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Up at the top of the forum; Type in the little search box "Soda" and "alcoholic beverages". . . I'd type out my usual response and if you have issues finding topics I'll come back and post some links, but there's 100s of topics on here regarding this 2 subjects. It depends on what your surgeon mainly. BUT, I drink alcohol (not now in my pregnancy), and I've drank soda for 18 months with zero issues with weight regain and/or change in my sleeve capacity. There are varying opinions on soda/alcohol, you'll have to decide how you want to manage that post-op. I didn't have either in my losing stage.

There is never a 100% no to any food but carbonated beverages seems to be very hard to tolerate because of the bloated feeling after drinking them... this goes for beer also, you should be able to have alcohol if you want i dont see why not?

I'm still in the beginning stages of this journey, but I've met with my surgeon at a round table info meeting, and I've been reading through these forums when i can...and I've decided it's definitely what i want to do. I just have a few specific questions re: food post op- 1. What (if any) alcohol consumption is allowed? Will i ever be able to go wine tasting again? Or have a martini on a night out? 2. Are carbonated bevs allowed? I'm a fan of diet soda, but i coukd live without it if need be...just curious. 3. Are there any other "never again" foods/drinks post op? Thanks for your help

you will have a busy 2 months good luck on your journey. A few sips of Alcohol will be all you will be able to manage. still drink lots of water before and after.

I started my weight loss journey with bariatric surgery in December 2010. I was put on a mandate insurance diet for 3 months (which actually ends up being 4 months). I also quit smoking December 4th after attending the seminar. I was weighed in at 354 lbs. I had not weighed myself in a very long time prior to them taking my weight so needless to say I was shocked at how high my number was. I knew at that moment the seminar was just a stepping stone on my way to having this surgery done and changing my life. I have been "bigger" than everyone since I was about 3 years old. I have always been taller and it just seemed like as my height increase so did my weight. I found myself always being thought of by others as the "biggest" person and I allowed myself to fall into the stereotype. I have been considering all the options for bariatric surgery for about 3 years. I have researched and read as much as anyone possibly can. I am so ready to be sleeved. My surgery date is set for Monday August 15th!!! I never thought the day would come, and now it is rolling up fast! I am scared and nervous now, but I am putting my faith in the Lord that I will come out of surgery just fine. I have an amazing surgeon, Dr. Troy Glembot. He is part of the Winchester Medical Centers Bariatric Program in Winchester, VA. He has great credentials, and him and the office staff have made me feel unjudged and comfortable since day 1. I know that I will be in good hands on the day of. I have lost about 6 pounds total so far. The doctor told me that was great since I quit smoking as well. I didn't think it was so good though. I am now on a liquid diet up until my surgery. I am having a little trouble with it because drinking your meals is not like eating a meal. I find I want to have food I can chew up. I am guessing I am missing that satisfaction... I don't really know though. I just keep telling myself that its all going to be worth it. I have a fatty liver and they want me to lose at least 10lbs in the next 2 weeks so that it shrinks the size of the liver. Also, I am getting married exactly 2 months post-op! I am sooo sooo nervous about that because of the dress fitting. The dress shop said it should not be a problem, but I have no idea what size I will be 2 months out. I have Googled average weight loss and all that but I really can't find anything. The doctor said it just depends on the person, and I understand that, but I am just trying to get an idea of what to expect. So if anyone has any averages or anything I would greatly appreciate it. One last thing before I go. Has anyone consumed any alcoholic beverages within 2 months post op? My bachelorette party is October 8th, and my wedding is Oct 15th. The doctor of course discourages all alcohol intake. I read that your blood alcohol level will increase at a way higher rate that pre-surgery. So if anyone has any info on that I would really appreciate it. Thanks!!! ps.. the ticker picture is me (the tallest one there) and my bridal party LOVE THEM!! Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Nutrition Facts For Foods

