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I have not tried any carbonated drinks (I was never a beer or pop drinker anyways). A friend of mine is 5 years post op and says he has a small can of coke from time to time. He says it does feel uncomfortable (bloating) for a few hours after from the gas build up but he fights through it. I assume everyone’s pain/discomfort tolerance would be different so who knows how someone else would react. As far as the alcohol, my doctor said the reason they tell you it’s “forbidden” after the fact is because whatever part of the stomach that absorbs alcohol safely is bypassed so someone that consumes alcohol post op will get drunk 100 times faster on way less and such could result in becoming a full blown alcoholic. I personally don’t think it’s worth the risk but again each person could handle it differently. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

@@Kindle oh no.. Sorry about your horrific delay. I know you were looking so forward to your warm trip to Florida. Hope the alcohol keeps you toasty until you get to the sunny rays!!

Alcohol has a high number of calories and it breaks down vitamins in your system. An occasional glass of wine or other non-carbonated alcoholic beverage though is not considered harmful to weight loss but drinking more regularly will sabotage your weight loss and could deplete the nutrients in your body. You should be careful when you drink too because now that you have the lap band the alcohol could affect you differently than before. But dispite all of this you really should check with your doctor on how soon you can start drinking.

Sugar alcohols are not good for you at all. Especially that high of an amount. They also often cause dumping syndrome in WLS patients- but everyone's different.

Wow, that's one I haven't heard before. Nothing surprises me. A neighbouring group in my area actually meets at an all you can eat Chinese restaurant once a month! Sort of like taking an alcoholic to a bar for a mtg. Oh well, I just don't go to those mtg's. Good luck!

I am so glad u posted this Thread!!!! I am going to get realll personal now... my brother was killed in 2001(nov) and he had an addiction that he was trying to take control of. I had realized at that time that I was getting serious with loosing weight because I was tired of being fat... so we had a heart to heart talk... I told him that i understand his addiction because at first i was like why dont u just stop!!! :smile2:.. U don't need that bull:cursing:... Are u kidding me.. Then it's like i had a ahhh haaa moment.. Having an addiction to drugs or alcohol is the same as food. It dosent matter if the drugs are prescription, or illegal.. So we made an agreement for me not to eat junk food and not to eat when i wasen't hungry and to excercise and for him to stay away from 'bad people, and situations..I had a really bad problem with oreo Cookies, doritos, snack cakes pb cups...If you become dependent upon something u r addicted.. and i did not have to lay on someone's couch to figure it out.. God revealed it to me... . I'm so serious... a little over 2mths later he was at the wrong place at the wrong time... and was stabbed in the chest & died 2-4minutes later because he drowned in his own blood.... I lashed out, i mean totally went to left field... because i was angry.. I was like how could he go we r sopouse to be here to support each other... then i was like he didn't give up on me so i shouldn't give up... and that's when i started working out like crazy at the gym. lost over 100+lbs then got prego and gained over 85lbs back..:tongue:.. So getting back to the topic it is the same thing... too much food can kill u just like drugs and alcohol can and it actually needs to be treated as the same... we need food to live but we dont need pb cups, snack cakes, fried chicken, mac&cheese, steak sand. and so forth..I would suggest u talk to someone to help u realize what triggers your over eating and bad food choices....

I have known for some time that I am addicted to food. I love it. Always have. The flavors, textures, sweetness, sourness, etc. etc. So I am brought to my current conclusion, dilemma. HOW THE HELL DO I OVERCOME IT?!?! Alcohol or drug addictions are easier because it is simple to live without it - but food is a necessity for living! How can one overcome overeating? The lap band, as a tool, helps me slow down my eating and cuts down on the amount, but i still have the overwhelming urges and cravings and the mindless eating is trying so hard to overrule me - HELP! There is Overeaters Anonymous - but not where i live, or anywhere close (hour drive ... aka 55 miles) from my location and with gas prices the way they are, i simply don't make enough money to afford the gas to go to a meeting weekly or whenever they have them. I want so bad for this surgery to work for me (still stuck at 40lbs lost, +/- a pound or two). My latest fill is definitely my sweet spot fill, because i am satisfied upon eating my meal (which generally consists of one or maybe two bites of chicken, or other food). But the consistent cravings, thoughts of food is driving me crazy. I wish I could say that I don't always give in .. but I do sometimes. Yes, the band stops me from eating too much but i want to be able to not eat inbetween meals. I want the cravings gone. I want to not be a slave to food. How can I overcome this?! Are there any other addicts of food/ slaves to taste out there? Thanks for any advice.:blushing:

