” Most people are uncomfortable acknowledging that they are addicted to alcohol or illicit substances such as cocaine or heroin, so why is being a so-called “food addict” easier to acknowledge? I believe it is because the label “food addict” removes the feelings of guilt and shame that so many people experience when they regain weight after all of the work they expended in losing it. It is absolutely heartbreaking to lose the weight, have people notice that you’re thinner and then a year later you’ve regained the weight and everyone knows it. It would be very tempting to blame this on a disease called “addiction.” “It’s not my fault that I regained the weight and am obese again…I’m a food addict.” I can certainly understand the desire to be free from responsibility from your obesity or weight regain; however, it’s not necessary to fall back on the explanation that you are a “food addict.” Perhaps if we looked at the facts about weight loss, there would be no need for all of the guilt and shame and the resulting need to explain it away by calling it an addiction. Review the facts that I mentioned earlier. The overwhelming majority of people regain the weight they have lost from a diet, very few diets teach moderate eating of “forbidden foods” (so you’re left with only knowing how to eat them or not eat them), and most people find it very difficult if not impossible to stay on a regimen of controlled eating for extended periods of time. These are the problems faced by almost all human beings who try to lose weight, not just those who are “food addicts!” So what is the explanation when someone actually succeeds in losing weight and keeping it off? Great question…and the answer is not that these rare souls are not “food addicts” or that they are “recovered food addicts.” The National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) is an organization that keeps tracks of “successful weight losers” who have lost 30 pounds or more and have kept it off for at least one year. What should immediately catch your eye is that “success” is defined as losing 30 pounds and keeping it off for one year. So if losing 30 pounds and keeping it off for one year is considered “successful,” if you’re morbidly obese and manage to lose 100 pounds and keep that off for several years that would be incredibly successful! Extensive research has been done on these folks over the years and the most recent study has discovered 7 common habits which most of the 6,000 people studied have in common. 6,000 participants in a study is a strong number of people and one where the conclusions drawn are likely very robust. Interestingly, the researchers noted that 90% of the folks in this study who finally lost the weight and kept if off had a previous history of losing weight and putting it back on. Therefore, the overwhelming majority of people were not successful on their first try. The seven habits of successful “losers” were: 1. Engaging in 200+ minutes of exercise of moderate intensity per week, 2. Limiting TV watching to less than 10 hours per week, 3. Eating a low-calorie, low-fat diet with less than 30% of calories from fat, 4. Consistency – relatively little food variety and the same daily pattern of eating, 5. Eating breakfast, 6. Avoiding emotional eating and binging and limiting consumption of fast food to less than once weekly and, 7. Monitoring yourself such as documenting calories and/or fat. Notice that every one of the seven habits is just that…a pattern of behavior. There is no mention of the characteristics of the 6000 people. It’s not about who they are, but rather what they did and continue to do. So what do we make of this “food addiction?” Neuroscience is recognizing the difficulty human beings have in resisting certain foods that we can call “engineered foods” that are high in sugar, salt and other additives. These foods are designed by fast-food companies and food manufacturers to be irresistible because they cause certain reactions in the brain that make it hard for us to say no. But these are challenges for us all. In fact, mass consumption of these “engineered foods” is likely one of the great contributors to the obesity epidemic. They explain why we, as a society, are getting fatter. Perhaps we will discover that some individuals (for neurological or other reasons) have a more difficult time resisting these “engineered foods” enriched with sugar, salt and other additives, and that these individuals are the true “food addicts.” But what would knowing that you are one of these individuals change? What would a “food addict” do differently to lose weight and keep it off? The addiction model says that the addict should completely abstain from using the substance or drug. Should “food addicts” avoid all food (impossible) or just the ones they are “addicted” to? And how would we know which ones those would be? The most commonly cited addictive “substance” in food is sugar, but we’re not at all certain. There is also another problem. Much of the research on binge eating indicates that designating certain foods as completely “forbidden” and avoiding them results in feelings of deprivation and their becoming even more desirable which often results in binging on them when you finally give into temptation. Perhaps someday there will be treatments for true “food addicts” if “food addiction” actually exists. What is more likely however; is that these folks will simply have to work even harder than most of us to stick to the seven habits that are detailed above. In the meantime, consider giving up the label of “food addict” and instead, recognize that losing weight and keeping it off is a tremendous challenge, but an achievable one. If you’re thinking of beginning to address your own personal “battle of the bulge” either for the first time or the twentieth time, or if you’re feeling hopeless and thinking there is no point in even trying, fear not…most successful losers apparently made several unsuccessful attempts before they finally got it right. And if you are thinking of starting yet again…the seven habits detailed above are a great blueprint to follow.