That's a GREAT question, May! How do social outings affect me? I've got to say, I find it really challenging, especially because I'm in marketing so my job involves taking people out to lunch all the time. Yikes! I've had numerous embarressing situations where I've been talking to clients over a nice lunch and have to interrupt them to run to the bathroom to barf. Oy! For me, the biggest thing I have to watch is my alcohol consumption. It's very easy to continue to socialize and feel a part of the party by participating in alcohol, especially when you can't participate in sharing an order of chicken wings or nachos. So it's easy (for me) to turn to alcohol to kind of fuel that "I want to fit in with the group" need. If that sounds like you, then my advise is: (1) Sip your alcohol slowly; (2) drink Water in between your alcohol to slow you down; (3) choose lower-calorie beverages, such as choose vodka ("clear" alcohol") & juice over Baileys/Kaluha ("dark" alcohols). But in general, when it comes to socializing with the gastric band, some ideas are: * Socialize in non-eating situations, if possible. Go for a walk, a bike ride, canoeing, horseback riding, etc. You can get exercise, enjoy your social gathering, and not feel the pressure with food. To effectively do this, *YOU* should make the recommendation for the gathering first, rather than rely on other people to choose your activity. * Talk a lot. When you're talking, you're not eating. * Invite people over to your house. That way you control the food being served, you keep costs low (eating out to dinner is expensive!) and you can keep busy playing hostess, which means you're not spending so much time eating. * Choose restaurants with good Soup. Soup is my best friend! * Share dishes with your close friends/boyfriend/husband. That way you don't waste * Check out any local tapas bars. Small portion sizes! * Don't forget to chug a large glass of water before you eat. This will help slow you down, make you feel full, and prevent you from overindulging. * There can be a distinct juxtaposition as to when your body says you are done eating versus when your brain thinks you are done eating. When you body is done, immediately throw your (paper) napkin on your plate, turn your fork & knife over, push your plate physically away from you. This will help you brain understand that meal time is OVER. * When you're socializing with people that don't know that you've had weight loss surgery, prevent an embarressing situation by announcing before your meal that you may have to get up from the table. I might say, "Just so you know, I kind of have a medical issue where food gets stuck in my throat. So if I have to excuse myself from the table, please don't think I'm being rude!" It honestly does help make those abrupt departures a little less quirky. I hope a few of those tips help! Feel free to share your own tips, too!!

Alan, If you've ever tried to drink an old beer (Like from last night's party), you'll know why beer has to have carbonation. Carbon dioxide gives beer it's distinctive taste. Without it it's pretty awful. We work hard to get enough CO2 in beer. If you want to drink alcohol, they make very good wines these days;^). I'm selling all my beer stuff and DW thinks she's going to move her sewing stuff in my brewery. I'm in ham radio and I think it might become a radio room. Today we bought some Quinoa and sugarless stuff. I'm getting ready for my year in hell. I can lose weight readily, keeping it off is the problem. If you guys ever really want to learn beermaking, let me know. I have all the information you can use.

Hi, I have the same issues. food addiction. It sucks. I truly believe food addiction is harder to kick than any other addiction because you have to eat. If you were a drug addict or alcoholic you could give up those substances and never have to take them again. But with food, we are faced with it every day. I definitely recommend therapy. Get someone who specializes in food addiction or eating disorders or is a cognitive behavioral therapist. Also, there is a good book that I have read. It is called "Shrink Yourself" by Roger Gould. It talks about emotional eating and gives step by step instructions on how to identify and deal with emotional triggers. Shrink Yourself They even have a web site with a 12 week online class to deal with emotional eating. The main thing is, you need to decide you want to change your life. You need to make a plan regarding how you are going to make the changes. Your band is a good tool. Do you need a fill? I know that with a proper fill the amount you eat should be limited and you should feel full. Perhaps you need to see your surgeon. Good Luck. I wish you much success!

Thank you for your response. I don't know if there is any validity to the whole pre-op diet/liver prep/cleanse idea or not, but my doc doesn't have any special pre-op diet and he's a liver specialist who does transplants when not doing bariatrics, so he tends to be rather anal about liver health (as in no alcohol period during the 12-18 month weight loss time, etc.) Or, maybe he's just more skilled in that area so that whatever minor differences such pre-op treatment makes is insignificant to him.

I don't know if there is any validity to the whole pre-op diet/liver prep/cleanse idea or not, but my doc doesn't have any special pre-op diet and he's a liver specialist who does transplants when not doing bariatrics, so he tends to be rather anal about liver health (as in no alcohol period during the 12-18 month weight loss time, etc.) Or, maybe he's just more skilled in that area so that whatever minor differences such pre-op treatment makes is insignificant to him.

I still have an occasional beer from time to time. I am not one that has problems with carbonation. But, I wasn't a big pop drinker before so it hasn't been an issue giving it up with the band. Some people have a horrible time with carbonation. I used to drink a lot of beer when out with people. The difference is now, I don't have it very often and usually 1-2 gets me buzzed. It takes a LOT less alcohol with the band to get me tipsy. The vodka and Crystal Light mixtures are awesome, if you want to drink.

I noticed as I lost weight I had wild shifting hormones! When I have a hormonal upset going on my deoderant quits working. I have to start washing with antibacterial soap, then before my I apply deoderant I apply rubbing alcohol to my underarms and let it dry. Then I apply clinical strenght deoderant. It seems these boughts lasted about 2 weeks and settled down. Now that most of my weight is gone my hormones are settling into a regular routine.

clear liquor (i.e., absolute vodka) plus water and crystal light/equivalent is the least harmful - least caloric alcoholic drink you can do since diet pop is out and the other mixers (i.e, fruit/vegetable juice) are high in calories. I will DEARLY MISS my light beers - used to have about 7 or 8 every weekend - of course, that's probably why i got so fat LOL. No beer, i have to think, has contributed to my 25+ pound weight loss since the end of june. You couldn't pay me to drink flat beer. Has to be fresh and cold. Oh well -worth the sacrifice to be thin. Best of luck to you!