Well, to be fair, it's not always "up to you". There are lots of factors that play into a PB, only *one* of which is chewing your food well. A year and a half out and I can still PB on Soup if I've eaten very salty things and have gained Water weight, or if I'm nearering my period, even water won't go down. SOmetimes, nature just doesn't cooperate with you. On the public PBing...I cannot count how many times I've done that! Like you, kity, I lived in NYC during the first year of my band. Thank GOD NYC is so big and there are so many places to bring up and spit out food with little worry of being noticed. I've spit into garbage cans, off subway platforms, into gutters and alleys, etc. Plus, with all the people who have alcohol and drug dependancies in the city, puking in public isn't so uncommon (unfortunately)...if anyone looks at me funny, I just mutter "morning sickness, sorry..." and go on my merry way!

HEy everyone!so I was sleeved a month and a couple days ago...Doig great!my birthday was yesterday,just turned 21.tmrw me and my family are going celebrating and I wanted a little sangria.not so sure if its a bad idea,what do you guys think?how long was it before you had some alcohol?not trying to get crazy...just wanted to celebrate my birthday!

Liz, you truly need to figure out what you want. If you do want to lose weight then you can with the band. First thing I would do is to eliminate sugar, alcohol and carbs. The 2nd thing I would do is to increase my water consumption. 3rd thing I would do is to walk 20-30 minutes a day. With that being said........if you can eat 1 cup of food that is too much! I eat 2 oz at a time and am full within a few bites. My weight loss is 1 lb a week, 2-3 with good restriction. I would really have an honest dialogue with your surgeon about what you are consuming. Popcorn and sugar go down just fine, as does ice cream. Please be honest with yourself and face the lapband music. Good luck. You can do it!

I hear ya. I get those cravings too, but I fight it by drinking a Protein shake or if nothing is close by - Water. Cravings last for 15 min and it goes away....so try to fight it with water - works for me. I was banded 6/9/2010 and believe me, I want to cry when I think about hot wings - its worse when I smell it or see it...my coworker had it last week and he actually said "oh im sorry man!", and put his lunchbox in front of him so I cant see his food and started talking about something else - cravings are like an alcohol addiction and must be treated like so. But through discipline I've lost 25 lbs in 2 weeks postop. Its a constant battle and you have to switch your tactics. If you want fast food, get Pinto and cheese at Taco Bell, or small chili no cheese at Wendy's or Yogurt Parfait at McDonalds', and so on...You dont want to overstretch your pouch while healing due to slippage or whatever. Be strong - remember, cravings are 5-15 min long....think about something or drink water until full. You've come a long way to prepare yourself for a new life - be strong and dont look back!

The no carbonation rule is due to the fact that carbonation can cause discomfort in sleeved patients. Definitely avoid it while your stomach is healing. After that, you can try it and see how you feel. Some people on these forums drink carbonated beverages every day. I personally haven't felt the need to, so I avoid them still, though I have had a couple of beers with no I'll effect, other than getting sloppy drunk off of one beer now. I was allowed alcohol at 3 months. Don't have it often because I am such a lightweight now. I was allowed caffeine at 30 days post-op. Every surgeon has their own guidelines there. Definitely high Protein diet forever. That doesn't necessarily mean low carb. Some people are more sensation to carbs than others, so you will have to figure out what works for you long term. I personally never tried to stay below a certain number of carbs, but I found that getting all my protein in (100 grams a day) left little room for carbs.

Hehe, I like that. I'm surprised even HR HAS to have your surgeon's name. There are all SORTS of HIPPA rules these days! It's really none of their business. Funny thing about my boss, I know she's an alcoholic -- or at least has an issue with alcohol. And is at times very promiscuous. I could tell stories -- that SHE has shared, no less. The you-know-what in me wanted to ask if her alcohol problem was still making her loose and slutty.

I used to get that (or something similar... )- I would clean it out with e cotton bud and alcohol, then use a special powder I got from the pharmacy on it...they told me not to use cream as you want it to dry out rather than be wet, which can cause more redness.... It healed up really quick and is fine now, no more problems at all.

