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The issues with alcohol and the lapband are that alcohol is empty calories, drinking alcohol can lower your resistance to making poor food choices, and you may be affected more quickly by a smaller amount of alcohol. I had a drink on Friday evening (16 months post-op) and felt the effects quite quickly.

Ah, I couldn't live with my frozen margaritas! Alcoholic drinks offer no nutritional value and are simply empty calories, so you must track them closely. SageTracey hit the nail right on the head! My thought is, a few drinks will not hurt you, but definitely won't help your weight loss goals either.

Can't really vouch for post band, but I'm a long time low carber and my goal was always 20-30 after subtracting fiber/sugar alcohols (aka net carbs). that was being very strict, tho. Most of my carbs would come from vegetables or quest bars

I was banded Oct of 2009 and lost 200 pounds. I was 368 lbs and went down to 168. I was too tight and never could eat except dinner. I liked drinking alcohol, but my like for it became extreme once I took away the food I use to eat to deal with life. I would go out to dinner and order my food to go and just drink the entire time everyone ate because I did not want to keep getting up to run to the bathroom. I turned myself into a alcoholic, or I could say the problem reared its head fast once I took away food from my life. Anyway I am now sober and got to AA, but I did not know that you cause an extreme sugar addiction when you are an alcoholic. I never ate a ton of sugar. Sure I had ice cream a couple times a week, but never gained weight from it. I started eating like 3 pints of Ben and Jerrys a day. Since Sept I put on 71 pounds from pure sugar. Now of course comes the depression, none of my clothes fit, and my body hurts just walking again. I just got a fill and explained everything to my doctor. I am finding I can eat huge portions again and that is scary. I eat all the time and am hungry.I may go in for another fill, but would like to work on getting back on track first. I do enjoy not vomiting every time I eat and I know another fill could bring me to that. I never snacked, never over ate, never gained weight over 5 years. This has really turned my life upside down. I am not willing to let my overcoming alcohol ruin 5 yrs of constant weight loss. No way! It was bad to be heavy before, but to lose that much weight and be packing it on is so much worse. Anyway I could really use a network of weight loss friends to get back on track and be happy again. I am not good at these msg boards so who knows if I will be able to find this site again. If you all have some group or place to support each other my email address is diana_dickey00@yahoo.com let me know where to find it on the site. I may figure it out once I post this, but just in case. Thank you to everyone that shared on the site. It has given me a lift and hope. You all stay strong. We can do this. Diana Tampa, FL

I personally use unhurt. I am allergic to most the others because they sugar alcohols Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hey, where I can find this book? Does it helped you? I would like to read it too 'cause I really cannot stop eating sweets and I really need a detox. You know I think that chocolates are making a real addiction. It is the same as drugs or alcohol. I'm really afraid of my health. I even started to look for some clinics that can provide some sugar detox but the only think that I found is this site https://www.lifeline.org.uk/heroin-addiction/ they are working with drug addictors but I guess that for me, my heroin are sweets lol. Do you think that they can give me some advices?

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.

Great article, but I have a question. Sometimes I will read a label and it will have a "total carbs" amount, for example: 20 total carbs. The label then lists the sugar carbs and sugar alcohol carbs and Fiber. But they don't always add up to the total carbs listed. Do you know what and why these unlisted carbs are? Thanks, Randy

Thanks! One more question, can drinking (non alcohol) too much cause the pouch to stretch as well?

You are absolutely right. The bypass definitely makes alcohol a big fat no-no. For sure it can create an alcoholic out of somebody who never had a problem very quickly. But the sleeve is not the same thing Thank goodness and I never had a problem with drinking alcohol in the past but I certainly enjoy a glass of wine from time to time. I had 3 oz of white wine last night over 2 hours. I never once felt buzzed and I enjoyed it very much with a little bit of cheese. As for soda I have never been a big soda drinker. I can't drink caffeine I can't tolerate it for the last four or five years I have had no caffeine in my life and I'm better off for it. And soda doesn't call to me thank goodness. I'm good with water. Every now and then I have Crystal light but I actually get bored of Crystal light and crave plain water.

Just remember to take it slow. Our bodies absorb alcohol differently now.

I read the previous post. My NUT does not count sugar alcohols. So I do total carbs minus fiber minus sugar alcohols. It might not make a huge difference in the daily total since not a lot of things have SA but if you eat any SF items on a regular basis it is going to greatly impact your count. I don't know if you use My Fitness Pal but many SF and NSA items you can search for the food with just net carbs, if that is what you count. Ex: ole tortillas net carbs

Hey just do it. Worth spending the money to stop that never ending cycle of yo yo dieting. Plus having a wardrobe full of UK size 10 12 14 and 16 and then never having anything in the right size to wear. 4 days post op doing everything I should and just back from 1 hours walk. I may be posting silly talk but BMI start of 32 is potentially a BMI start of 42 1 year away. If all my health issues plus not drinking alcohol go to plan and I have no unforeseen complications, I have now taken responsibility for my own life health mobility confidence and happiness . Go low BMI. Girls x

I can't believe our insurance companies would rather pay for heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, and what ever else comes our way. I am so tired of premiums up the wazzu and they pay for drug rehab and alcohol rehab, but what about eating rehab???

