Search the Community

I was told that having alcohol will get you more buzzed faster that non RYN surgery people. I am 10 wks post op. I had a glass of wine a couple of weeks ago and nothing... My dr. says that you could/will get drunk faster after RNY surgery and to be very careful etc. etc. I have only had wine so far and have not had anything else but in my case and opinion a glass of wine pre op and/or post op is the same so far.........

This was something I blogged on another forum site that I used to use quite often..... It was dated October 30, 2010...... So I am the one that a month out from surgery was pushing to be able to drink. Just a little I said. Just a glass of wine I said. Well they are not kidding when they tell you it is not a good idea. I started drinkin a month out and did not quit until last Saturday. And that is after being put into detox and then into the mental health unit at u of m. I was in detox before this and tried tried tried but just failed at quitting. It took me being sent away from my kids, my husband (who is now on his last straw with me), my job, and my life. It took me feeling like I was at the end of my rope, considering and partially acting on taking my own life. Dear Alcohol, I love you. I LOVED you. You were there when no one else was. You were there when I needed to feel better. You were there when I was sad and wanted to be happy. You were there when I was uncomfortable and you gave me comfort in my self. You gave me self esteem. You helped me be more social, more alive, more of a person with a personality. But I must say good-bye as I have opened my mind to the possibility that perhaps you are the most fake love of my life. You made me believe in you yet you tried to take everything away. You tried to make me fail, and guess what.....I am not gonna. I may have caused my loved ones much grief, much embarrasement, much resentment, and I cannot change that, but I can turn it around starting now. Everyone makes mistakes right? I cant change what has happened but I can only choose to try and be better now. So farewell my beloved fake friend. I hope to never see or feel you again. God grant me the serenity..... Love/Hate, Mandy This was a few days later..... Thank you all for all of the encouragement!! There was another thing that I had wanted to add. During one of my "detox stays" my blood alcohol was .39 and that was at least 4 hours AFTER I had stopped drinkin!! AND, I was semi-normal acting/feeling.......dont get me wrong, I was drunk, but didnt feel or act THAT drunk! I could have died. I could have left my young girls motherless and my husband a single dad. Alcohol really does affect us different now!! And yet, I still had more episodes, one even harsher. This would have been in December, my birthday weekend, of 2010. That was my last time I was kept in the hospital. I did some more outpatient, some aa, and here I sit today. A little more in control..... Just, BE CAREFUL friends! IF you think it may not be a good idea, SKIP IT! IF you think it may be something you can handle.....DONT RISK IT!!!! Much love

It's funny, but I thought I would miss so much more than I actually do. I don't really miss sweets at all. I kind of miss salty, greasy tortilla chips, though. I love Mexican food, but at least I can make healthy versions of most of my favorite Mexican dishes. I really miss coffee and wine. I have a big wine refrigerator full of good wine. Heaven knows if I'll ever be able to drink it. I'm only 3 months out, so I don't plan to even attempt alcohol for several more months!

Enjoyyyy woohoo, be careful of the alcohol, I drank Saturday & was up 2 pounds on Monday :--( What is grazing? I had surgery 3/27 & going to Jamaica 6/12. Woohoo

If you don't want to feel like an oddball, I always make it very clear that I don't drink and drive. At my work we have beer Friday's or sometimes we have little parties in the last hour of work for special occasions. While I would love to enjoy an alcoholic beverage (I'm pre-op) I always decline because I feel very strongly on drinking and driving. I had a family member die bc he had been drinking and fell out of a moving vehicle. I just use the drinking and driving excuse. Now if that doesn't work, someone once told me what they do is get a drink and carry it around all night. Everyone is drinking and doesn't even notice! Lol. If you actually think you can handle an alcoholic beverage, here is a great drink I was introduced to as a low cal drink: Malibu Rum with Water over ice. It tastes really good! I was surprised. And there is only 50 calories per ounce, so provided you drink the whole thing, that's 75 calories. Good luck. I love social drinking and I know I will miss it when ever I do get my sleeve, but it is a small thing I am willing to give up for a bigger better change in my life. Have fun!! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I know that most drugs hit me harder than they used to as does alcohol so maybe that's it.