@Allformyprincesas Welcome, Welcome, Welcome to sleeveland Liquid is liquid, is liquid protein shakes are made with milk or water - so i was told to count towards my liquid daily total - broth also counts as liquid - (alcohol does NOT count) sounds/looks you are doing great. keep up the good job good luck kathy

Thanks BigMamma1981, I will try the rubbing alcohol and see if it works. I appreciate your suggestion!

I have had several surgeries in the past and sometimes skin so soft from avon will work and sometime use rubbing alcohol. If this doesnt work call the surgery center because I know I have been given packets of stuff also.

Ok so I need to get this off my chest... Last Sat my parents had thier annual christmas party. We fire up the margarita machine..yes a reaal heavy duty one thats like 5.5 feet tall..and everyone gets drunk and we karaoke anddrink and dance. Well mostly these are my parents friends but I get along really well with most of them. ANYWAYS So I was looking pretty damn hott..people didnt recognize me hott. And I was singing and being a lil crazy.. I was wearing this brown dress and some fuck me boots..as they came to be called all night long..they are these knee high leather boots. HAD to buy them bc my calves actually fit in them..anyways so I am minding my own business. drinking partying whatever and my dads best friend since like elementary school comes up to me. I call him uncle, he picked out my middle name..I have always thought of him as an uncle..well apparently now that I am skinnier..i am not family anymore. He comes up to me and compliments my appearance "wow you look hott..I mena damn hott.." ok no big deal.. then he actually offers/asks me to join him and his girlfriend for a threesome..seriously. Im not the type of girl whose commonly approached at partys and asked if they wanna go for a romp in the hay anyways, but of course this was my first party in a size 8 since i was like 4 so..ubt he actually wanted to know if I was interested...UGH. I wanted to throw up..the man named me..he changed my diapers..now he wants to do me?! Needless to say I was embrassed. thankfully no one else was around to hear this..I told him he didnt make enough money for that to ever happen, then walked off. I didnt want to get too upset, i realize he was pretty drunk..he followed me outside and asked how much money...cause he makes a 100,000 a year... Ok so I am sorry, this really was never a question of money for me. I am a biologist..we make no money, and have accepted this..I just didnt want to get into a moral discussion after Id just have my umpteenth margarita. Ugh I felt soo dirty.. Im not gonna tell my father...I am daddys little girl and hed be pretty upset...and I know alot has to do w the alcohol but still...ugh Just had to tell someone....on the plus side however I am now hott enough to be propositioned for sex at a party..now if it just wasnt someone hows the same age as my father!! Gag!:phanvan

I had RNY surgery 20 months ago. I was in a weight loss mode for 7 months and then very naturally transitioned into a maintenance mode. In the maintenance mode, it is very important to be happy. I try to find a balance with my meal, Protein, liquid, and Vitamin requirements while at the same time find an approach that I can live with in the long term without regaining the weight back again. I asked my nutritionist "Why are people successful with weight loss after surgery, only to regain much of the weight back after surgery?" She said it is probably due to snacking between meals. I took the approach of eating high protein homemade chili and Soups as my meals. As a result when I worked my way up to 1 cup per meal, I was consuming around 65 grams of protein solely from my meals. I hate Protein shakes. As I obtained more and more protein from my meals, I could phase out my use of protein shakes. I still supplement protein. But in my case it is either a cup of hot cocoa (no sugar added) or a blueberry smoothie each day. They make me happy. For me the other part of the equation is what to snack on. Protein is a good snack. But for me, the best snack is items that contain fats. This is because fats take away hunger. I make homemade whip cream. I substitute Splenda in place of sugar. (I do avoid sugar almost completely.) I have one cup of coffee each day with a very large scoop of whip cream. Another item that I use is Adkins treats. They contain fat and substitute sugar alcohol in place of sugar. I generally limit my calorie intake to 1300-1500 calories per day. But I also monitor my weight each day. So long as my weight is stable I am happy. Everyone is different, what works for me may not work for you. The important thing is to find your happy state. Something that you can live with for the rest of your life, while still maintaining your weight loss. For me experimentation was the answer.

mine too. Kelly said it best, you people should be given a special medal for turning out so good. Anyone ever read a book called, "A Child Called 'IT'" by David Pelzer? This man was severly abused by his mom - the things she did to him.... horrible. AND - she was an alcoholic too!

I am a lite drinker, I drink vodka maybe once or twice a month and I was wondering if that would be a problem, I didn't want to ask my surgeon because I didn't want him to think I am a drunk lol.

3.5 weeks post surgery. Went to our state fair tonight and was really sad that I couldn't eat any of the food I love having at fairs. I really wanted a corn dog, and cotton candy, and funnel cake, and alcohol, and, and, and.... We didn't stay long because I was sad plus I still haven't returned to full energy levels since the surgery. Just feeling down and wanted to share.