I just read over some of my blogs and posts. I don't even remember what its like to feel like that anymore. Today I feel good. I actually just broke up with this recent boyfriend and I feel good about having some me time. He was just drunk and said some stupid things to me. But I'm just not going to settle or put up with it. Why? Hell no am I going to be my mom. No way! Alcoholism is a serious issue. When you don't know when to stop drinking every time you drink, you shouldn't even waste your time. Since he isn't smart enough to not waste time, I'm not going to waste mine. I'm a freshman in college. Your high if you think I can't move on. :]

You got that right! I grew up with an alcoholic and it was horrible!

I just read over some of my blogs and posts. I don't even remember what its like to feel like that anymore. Today I feel good. I actually just broke up with this recent boyfriend and I feel good about having some me time. He was just drunk and said some stupid things to me. But I'm just not going to settle or put up with it. Why? Hell no am I going to be my mom. No way! Alcoholism is a serious issue. When you don't know when to stop drinking every time you drink, you shouldn't even waste your time. Since he isn't smart enough to not waste time, I'm not going to waste mine. I'm a freshman in college. Your high if you think I can't move on. :]

Emotions???? I don't know if I can put into words how I feel, but here goes. Surgery tomorrow. Woke up feeling very sad, and tierd. This confused me. I should be excited. Now whats wrong me. Maybe I am crazy. Well I guess I can try to explore these feelings since I can no longer turn to my best friend (FOOD). Well I am a little nervous about the pain after surgery. I have Fibromyalgia, so Doctor said pain is worse for us, and recovery usually twice as long. I have given birth to 5 children, 4 no drugs, heck the Dr. didn't even make it in time for birth of my son. Not good, very painful. Baby was 10 pounds 1 oz. Survived that, getting banded will be fine. Next emotion- Feeling sad? I am going to miss my friend. We have been through so much together. Drug and alcohol addiction,(been sober 16 years) Divorce, quit smoking(defiantly ate my way through that one) Losing my mom, and 5 kids moving out and starting their own lives, and so much more. We won't even get into all the good times. Why does popcorn with extra butter make every movie just a little bit better? Is food really my best friend? NO!! I have gained 147 pounds eating my way through life, which of course has caused numerous health problems. Next emotion? Trying not to get to excited so I won't feel let down if surgery doesn't happen tomorrow. Well that one is just dumb get over it! I then decide to come here so I can write down how I feel. That in itself is weird. I don't blog, heck I don't even journal. But oddly enough it seems to help allot. I log on and I am so surprised people not only read my blog but they left comments!!! While I am reading them I get tears in my eyes. Tears of joy :smile: People care about me and my feelings. Now that's a new feeling. Their support and words of encouragement are truly amazing. One person was even spot on about me taking care of everyone else but me. I have said these very words. I have been a wife since I was 18, and a mom at 19. It has never been about me, and I think its about time!! This has left my kids wondering what about them. They want to know if we will have still have family dinner every sat. and many more questions about them. Whatever. It is time they see me as more than a short- order cook. Hey I like that feeling:lol: So I have explored each emotion instead of eating. Outcome? I feel nothing but excitement. I am having life changing surgery in exactly 24 hours and 3 min from right now!!! :thumbup:How blessed am I!!!

Ice tea unsweetened with a gang load of lemon or lime. I have never liked alcohol so it's same ol' same ol' to me when I go to happy hour with a client and/or co-worker.

It won't mess up your band if you drink alcohol. What messes up your band is throwing up. Trust me, if you eat something you shouldn't or if you get sick, you will throw up. BE CAREFUL WITH THROWING UP! I had the band and am now going to the sleeve because the band was causing problems for me. Throwing up is not normal and if you do start doing it and it lasts, you need to go to the doctor and have it checked. I'm sure you know this but alcohol will put weight on you faster than anything. Be careful.