I am about 14 months post-op and still struggle with this a little. At 7 months post-op, my boss came in town and invited us out for drinks. I ordered Water. Got an odd look but he didn't say anything. I was frustrated that night because I "couldn't have fun". Sigh.... Now I can (and do on a very rare occasion) have alcohol but I am at goal and trying to figure out maintenance, so I am trying to consider it carefully and ALWAYS count the calories. One thing I find difficult is that once I lose my inhibitions a little, then I feel like "WTH?! I can eat!" and that is dangerous, so I think that reason alone steers me clear of alcohol for the most part. Now having said that, I just started a new job this week and got invited out for happy hour and I sadly declined. I want to go because I want to get to know my new co-workers better but I knew I wasn't strong enough that day to not go and drink too much. (Then I ended up binging on chocolate when I got home. Stupid stupid choice.) I hope that next time I can go and be responsible. I clearly have addiction issues - both with food and alcohol. So all of that didn't really answer your question. Early on, I had a spicy virgin bloody mary and I really enjoyed that. It does have calories but I figured I was at least getting some nutrients from the vegetable juice (I could be lying to myself though). When I went on vacation, I drank Crystal Light flavored water mixed with vodka. The raspberry lemonade and the peach tea were both really good that way, so if you can order a vodka water (not soda) and then add a pack of Crystal Light, that might work for you. I have also done well sipping VERY slowly on a glass of wine (but it is the 2nd glass that I have to avoid and am not good at doing.) Don't feel guilty if you want to have an alcoholic drink - as long as it is ok with your doctor and as long as you can do it only occasionally. (Transfer addiction is a very REAL issue in the WLS world.)Otherwise, honestly, the best thing to do is stick with just plain water with a lime or lemon.

I would have to say that I have attempted to commit suicide as a way to cry out for help... I did it my first year of college and it was feeble attempt at best... I just toke one or two pills of every pill I had. And nothing happened, but me vomiting in the bathroom. I will say that this was NOT related to my obesity... it was related to moving to a big city with no one that I knew around. It was related to having my first boyfriend and sure I was uncomfortable with my body but i knew I wasn't the only one. I got help, they put me on anti-depressants, and I became more irrational and I felt invicible and did even worse things on the anti-depressant- like jump in front of cars in the street, and drink massive amounts of alcohol to the point of poisoning... Every time I had an "incident" the raised my prescription to the point that I was taking the MAXIMUM dose allowed every day. And then one day, I realized what was happening, and I stopped taking it. Now I'm fine- never had a problem, haven't thought about suicide. I became stronger because people were pushing me further aside and wasn't going to have that. So now I'm a rock... later on that year, I went on depo provera and it made me happy... turns out I have a hormone imbalance and the depo corrected it. Now I know my behavior wasn't my mind's fault, but my body's. I've learned to deal with my moods now, and am very stable. But what I did my first year of school tainted me throughout my undergrad... funny how that works, right? But i can't really say I had thoughts of suicide with my obesity... although the thoughts about my weight didn't help it, but they didn't start it.

My surgeon says no alcoholic drinks for 1 year.

SOMEONE PINCH ME CUZ I MUST BE DREAMIN!!!!! I just don't know how i lived as a fat kid for so long... I have energy like you wouldn't believe!!!!! I am at the gym every other day and the days that im not at the gym im running outside! My only day off is Sunday and i dont mind it one bit! I honestly thought that me being in ONEderland was a fluke, but nope its hear to stay.. as of this morning I am officially 195.6.... HECK TO THE FREAKING YEAH!!!!!!! Ok so that was my happy dance..lol. These past few weeks I have been on one hell of a ride. gaining, losing, pretend stalling, lol.. but i know no matter what is goin on that week that the weight will countinue to fall off because im workin hard to make that happen! Im not perfect. I eat things i probably shouldn't, i drink alcohol, and in all reality, i need to stop that. But the best part of all this is i know i screw up sometimes, but that i do my best to get back on track. Before I had the mind set oh i screwed up well i guess i will wallow in my guilt and keep messing up.. now i just go well hell it happens now let me fix it! I know i normally start with stats but i just wanted to get my piece in. so here are the stats 5'7" HW: 265 CW: 195.6 GW: 150 and of course this blog wouldn't be complete without pics..lol the first pic..i wore that dress back in 2008 when my best friend got married.. it fits again! the second pic-- i know you have seen the dress before but that was me on valentines day!