Hello all im 5 weeks post op doing well! Today is a huge birthday bash for my father, anyway wondering about alcohol consumption? Has anyone drank alcohol this 5 weeks out? Just curious? And maybe dabbing around with it? HOW MUCH? wHAT KIND? THANKS!! YOU GUYS ARE MY SUPPORT!!!

Me too!!! My two cents....http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/expert.q.a/07/29/weight.surgery.sleeve.jampolis/index.html?is_LR=1 kwikwits Sleeve surgery may have saved my life. 56 years old, morbidly obese, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and now high sugar. I was sleeved on 6/1/11. No it isn't EASY but only another obese or fat person would understand that but it is working and I'm losing weight despite the GERD and nausea. My numbers are dropping and not just my weight numbers. VSG will allow me to eat very small quantities of foods I normally enjoy. Skinny people have no insight into what causes we obese to eat despite it being unhealthy for us -- but now I have a surgically induced eating disorder -- like when they gave "anabuse" to alcoholics. I over eat even a little and I become deathly ill. I eat and drink Water at the same time and I get sick. I eat food that is fried -- I get sick. I find it hard to believe but I get sick enough that I've become "fearful" of eating and am very circumspect about what I eat. I have lost 52 pounds so far. Let's see if the nausea and GERD go away.

haha yes, i am in boston...right down the street from all beth isreal, and all of them... i dont drink alcohol at all so that wont be an issue for me, but if giving up soda is what it takes then so be it that sucks, completely sucks about the deductible...mine is a whole lot less then that, but being a college student im not very wealthy, its definitely something im gonna have to be careful with and i dont care what their excuse is catheters make it deal breaker

I was having this same problem and spoke with the NP yesterday. She said to take Prilosec each day for 7-10 days, to have full liquids for a couple days and to limit spicy foods, caffeine and alcohol for a week. The Prilosec has made a HUGE difference. I haven't had any heartburn since I started taking it a couple days ago. She said the stomach lining in the pouch can become irritated and these changes can help it settle down. Good luck! Joan

I am on August 10 and am VERY happy to have found this Forum. I am 2 days on my Bariatric Advantage Protein liquid diet, so far so good. In the past two weeks I have given up tobacco (smoked and dipped occasionally), alcohol, diet coke, and now food...HA! I bought some of the shaker bottles at GNC that have the little wisk ball in them and they work GREAT for a shake on the run. Also have some Crystal light powder and several Water bottles with measuring lines on the sides. I have a stack of books to read through during my recovery but honestly just want to get to it. Two weeks cannot go fast enough.

coffee was one of my pre-op concerns. I'm a huge coffee drinker. I didn't do coffee until... about 3 months out? Even then I was drinking one coffee mug daily of the 50/50 half caf stuff. I don't remember a brand but I think it might've been Folgers? My husband would fix his coffee in the morning before work and then fix the coffee pot so mine was ready to brew when I got up. On the weekends it was kind of hard waiting "in line" for the coffee pot so I guess within the last month, he's been telling me it was my coffee and he was drinking mine but he was gradually weaning me over to regular coffee. I honestly couldn't tell a difference. When he finally started weaning me was when I got cleared for red meat & alcohol by my doctor so he figured full caff coffee would've been fine too. I had 0 problems. I'm finally back on regular coffee, thank the gods, and all's well. I have my coffee with 2 equal packets and 2 tsp of powdered creamer. I kind of feel sad whenever I pass the cold cases at the grocery store and see the new flavors of liquid creamers which I used to love. But whatever right? I've got my coffee after doing without for several months.

Hi, have looked here before, but really had no reason to chime in. Well now I do. I am having the proceedure on August 8th, 11. Have to pay for it myself, insurance is a ripoff to me. My wife is a school teacher, they get the least coverage at highest cost. I have beed a quitter before, stopped drinking alcohol June of 92, stopped smoking in 2004, now it is time to work on my wietht, hope all goes well. I don't see to many men doing this, they said about 25%, I hope I can relate to everyone. I am on my 2 week pre-op shake diet, not realy hungry, but shure would like to taste some meat already. Thank You all for being here...Greg

After the Prilosec last PM I still had a wicked cough while trying to sleep BUT no heartburn at all today. I spoke w/ the NP at my lap band center and she suggested I take the Prilosec daily for 7-10 days and that I go to full liquids for a few days as well as avoid caffeine, spicy foods and alcohol. Joan

thanks for the answers sweetcalichic but as far as alcohol can you drink to feel a buzz or is it just a few drinks juts to be sociable?