Hi! All docs and nutritionists have different plans. My doc's papers say to avoid alcohol for a whole year but I think that's from 'empty calories' point of view. Though lots of ppl on here drink wine few months post. If you were sleeved just last month, I personally feel its too soon.best to ask your doc

Hi everyone, or should I say anyone:frown:? (Doesn't seem that anyone reads my blogs.) Oh well, they are still good for me to reflect. I am having some difficulty with having NO RESTRICTION! I didn't feel that I was overeating, although I haven't been writing every mouthful down, and when I got on the scale this morning, well, it says I gained 7 lbs.over the weekend!:willy_nilly: I KNOW EVERYONE'S FIRST THOUGHT. It is water retention. The problem with that theory is I have had VERY SWELLED ANKLES ALL THE TIME, in the past. I have not had this problem ever since surgery which has been an unexpected, wonderful surprise. One would think that if water retention is back, so would the swelled ankles. They are not. Soooo, let's do some self examination. On the positive, I joined the gym and I am committed to it(worked out on Friday& this morning):thumbs_up:My diet...uhhm, ok.... I enjoy social drinking on weekends. Haven't had any since surgery, until... Stayed home Friday night, had 2 white russians(with 1% milk), just looked up the cal count~each were 350 cal:sneaky:. I made spaghetti for supper~homemade sauce using splenda to sweeten a little/60, low carb noodles/190cal, and venison hamburg(its low in fat/180cal). I have no restriction, so I ate probably much more than should of but still less than my old self. Saturday>I made eggs and bacon/240cal(I had my granddaughter overnight & she doesnt eat much but LOVES eggs&bacon), then had spaghetti leftovers for lunch/430 cal. I ate a baked chicken breast for supper/200cal, then we went out to our club with friends and I drank. Trying to keep cal/carbs low, I first had a diet coke&rum(1st time since surgery that I drank soda, no excuses, just forgot)70cal. My hubby reminded me then and I was glad because I HATED the drink. Next I drank a Bay Breeze(coconut rum, pineapple jc, cranb jc), I love sweet drinks and thought this 1 would be kinda good for me. Because it's sweet, I also thought it would be extremely high in calories, looked it up, only 160 cal. Then my g/f bought me 2 "applesauce" shots:crying:, 150cal ea. By this time, I was really in the drinking mood so I had my hubby go to Rutter's(a mini mart)to get diet iced tea. I asked and was allowed to bring in our own drink to mix with the clubs alcohol. So I had "diet" ice picks rest of night(about 6 shots of vodka)=around a whopping 500 more calories. So, now that I do the math, I added 1030cal just from drinks!:sad:Before we left, I ate 2 hot dogs they had on the grill(because they looked sooo good and were a buck/300cal)2200cal all together. On Sunday, we went BACK to the club for a "shrimp feed". I got a doz steamed shrimp/60cal, shrimp salad/220cal, potato salad/160cal, 1c shrimp bisque/240cal and a red beet egg/80cal. Then I got 1 drink because someone had it and it "looked good", a dirty girl scout(coffee liquer,cream de menth, baileys& vodka with milk)/340cal.(It was delicious) It makes the fact that I drank 2 full glasses of lemon water not mean much:sad_smile:. Later that night, I had more of my leftover spaghetti/430cal. And for snack, I had another pop/100cal. WOW! Not to mention the things I may have eaten & just don't remember. Ok. I get why I didn't LOSE. But really. Is all the above 7 POUNDS worth??! Actually, I am soo embarrassed when I write down my calorie intake. I did not realize what I do to myself. I go back to my job after 3 wks off on Wednesday. I go for my first fill on 11/25, 2 days before Thanksgiving. I NEED the RESTRICTION. That is soo obvious. Drinking may be out of the question. Maybe I will "reward" myself with a drinking night out after every 50lbs lost. I am not sure yet. But I MUST GET MYSELF back on track...even before the fill...I cannot afford to go backwards. Do I intentionally sabotage myself? I am sooo good at analyzing everyone else(they always come to me for advice) but am HORRIBLE at it for me:embaressed_smile: Any advice?

Alcohol goes down just gr8 for me no diffent to b4 the band, when i stopped drinking it made no difference to how much weight i lost.

That's not a stupid question...the only stupid questions are the ones we want answers to and don't ask! My understanding is that a sugar alcohol is a hydrogenated form of sugar, and to varying degrees, it may or may not be absorbed by the intestines. They may to be used to mask the aftertaste of some artificial sweeteners, and depending on which sugar alcohol it is, it may have some caloric value. The sugar alcohol is not absorbed by the body, and tends to ferment in the small intestine, thus may cause digestive upset. For my purposes, I would be counting them in with the grams of carbs listed on a food product, if they contain any caloric value. Carbs which occur naturally I allow myself to have (fruit, some veggies). I limit my carbs which occur in condiments, such as ketchup. I try to avoid the over processed foods which may contain artificial sugars/sweeteners, which would be including the sugar alcohols. Your choices may be different, but generally I would count the ones with calories as carb grams, and avoid them, as they would be found in the over processed foods that are chemically engineered. One easy rule which I follow is to shop only on the periphery of the grocery store, in the produce, meat, and dairy sections. Of course, the bakery is also on the periphery, but I avoid going there! I don't know if I answered your question or not...please let me know if you would like a clarification of my response!

