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5'2", ♀️3 days shy of being 10m PO, maintaining 118.7 lbs (I missed my scale when on vacay, and i'm pleasantly surprised that it told me I am a mere 1lb more than I weighed when I left...considering the sheer volume of chocolate chip cookies and alcohol I consumed, this is a total win. Plus I haven't pooped since Friday, lol) Yesterday, Tuesday Aug 20th: This was a travel day so my food intake left much to be desired. Unexpected delays and ensuing hunger caused to me make food choices I would have balked at before. But I long ago gave myself permission to go off plan with no guilt during this trip so its all good (all measurements are estimates). Will return to anal MFP tracking-mode tomorrow ❤️ 7:30am: 1 Americano, 1/2 a mango, 1/3 of a 2-egg omelet with 1 tbsp each of bacon and cheese 12:00pm: about 5-10 salt and vinegar chips 3:00pm: 1/2 bag of almonds 5:00pm: 1/2 a turkey and bacon wrap with mayo + 2 oz cheese + 4 crackers 7:00pm: other 1/2 of turkey and bacon wrap from 5pm meal 11:00pm: 3 bites of the Kid's Hawaiian panzaratto + salad with pumpkin seeds + 1/4 cup vanilla ice cream + 1 strawberry pocky stick (think a really thin breadstick-like cracker dipped in strawberry flavoured chocolate) Totals: ?? cals, ?? Protein, ?? NET carbs, ?? fat Exercise: NONE. It was basically just sitting and walking in airports today.

So wild! I'm still thinking it's the sugar alcohols though? Maybe the cottage cheese and yogurts use different sweeteners? That's just terrible though. Gah, I hate that feeling!

No sermon from me. I had wine within 90 days of surgery and have enjoyed it, beer and even cocktails with no problems since. Notice I said problems but didn't say issues. I've noticed small issues. The following is my own weird personal experience. YMMV. Alcohol just doesn't bring the same effect as it did before the surgery, so the buzz factor is gone. Wine brings a very vague buzz but it's over so fast you almost don't notice it. Real beer containing alcohol: no buzz at all yet near beer, eg Odouls etc, causes a slight buzz! Go figure! Cocktails bring a buzz but it's weaker than before and not fully pleasant. The "fun" of drinking is gone, I think never to return. So if you drink alcohol for the buzz you might never get it. If you drink for the chill and taste like I do, you won't miss any satisfaction. Drinks are still cold and still taste good. But there's no more "there" there. No lie, tonight after a sip of lambrusco, I found myself thinking, you know, this tastes like black cherry juice so why not just start chilling and drinking that. That's how weak the buzz is with no more fundus. But again YMMV. Use alcohol with caution.

Are you lactose intolerant? It honestly sounds like dumping to me. I had it just last night cuz I chose to have a crappy dinner instead of my planned dinner. Sucked. It sounds exactly like reactive hypoglycemia and some of the sugar alcohols cause this same reaction in bari-patients.

ALCOHOL One last thing: If you have any history of alcoholism in your family, be very very careful. Dr's haven't exactly figured out why, but rehabs are filled with Bariatric peeps. Some reports claim your odds of becoming a alcoholic after bariatric go up by 80%. Eighty. Much easier to never start than it is to quit.

I agree and great post. Sorry for Sally Speed-demon but awesome on Nurse Jackie! I think it could be a potential delicate walk. I used to work in hospitals while going to school and I can honestly say that bias DOES exist between doctors and nurses. They are taxed for time/energy/attention with all the people they must take care of during their shift. And they have to work with many repeat offenders who present over the legal limit (way over) and are incoherent and at crisis. And some come in with legit medical issues, but often they are written off because of their previous visits involving over-consumption of alcohol or their alcoholism. I can only think it's even worse now, since ER visits are up, nurse staffing is down, and so is doctor staffing. So I think that if you go to your bariatric surgeon and level with them, it's hard and could represent a gamble for that person. Cuz afterward, whatever your legit problem is or potentially is with surgery, you could just be written off as, "Well, he or she is an alcoholic so it's cuz of their alcohol problem." That same thing happens every day with mental health issues in practice (not just in bariatrics). And once you are labled a head case, docs are more resistant to seeing you and/or taking your issues seriously (beyond it being related to so-in-so's mental health). I know this happens. I've seen it happen working in the field. It is very tough to not get biased by underlying mental health and addiction issues. And it's very difficult for that patient to be taken seriously by anyone and not handed-off to an unsuspecting doctor somewhere else. They become a drain on their resources and income. No doc likes a squeaky wheel. It costs them money.