What if you could eat anything you want and still lose weight? That sounds wonderful, doesn't it, but is it even possible? My brother is a highly intelligent man. This was proven decades ago, when IQ tests (performed while his teachers and parents tried to figure out why he was a miserable little bugger) showed a genius level IQ. I know that sentence sounds unsympathetic to my brother, but we were all miserable - our parents, his teachers, me, and my brother. The decades that have passed since then haven't given him any more common sense or made him any less miserable. A good example of that is his reaction when I first talked with him about my weight loss surgery. This highly intelligent and (by then) well-read man said, "Wow! So, you have the surgery, and then you eat anything you want and you still lose weight!" Well, no, I told him. Not really. In fact, nothing like that. During the 6 years of my weight loss surgery journey, I have (over and over and over again) witnessed bariatric patients who came out of the operating room after surgically successful procedures still wondering why they couldn't eat anything want and still lose weight. Their disappointing weight loss was and is a perpetual puzzle to them because somehow they had not grasped that behavioral change is required for weight loss success. It's easy to label those patients as stupid or ignorant or deluded, or to blame their bariatric team for failure to properly educate those patients about what would be required of them both pre- and post-op. All of those things could be a factor. In March 2012 I attended 2 sessions of a required pre-op nutrition and education class. My BMI then made me obese, but not morbidly so. I had gained weight after a complete unfill and was preparing to say goodbye to my beloved band due to medical problems aggravated by my band, planning to revise to vertical sleeve gastrectomy in the same procedure. The dietitian leading the class was a perky, pretty 20-something girl, adorably pregnant, who had clearly never struggled with her weight before. Her slightly condescending attitude was hard to take, but about halfway through the class I thought I could understand her attitude. She had just named a long list of foods we should not eat after surgery (including fried foods, candy, baked goodies, soda, alcohol, salty snacks, etc.) when I heard a woman nearby say bitterly, "I don't know. That seems like an awful lot to give up." Since I had known the before and after of WLS, I was strongly tempted to respond to her, but I held my tongue (wisely, for once). I don't know just why so many people think that WLS is magic, that you can eat anything you want and still lose weight; that you don't have to give up a single food or behavior or attitude in order to succeed. Maybe we can blame that kind of thinking on the media, or maybe we can blame it on the deeply-entrenched denial that tends to go along with obesity. But the fact is, you can't eat anything and still lose weight unless you're dying of cancer or AIDs or some other fatal disease, and probably don't want to eat a single bite of anything anyway. And I'd trade dying of cancer for WLS sacrifices and success any old day, wouldn't you?

I'm your gal on this one!!! I had my surgery done in Germany (I live in Hawaii) while on a year long trip! After the surgery I took the train back to Amsterdam for 3 weeks, then started traveling FULL TIME for the next 4 months! And my loss was steady and good. It wasn't always easy because I couldn't find a lot of things in Europe that we have here and sometimes my energy level would wain. But I would recommend packing some Protein liquid shots and mixing that with Water or juice and some Protein powder and Protein Bars so you be sure and get your protein in. There is always yogurt in Europe so that worked for me for Breakfast (and the upside is you won't be interested in the pastries after your surgery). Italy was a tough one, so I always found a place that had minestrone soup; I think I was the only tourist there that had no Pasta, pizza or wine! But the gelato is divine. The toughest part will that you will be eating very little and cannot take the leftovers with you usually; and so many of the restaurants are locally owned and they seem so hurt when you don't eat! I would suggest a little flexible cooler and put things that you know you can eat in it for the plane. For me, I always had to have some saltine crackers or pretzel thins to help keep my stomach settled. I never worried about calories while traveling; it was all about protein and what my tummy could tolerate. Just eat slowly and forget about the alcohol for now; it probably won't taste good anyway. I am chronically A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF A SLEEVER on my Sunday blog, which is sort of a travel / weight loss blog; you might want to take a look at the link below and look at months Nov -Feb and you will see I was in many different countries and I made it work! I am now 10 lbs from goal..... Good luck; and you'll do just fine!

I had 1 Cosmo last night and was hammered. I had 3 sips of my 2nd one and had trouble walking so I put it down. Be VERY careful, alcohol is very different on the band. Much stronger. And yes count those calories! On the plus side, with alcohol being so high cal and not nutritional, at least we don't need much at all to get a buzz. P.s I waited a month before my first drink and only drink for really special occasions cos getting drunk makes me wanna eat!!

I was told no alcohol for 6 months after my surgery because beside being empty liquid calories, it's a gastric irritant. My 1st drink was at around 8 months post-op. I was on a business trip and ordered an appletini. I felt fine until I tried to stand up.Oooof!