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’m 62 pounds lighter since my May 28th LAP-BAND® surgery. In eighteen weeks, there has been such significant weight loss and, more relevantly, so much positive change in my health that I can hardly remember the time when I was medically obese and “lost.” First, let’s dispense with the formalities. Need to know exactly what LAP-BAND® surgery involves? Click on The LAP-BAND® I : "Entering the zone" | Babyboomers.tv. Want to know how civilians react to news that I’ve elected to have surgery? Click on http://babyboomers.tv/content/LAP-BAND®-zone-ii-dealing-civilian-response. Interested in hearing about my status and what happens next? Read on. In addition to monthly post-op visits with Dr. Gellman, my bariatric surgeon, -- click on www.northshoresurgical.net -- I’ve lived through 4 months now as a post-operative LAP-BAND® patient. It doesn’t feel that much different than following Weight Watchers, Atkins, and other weight loss programs. Except … I’ve had laparoscopic surgery to help cure my lifelong addiction to food; There is this device inside of me banding the upper portion of my stomach; The LAP-BAND® is a “tool” to help me cut down on food consumption; While my 62-pound weight loss has been sensational, the doctor reminded me this week that the band was inserted for a reason and it’s time to tighten it now. So, this is a different reality for me. The band will be tightened in a few days by injecting saline solution into a port which has been surgically inserted on the inside of my stomach epidermis. The net result is that the band will be tightened and my little stomach pouch (the “stoma”) will feel full with less food. I’ll have to go back on a liquid diet for a few days to allow the stoma to adjust to its new tighter reality. Aside from my regular visits with Dr. Gellman, I also attend a monthly support group with other post-op patients. These groups are enormously helpful for both the camaraderie of those who have been through my same experience as well as for the practical advice I get from participants. At the last group, the topic was “How have you changed for the better or worse following surgery?” I believe life is drastically different (and better) since surgery. However, I’m still a LAP-BAND® rookie so I asked the group “do you all tell people that you’ve had LAP-BAND® surgery?” Interesting responses: “it’s none of anybody’s business”; “nobody has to know”; “they don’t understand”; and, “I only tell my closest friends and relatives”. I understand. Even though I’ve gone public on this website for the entire world to know my story, there are specific people in my life who don’t know about my decision to go through with LAP-BAND® surgery --- most importantly, my mother and father-in-law. They are in their 80’s and they just wouldn’t understand the surgical procedure (or the need for it). Mind you, they are each thrilled to hear about and see my weight loss progress. The best advice to come from the support group, however, has been “If anyone asks how you lost the weight, tell them you’re on Weight Watchers.” This echoes a similar sentiment from Dr Gellman, who reports: “so many of the patients in our practice simply default to “Weight Watchers” when asked how they lost the weight. There is logic here … the final phase of post-operative eating adjustment encompasses a diet that is very much like the Weight Watchers protocol: Eat fruits and vegetables liberally; Follow portion control: 1 ounce of meat = size of a matchbox; 3 ounces of meat = size of a deck of cards; 3 ounces of fish = size of a checkbook; Medium apple = size of a tennis ball. [*]Use little, if any, sugar; [*]Choose lower fat foods; [*]Avoid fried foods; [*]Eat 3 meals a day; [*]Exercise regularly, preferably 3 or 5 or 7 times per week (I walk 4 miles every day;) Who, among us, has not seen this movie before? And yet it really is unlike the thousands of diets I’ve previously been on. I think it has a lot to do with my commitment to a new way of life once I agreed to the surgery. And, I strongly believe in my ability to do this. Also, there is the reality that the little stomach pouch won’t hold the huge quantities of food I had become accustomed to eating. But, if we’re honest, I believe it’s that I don’t want to betray the promise I made to myself: this time, it’s for good and will be different than before. At our tender age when death and illnesses are dodging us, who is gonna argue? I’ve learned from my support group that the post-op fellowship strongly resembles Alcoholics Anonymous: it’s critical to keep sharing your feelings and to report any incident(s) of falling off the wagon. Fine with me, so far. But then, I’ve never really had a problem losing weight --- it’s maintaining my goal weight that has always done me in. For now, I take it one day at a time. The weight loss has been thrilling and I’m extremely grateful for my newfound health and mobility. I’m off blood pressure medicine, I don’t need the sleep apnea machine and my knees have magically stopped hurting during my 3-4 mile daily walks. As for the outside world and how to respond to the queries about “how did you do it?” … I smile like a Cheshire cat and reply that my answer lies in a renewed commitment to exercise and a diet of fruits, vegetables and healthy proteins. I guess my real shorthand answer can be “I’m going to Weight Watchers.”