Nothing to add except this odd coincidence today 🕒🕒🕒🕒🕒🕒🕒 Story Time 🕒🕒🕒🕒🕒🕒🕒 So I'm sitting here the ER with a sore throat (waiting for my thoroughly hot physician to evaluate me) when a random patient blasts past me and nurses chase her down. I overhear the following conversation: *names changed to prevent HIPPA violations* Nurse Jackie: Where are going , hun? Sally Speedman: I'm going home to sleep Nurse Jackie: we can't let you go home. Youre intoxicated and threatened to harm yourself Sally Speedman: I want to go, I'm not drunk Nurse Jackie: Your alcohol level was over 400. We cant let you go. Security or Police will stop you and we will need to strap you to the bed. We don't want that. Please follow me back to your room Sally Speedman: This is my life & I can do whatever I want. I had gastic bypass so my alcohol only appears higher than normal people Nurse Jackie: Sorry but you are intoxicated and you have threatened to harm yourself 4x this month alone. The bypass doesn't change how much alcohol is currently in your blood. You are a danger to yourself. Crisis will need to evaluate you and your levels need to be stabilized before you are released... 🕒🕒🕒🕒🕒🕒🕒🕒🕒🕒🕒🕒🕒🕒🕒🕒🕒🕒🕒🕒 Patient is escorted by nurses and security back to room. I'm beginning to wonder how many people are experiencing crossover addictions/increased addiction/mental health crisis after WLS. We don't talk about it much prior to surgery except the warning not to drink etc but I don't see a lot of support groups/threads for it popping up either. Are they too embarrassed to ask for help so they simply fall through the cracks? Are Surgeons/Teams just not prepared to support these patients?

You can support your co worker. It's up to the family to do an intervention. If they dont know how to start the process, send your co worker resources in your area for alcoholism. There are also support groups for family members. Sent from my SM-G930T using BariatricPal mobile app

So, my coworker's brother had gastric bypass a few days after I did. Same office, different surgeon. This was 10 months ago almost. He is STILL not eating solid foods. He tried eating a few things, but he got sick, so now he has a food aversion and only eats jello and yogurt. On top of that, he has become an alcoholic. He had blood in his stool and a local doctor thought it was his colon, but then he woke up one night covered in blood. He went to the local hospital (not the one where our surgeon's are), and lost 3 pints of blood due to a bleeding ulcer in his pouch. He drinks a bottle of whiskey a day and also drinks beer. He looks GREY. He has lost nearly 300lbs in the last 10 months alone. He has not told our bariatric clinic about any of this. They don't know about the ulcer, or his drinking, or that he still isn't eating solid food. He is literally going to die. His family hasn't contacted the bariatric clinic either. I don't know this guy - only what my coworker has shared. She says that every day he tells her he regrets what he has done, but is ashamed to contact the bariatric surgeon because they are going to tell him to stop drinking and he doesn't want to. His family has been unable to get him to see anyone about the drinking. Should I make a call to my bariatric office and just be like "hey, I know you can't confirm or deny that this guy is a patient but so and so had surgery on this date with this doctor and this has happened... maybe just make a call to him as a casual "checkup"" in hopes that that will trigger him opening up to get help?

Alcohol is empty calories you know- but you're a Grownup so YMYBYC ( your money- your body-your choice) Okay?

THIS👆 I think it all depends on how you handled alcohol before starting this program. If it was very casual for you before, then you have a better chance of being able to control it after. Same goes for me, I can handle a glass or two every now and then, but I can definitely see the potential for addiction transfer if you're not careful.

I wonder if the "quick drunk" thing is more common in RNY patients since the pyloric valve is bypassed. Liquids go directly into our intestines (and right into our blood stream). I know alcoholism is a risk with any WLS, but the rapid intoxication may be more of an issue with RNY. I don't know this for a fact, though...

Yeah, the program will typically tell you to avoid all alcohol until about a year out. I was never a heavy drinker anyway, so that's relatively easy for me. The worst bit for me, even now, is avoiding soda. I miss the way carbonated drinks felt. Of course, now I've tried a sip of soda... and it felt pretty bad.

Thanks for the response. Luckily, I was raised with a healthy respect (and fear) of alcohol and I understand it’s risks. It is good to hear that I won’t have to be the odd man out forever though.

I agree with the above response. If you're thinking a drink or two once a month or something, then yes. If on a regular basis, then you could be playing with fire. Alcoholism rates are supposedly much higher in bariatric surgery patients than it is in the normal population because of transfer addiction.