Throwing up when you get too drunk is a protective measure our body takes to prevent alcohol poisoning. Just keep it in mind that you cannot even make yourself vomit now. I have zero judgment about drinking, but safety requires that you keep yourself from a point of danger even more so now that you are banded. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Drug addiction is considered a contraindication for bariatric surgery. Success with the band especially requires the patient to take personal responsibility for their eating and exercise behavior. Based on decades of experience with my brother's drug addiction (painkillers), personal responsibility is not in addicts' vocabulary. I feel empathy for your friend because I struggle with my own addiction (food), but it seems to me that she's got to prioritize her issues, put the drug thing on the top of the list, deal with that and stay clean for a year or so before she tackles the obesity issue. My fear for her would be that if she had WLS and was no longer able to turn to food for comfort, stress, etc., she would end up going back to some kind of chemical addiction. On a more practical level, drug & alcohol addiction do a number on the addict's liver. Part of the liver lies on top of the area on the stomach where the band is attached, so the surgeon has to be able to handle it safely. If it's enlarged or diseased, the patient's surgery is much more risky.

Eating till you're satisfied is an interesting point, I've been focussing on this with a psychologist I'm seeing for post cancer issues - having my band unfilled, losing so much weight (and liking being ultra ultra skinny) and having trouble getting good restriction back has really messed with my head. Just like some people quip without thinking "Oh, I'm a food addict", I would probably say "I'm a binge eater". Yet, I might get a huge desire for sugar, and begin eating and eat what I consider to be WAY too much of that food (a packet of Cookies for example). However, in reality it might be seven or eight cookies - nowhere near what really constitutes a "binge". I've never eaten from the garbage can, never eaten one food after another in an hours long episode, I have a specific desire and I indulge it. And once I'm satisfied - which unfortunately only comes after 700 or 800 calories have been ingested - that desire simply switches off and I dont think about food again till I'm hungry. That's not a binge eater and that's not a food addict - although I sure do have a real problem with cookies. They're a trigger food and I absolutely cannot and never have been able to eat one or two. I can feel like a Big Mac once or twice a year and have it, enjoy it and not think about it again for another six months. Its just sugar - cookies, muffins, cakes etc. There's a definite pay off, I can literally feel sugar hit my bloodstream and soothe me. In analysing it with my psycyhologist, it is absolutely definitely triggered by tiredness and general daily stress. It has been worsened by the anxiety and depression I've battled with from time to time this year and improved out of sight by starting hormone replacement therapy. It also tends to happen because I exercise to a point where I need a balanced 2000 calorie a day diet, but have a lapband and dont eat that much. You can prevent hunger, but you cant fool your body with a band, it finds ways to get what it "thinks" it needs. My body often cries out for energy in the form of another little sugar "binge". I've learned the mental association, since that need could be fulfilled with chicken and carrots. Its in my head, not my body. So that's a trigger food situation - a food that has a physical effect on your body that you like, a food you turn to when your body is in a particular physical state, a food that you've learned to associate with feeling a certain way and so turn to in particular situations. I dont think that's quite the same as alcoholism or drug addiction although its similar, I think there's a bit more of a mental dependence and not a physical one.

My wife was diagnosed and suffered from depression for the first 15 years we have been together. She was the child of two abusive alcoholics, who made a clear cut distinction between her and her younger sister. She went through various anti- depressives before the psychiatrist found the correct pill for her. She also went through many years of therapy and did gain a lot of weight but that came off after she found the right cocktail. She has now been off medicine and out of therapy for 12 years and is feeling great. Finding the right pill and therapist will help you greatly. You may need to deal with two different therapists, one for the depression and one for your food issues. I wish you the very best from as the husband who went through this with his wife.

For details on the methodology and demographics, read the full article from the Feb. 2011 issue of the JACS here: http://www.journalacs.org/article/S1072-7515(10)01090-2/fulltext The link I provided in my initial entry was for the abstract press release on the study, not the full study itself. I suggest reading the whole study for more information. I know there were 19 test subjects, so I assume there were a mix of male and female, with different body weights. The results shown were of course a statistical result across all of the patients. The statistical probability of these values being correctly representative of the expressed population is excellent (p values all < 0.001). Of course, individuals will vary somewhat. Note that while this study has a subjective component (the questionnaire about how the subject felt after the test), the results were described in objective terms (BAC levels). It is definitely possible for one person to "feel" intoxicated while another does not, but for both of their BAC levels to be the same; objectively, they are both as inebriated, and with the same loss of function, even though they might not feel that way. Obviously one study is not conclusive, no matter how good the statistical sampling. All I provided was one study. If you can find an alternative study that refutes these findings, it would be very good to see. In my (albeit quick) research, I found a few more studies, but they all seemed to suggest the same things as these findings. I don't have time to sort through it, was just wondering if you knew offhand. I have the sleeve so it's not the same, so it's not applicable to me. It's just as a statistician my first thought is always correlation is not causation and losing weight in general is a reason for alcohol tolerance to decrease so I wondered how much of this was on top of the normal decrease in tolerance. Just something to think about when reading.