Well, I formally move onto less mushy foods today. Terrified! So much so that I am still eating the same things I ate on the last phase (yogurt, baby food, cream of wheat). I am afraid to open the flood gates. I had some peanut butter on a spoon, ate it slow, and boy did it stick like a ball of wax - not ready for that yet. I received a notice of a "bandsters" mtg. in my general area and they are meeting at an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet restaurant! Isn't that like taking an alcoholic to a bar for a meeting? Aren't places like that what got us in trouble in the first place? Definately will NOT be going to those meetings. Trying to motivate myself to get back to exercising. I used to go to a strenuous boot camp 5 mornings a week. Would like to do that again - maybe 3 days and get back into running. A little too soon I think as I still have pain in my left side like a running cramp - start with walking I guess. Fingers are crossed!!!:smile:

I think that you should not drink at all. At 2 weeks out that your even thinking about it is a red flag in my opinion. I went through a 6 month support / educational class before my insurance would give me my surgery date and all I ever heard when we spoke about alcohol was "no". No more, none, never, full of empty calories and bypassed people have a very high chance of becoming alcoholics......just say no!

The article was about people with gastric bypass being able to absorb alcohol quicker so therefore could drink a lot more , lpbands should not affect alcohol consumption other than all those calories u are consuming. The article was specifically to do with gastric bypass people who have more tendency to become alcoholics because of the absorbtion differences .

Its like with anything. It is willpower. Some people have more addictive personalities. People mourn the loss of the way things used to be so you want something else to fill the void. My husband had the bypass 5 years ago. He since has been addicted to drugs, alcohol, shopping, hoarding, porn, eating, dipping, smoking. His sistet had it and is fine.

Honey, we all have eating issues or we wouldn't be here... food addiction is no different than alcohol or smoking or drugs.. something you may have not realized is that the lapband will change your relationship somewhat with food.. I love food but since being banded I don't think about it 24/7... I eat to stay alive, I still enjoy food but not as much.. after you have been eating healthy for awhile you will be surprised how your eating habits will change.. The band is the best thing I have ever done.. I tried every single thing to lose weight and never successfully kept it off long enough to matter.. This is different... Give it serious consideration and there are psychologist and counselors who can probably help with the mental part... You do have to change your eating habits but if you follow the rules and do your very best, I believe you will be successful. Best of Luck....

Wow there are some real judgey people. Use your own common sense. A drink now and then is fine if you want. That your thinking about it being a red flag is proposterous if you are talking about 1 or 2 social drinks. They have some alcohol hang ups to say that. Good luck!!