Short answer, for an occasional drink after you have lost all the weight that you want to lose, yes. The qualification here is that it can be a slippery slope to overdoing it, though compared to an occasional slice of cheesecake, alcoholism is a lot tougher to recover from than carb overload. that's the biggest long term concern is addiction transfer, where what was an occasional indulgence turns to full blown addiction, so care is needed to maintain limits. As with other kinds of "treats" the solution for some is total abstinence as they don't have much control, while others can control an occasional indulgence. You know yourself best.

I’m in month 3/6 of my pre-op and have cut out all alcohol for the foreseeable future. Will there be a point when I may be able to enjoy a cocktail again post-op? Not a party guy, but I kinda miss a good gin and juice.

Get Dr. Jason Fung's book, "The Obesity Code." He does a very good job of explaining that insulin is what really makes us fat. Every time you increase your blood sugar with simple carbs, sugar, alcohol, your insulin shoots up to drive the sugar down, and send the calories to fat storage. When your blood sugar crashes, you get hungry and crave more sugar. This yo-yo stuff can go on indefinitely. The only way to break it is to stop the simple carbs and sugar. The fact that you have cravings after you drink alcohol indicates the same thing is happening. It takes about 3 days for the cravings to go away, and just a tiny taste can bring them raving back. The same pleasure receptors in the brain that are activated by sugar, are the same ones that activate for cocaine. Sugar is highly addictive - that's why it is in so much processed food that doesn't even need to taste sweet. An extra bonus: when I gave up wheat and sugar, ALL my joint pain went away! My brother experienced the same thing. These are such inflammatory foods. Once you see how good you can feel without them, and how bad (tired, achy, cravings, depressed) you feel when you eat them, it is much easier to "just say no." "It's just not worth it."

Totally do-able! Here are my tips. 1) Log every bite, with calories and protein. It is the only way you can look at trends and understand what your body is doing. 2) STICK WITH THE PROGRAM. Just do it. Don't cheat. It's not worth it. Just make up your mind to be determined in this and keep focused on the long term goal. 3) Exercise from the get-go. Get a step tracker and work toward 10,000 steps a day. I was doing this by the end of week one post op. Gradually add in other elements - stair climbing, light weights, leg exercises, stretching, swimming, biking, hiking, yoga, pilates, etc. It doesn't have to be at a gym. Set your exercise goals daily. There will be a LOT you cannot control after surgery - pain, nausea, food restriction, BUT you CAN control your exercise. I found this to be very empowering and helpful. Most research shows that people who stick with the food program AND exercise are the biggest losers who maintain the weight loss long term. You have to create a new lifestyle and it must include exercise. I am getting really toned now, with nice muscle definition in my arms and legs. This lean muscle burns more calories than fat, so it will be tremendously helpful in maintaining my goal weight. 4) Give up your addictions NOW - before surgery. recovery is hard enough without going through withdrawal as well. Sugar, simple carbs, alcohol, soda, caffeine. No matter what anyone says, flirting around with this stuff only undermines your longterm success. There is no reason to ever eat sugar again. It jacks your insulin up, which results in fat STORAGE, not fat burning, and creates cravings. Alcohol messes with your gut lining and can cause gastritis, ulcers, and erosion - even years after surgery. Besides, the empty calories are just not worth it. Without sugar and caffeine, my energy levels are higher than ever and constant throughout the day - no slumps. 5) Start focusing on unprocessed, whole foods. This is what you should be eating for life. If it comes in a box, don't eat it. Down the road when you can start adding carbs back in, make them whole cooked grains like quinoa, brown rice, teff, steel cut oats, amaranth, millet, sorghum, legumes like beans and lentils- not processed flours which absorb quickly and jack up insulin. Avoid wheat and corn as much as possible - they are the worst for raising insulin levels. Learn to love veggies when you can start having them. 6) Develop some mantras to get through tough situations. Mine are: "I AM NEVER GOING BACK!" "IT'S JUST NOT WORTH IT!" (When tempted by some treat or bite.) "I CAN'T HAVE THAT NOW, BUT I WILL HAVE IT LATER." (Foods will come back, gradually - just not right away. You WILL have versions of your favorite foods again, but you have to be patient.) 7) Above all - you must look forward to a new life that you will LOVE. Look at all the challenges as just another chapter in this new adventure. Stay positive about the changes you are making. Don't look at this as deprivation, but rather as a whole new you that is going to emerge as a beautiful butterfly. It is going to be hard sometimes, no doubt. But just the fact that you are asking this question shows that you are serious about making the changes and wanting the very best outcome. It takes tremendous effort - it really does. "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch" here. WLS is only a tool - it will help get a lot of weight off, but YOU have to do the rest. Go into this with fixed determination and you will be fine.