No dumping. However, one has to keep in mind that dumping usually doesn't occur once you eat a gram of sugar. With the MGB, when I ate too much sugar at once I felt queasy. Late dumping only occurred when I also drank alcohol and ate too much sugar.

I would wait until your Dr. says it's OK. Everything has to heal and we don't really need the calories. I was banded on 10-25-07. I did not drink any alcohol until my 30th anniversary a few weeks ago. It did not bother me but you know after I drank the beer, I didn't really feel I needed it either. Finished the meal off with unsweetened ice tea. I think that sometimes it's just something to do at a party.

I am a recoverying alcoholic. I go to AA. I thought I would NEVER be able to stop drinking and druging until I finally made it to AA. It really saved my life. I am almost 6yrs clean and sober! I am using my AA program and our 12 steps to help me with this process as well. If I don't do the things I need to do, talk to other alcoholics, pray, follow the 12 steps (the program), I will get drunk again! Same for this If I don't stay in touch with my fellow sleevers (to help me be accountable) pray, and follow the program, I WILL gain weight again. OA Overeaters Annonymous has a great program! Even if you don't think you over eat nessisarily... they deal with all of the phychological issues that we face, I think I am going to start going to a few myself! They have meetings all over the country, I'm sure there's one near you. Just a suggestion. It really does help people!!! I have several friends who go!

I: Exercise at least 3 times every week Chew chew chew Drink as much water as I can every day(usually well over 64 Protein always first Virtually no carbs, although I'm not a sugar nazi No sodas to speak of, no alcohol Basically eat clean and good food

I have a caution for you on drinking. Prior to surgery, I drank pretty rarely, but took Vicodin for back pain twice a month. Since surgery, if I take pain meds or drink alcohol, I get jittery and agitated. The last time I had a glass of wine, my friend was talking to me on the phone and noticed it in my voice. He suggested maybe it was the result of the extra estrogen from losing so much fat. I did some searching online, and it turns out alcohol can suddenly raise estrogen levels by quite a bit (like double), and too much estrogen can make you anxious and jittery. It isn't too horrible, but it makes me avoid drinking. The calories never affected my weight loss. Have fun on your vacation!!

"if this was to pass, then i would recommend legilation to prevent alcoholics from being served drinks in a bar or restaurant...same difference, different addiction" Um, this already exists. Not for alcoholics, but it is illegal in many states for a bar to serve drinks to someone who is obviously impaired. I'm actually not that upset by the "turning away the obese" legislation. From a personal freedom standpoint, yeah, it is facist. However, of all people, we should know the benefit of having a temptation removed. the band doesn't work for me because of some magic. It works for me because the food that caused me problems in the past - Pasta and bread - I am physically incapable of eatnig now. There is no temptation and I don't feel deprived, because I know it is impossible for me to eat those things. If I knew it was impossible for me to go into a Mickey D's, then I wouldn't miss that either. That's the difference between dieting and the band. You can always slide on a diet. You really can't on the band, unless you gorge on ice cream or high-calorie drinks. I didn't have an issue with those before the band, so maybe that part is naturally easy for me.

Hiya all, I'm new to here and just was wanting to make contact. I am insulin dependant diabetic with sever insulin resistance, I am 1 week away from rny surgery and on day 3 of the pre surgical prep. From what I have seen I don't really have much to moan about, as I am still able to eat actual food, but wondered..did anyone else have extreme cravings, headaches, insomnia, low mood, and agitation when doing the prep? Also did anyone feel just generally really unwell? It's only day 3 but it's kicking the hell out of me. I am able to have the following each day (which I know is more than most), but am worried that I am maybe eating a bit too much to shrink my liver, or that I am just getting it all wrong. The hospital have me the following diet: Breakfast - 1 weetabix Lunch- small portion of lean meat or fish, salad (no dressing), 2 crisp breads or a slice of bread Dinner- small portion of lean meat or fish, 3 small potatoes or 3 spoons of rice, vegetables 1/2 pint of skimmed milk per day (to be used in tea or coffee and my breakfast) A sugar free & fat free yoghurt No sauces no alcohol no fizzy drinks I had a hypo today I am currently 106kg, I weighed 122kg at the start of my journey 2 years ago. I have gone from a 44 inch trouser to a 34/36 inch. Am having the surgery for diabetes reasons not so much for weight loss. Thank you in advance for any replies xx Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App