If you use search for "alcohol", you will see you are going to get a myriad of answers. Many programs ask that you wait 6 months to a year; however, there are many people that imbibe much earlier. As you make that decision, here are a few things to keep in mind: 1) Alcohol is pure liquid calories. You need to track it and only use non-calorie mixers if you are going to drink. 2) Please know that MANY people struggle with alcohol addiction after WLS. It is very common so be very very cautious. 3) Do not eat when you drink. Don't let your drinking lower your resolve to stay on a plan. 4) Remember you are in a honeymoon phase and need to do everything you can to take advantage of that time. Does alcohol really fit in to that? 5) Remember that alcohol may hit you faster and could potentially make you sick. If you are going to drink, I would suggest trying at home first so you know how it will affect you. Will having a drink this early out kill you - likely not. Just because you can, does it mean you should - likely not. You have to make the best decision for yourself knowing all the risk factors. Also, let me say this - I am 8 1/2 months post-op. I have had 1/2 of a glass of sangria and 1/2 of a bloody mary during this time (1 around 7 months post-op and 1 about 8 months post-op). I am headed out on vacation to an all inclusive resort where in the past, I have enjoyed a few adult beverages. I talked to my NUT this week and she said I should try to restrict my drinks to 1 per day. That is not likely to happen and I told her that. I will be cautious. I will track it. I will exercise in hopes to keep the calories from stacking up too much, but I am going to try to enjoy my vacation and stay on plan in all the ways I can - Protein, Vitamins, Fluid, exercise and most importantly for me, I have to make sure that when I return I do not use it as an excuse to return to my old lifestyle. We have been given a gift in the form of WLS and I want my life to be different here on out. If alcohol turns out to be a stumbling block for me personally, then it is something I will have to stay away from.

JUST WANTED TO KNOW HOW LONG DID IT TAKE FOR YOU ALL TO HAVE WINE OR LIQUOR AFTER SURGERY ? I'M ALMOST 2 WEEKS POST SURGERY AND MY BIRTHDAY IS NEXT MONTH ON THE 25TH SO WONDERING IF I SHOULD HAVE A GLASS OF WINE THEN. PLEASE GET BACK TO ME WITH THE FEEDBACK GUYS !! THANK YOU :-)

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.

Like Everyone else said, you should call your doctor. But, for ways to handle the situation until you can get to the doctor, try drinking everything room temperature, nothing cold because the day of my surgery in the hospital I took a drink of cold Water and was fixing to throw up with the nurse held a alcohol wipe under my nose. The feeling instantly went away. So I would try the alcohol wipe if you get that feeling again. She said that some people can't handle cold stuff yet. Now, 1.5 weeks post-op I can drink cold things again.

food has been an integral part of my life for so long. A lot of my social life revolves around food (and a bit of alcohol to some extent). I am mentally trying to prepare myself to change that aspect of life, and there's a part of me that does not like it. However, I cannot continue down this path I'm on, so I definitely need to change my mindset. I'm also afraid of not making it through that pre and post op liquid diet when it's time...but I'll have to cross that bridge when I get to it. For now, the food = celebration part is the most important piece that I have to change.

I think for those of us (probably many of us) who have used food as our comfort to avoid dealing with anger or other emotions for a long time, suddenly not having that food is psychologically as well as physically tough. Studies have shown that eating, esp of sweets, affects receptors for serotonin, and these are very close to the receptors for drug and alcohol addiction. The more we've eaten that stuff, the more receptors our brains have made to process it all. Take the "drug" of sugar away, and it's just as bad as an addict going through withdrawal. Add that to the physical drain that major surgery takes on you, and I think being depressed after surgery is more "normal" than to not be. My 2 cents.

i know everyone is different but i'll be a year out in October and i drink and eat whenever i want (yes, even at the same time with meals). ive had carbonation, ive had alcohol, ive had carbs. now as a general rule i don't do the carbs, carbonation nor sugar, i keep it pretty keto, but i CAN if i want without issue. if you aren't very far out definitely listen to your nutritionist just letting you know things get easier and your tolerance gets higher for certain things. just be patient.