I like to eat out a lot. My husband was very concerned about me having the surgery because he thought he would miss our date nights. I got the gastric sleeve nine months ago. I am still in losing mode and I eat about 1,000 calories a day. I track calories, protein, carbs, and water. I am also one of the very lucky ones. No complications, no dumping, etc. I'm losing a bit slowly, in part, because I'm in perimenopause. The good news is I can eat all the foods I could before, just in much smaller quantities. I didn't drink soda before and still don't. I liked to drink alcohol before, I have cranked that way back to a special treat. I don't order dessert and rarely even feel like trying a bite. Probably the biggest change is if bread gets put on the table, I don't eat it. If I ate it, I would be about full and the show would be over. I can eat about 5 ounces and I know I need protein to function so one of my go-to's is raw fish. I eat a lot of sashimi, tuna tartare, oysters, shrimp cocktail, lobster cocktail, etc. These seem like some of the healthiest, tastiest foods to me now. I've figured out foods I can order at ethnic restaurants like Chicken Satay at Thai places. I usually order a salad with protein on it or an appetizer. So far, it's working out fine. I do have to reassure waiters/waitresses a lot that everything was good because I didn't eat much, but I take it home and either eat it the next day or give it to the doggos.

Are they a chewable or gummy type of vitamin? If so, perhaps it is the sweetener that is used in them, typically a sugar alcohol or sucralose, that are known to sometimes have that effect.

I just had my bariatric seminar lastnight, & I asked the question that if you have f2 NASH (non alcoholic steatohepatitis), and the BMI is NOT 35 or above, pre diabetes, high blood cholesterol, high BP, am are you still qualified for surgery? I was told yes.

Agree with all above. I learned to get copies of EVERYTHING to keep in my own file in case something got lost. Sure enough, the doc's office lost my sleep study results (BUT I HAD IT) and they couldn't find the cardiology clearance (BUT I HAD IT) and then they lost the psych eval (BUT I HAD IT)!!! The insurance initially denied my surgery because of the missing psych eval. It took me nearly a year to jump through all the hoops, but I think it was a good thing. I had time to really think through the whole surgery idea and make sure it was what I really wanted to do. I watched a ton of videos and read a lot of literature, so I think I was well informed about the good and the bad. I also started making major dietary changes so that I wouldn't have to do that after surgery (eliminating sugar, soda, caffeine, alcohol.) I do not regret the year's delay. Only wish I had done it earlier in my life, but then again, I might not have been to point of absolute commitment to the program because there were no other options left for me at age 63, which my joints failing and my health rapidly declining.

I also would have been very nervous if i looked through people's food logs. I was never going to eat only protein 5x a day, i needed vegetarian options too and those by virtue are high carb/cal. I really only gave up the things my Team told me to: carbonation, alcohol (I don't drink anyway) excess sugar, then caffeine, bread pasta & rice (I dont care for pasta or rice so... NBD) for the first 6 months. And even then they gave me wiggle room for my Roman Holiday at 4 months post op. I was told sure eat pizza, but get protein too. So I ate pizza pasta & gelato nonstop for 2 weeks and pastries crossaints, fried chicken tenders and kebab for 10 more days in Paris (only the panna cotta bothered me- the fabled Parisian dumping incident). Lost weight. I made tons substitutions stateside for healthier versions of things and i will eat (or drink 😂) a salad in a min because i actually like them. But im satified that none of my choices make me anxious. I really really value that freedom. Maybe its because I've never dieted before or maybe its a personality flaw, but i find the idea of constantly dieting or diet mode after surgery not a good fit for me which is why my MPF page is super lonely these days.

Some would definitely hate me! 🤣 I think we are, or at least were, very similar with the amount of restriction. Mine was pretty extreme, which I was grateful for, most of the time. Near the 1 yr mark my relaxed pretty significantly. I can eat enough now that it doesn't usually attract attention when I eat out. We are also pretty similar in that I didn't have much physical hunger for a long time. Even now mine is pretty controllable if I fast & push liquids. Here's my brunch yesterday (Hush puppies covered with sausage gravy & bacon) As the picture illustrates, I get my calories in by eating pretty calorie dense foods, by eating frequently, & liquid calories (ie alcohol) (I don't drink daily, but I'm by definition a binge drinker)