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Some of us have very serious and dangerous food addictions. Would you tell a recovering alcoholic it's ok to have an occasional drink and not to beat themselves up over it? Because that's what it's like for me. All it takes is just one slip up and it's like I fell off the wagon. I'm so happy for you that you don't have these issues, sincerely, but please don't judge those of us that do. For some of us that little slip of really can seem like the end of the world. Just saying. .. lol

Hello everyone, So I haven't had my surgery yet. Still seeing the nutritionist and getting all the pre-op work finished. Haven't set a date yet but they said 6 months after my consultation so around end of October early November. That being said I'm going to Los Angeles with my mom on May 1 and I'm scared I won't be able to enjoy everything I have planned so I'm hoping to get some incite from others who are 5/6 months post-op and/or have tried the questions I'm going to ask below. Questions: Please be respectful and honest if responding (: I'm very new to this and these are just some wondering questions I had floating around 1. So yes, we all get the point of the surgery is to lose weight and lead a healthy lifestyle BUT that doesn't mean we can't enjoy ourselves sometimes. My favorite food chain is in LA, In-N-Out Burger. Will I be able to eat a cheeseburger and small fry with like a milkshake? Clearly I won't be opting for this on the daily but we all still need to indulge in our favorites once in a while and I'm not sure how much of it I'll be able to eat I'm assuming maybe like 1/3 or maybe 1/2 of the entire meal. But does anyone have experience with eating cheeseburgers, fries and a milkshake on like a vacation or for just a little "cheat meal"? (Again, I get the point is to NOT eat these types of food but sometimes you have urges especially on vacations). 2. I absolutely LOVE sparkling water like La Croix and San Pellegrino, does anyone drink sparkling water on occasion? 3. Cocktails and Wine, I'm not sure about you but being 24 I like to have myself an occasional couple of social beverages, how was your experience with alcohol both mixed drinks (hard liquor) and wine? (Don't worry about beer I don't like it). 4. Not to generalize but I think a lot of people have a sweet tooth, I love the occasional scone, croissant, cookie, French macaron, etc. how has your experience with these types of baked pastries been? 5. Coffee. I'm ADDICTED to coffee and espresso beverages; lattes, macchiatos, cappuccinos, matcha lattes. How have these affected you and do you sweeten them at all or keep it plain? Can you sweeten them with like flavored syrups like a pump of lavender simple syrup or matcha powder? 6. Now I know the clear answer and feedback I'm going to get on this question but for those who aren't going to just simply says "QUIT!!!" then I'd appreciate an answer, don't answer this is you're going to lecture me on how bad this is in general regardless of VSG, I know it's bad, I'm not stupid but it's an addictive habit I'm trying to quit. Smoking. How have cigarettes or e-cigs like Juul's affected you? Does it bother your stomach or can you smoke without issue? If so how many cigarettes or Juul pods do you go through a day? 7. This is hopefully not going to be a struggle but when I eat I like to sip on water or unsweetened iced tea, coffee, etc. I know in the beginning you're supposed to drink like 30 minutes BEFORE consuming food. How soon after can you drink something? Also will there be a time when eventually I can have a beverage while eating a snack or meal? Or will I forever not be able to consume liquids and solids at the same time? Thank you guys so much for the support and I appreciate all of the insightful comments to come! Best of luck on your journey. xo, CashmereAndBones

I've always subtracts out fiber and sugar alcohols. The human body doesn't have the enzyme to break down fiber that's derived from plants, including fruits, vegetables and grains. Because your body cannot digest fiber, it does not provide calories for energy or nutrients for cells. I try to stick to foods that are low on the glycemic index. @@BaileyBariatrics are you a RD?

"Drink whenever I can"...that is alot of calories, possibly the 20 lbs or so you gained. Perhaps it is time to see if you have replaced food with alcohol, and get some real help...and discuss this with your partner.

Xylitol is probably the only sugar alcohol (so far) that doesn't have a laxative effect on me, and I use to chew a lot of it in th past.

I've also been giving this a lot of thought so you are not alone I liked having a beer and beer is the drink I have when I go out with friends. But what to do.. Beer is the most inexpensive drink I think so it was easy to buy some I also love all carbonated alcoholic drinks, but no more ugh:( I think I will go for Smirnoff Ice. I like that drink. It's more expensive but it's refreshing

I'm 20 days post-op and I've explained as much as I could to my friends and family what this surgery is all about. But no matter how much I explain it to these people, they keep asking me the "When can you have ____?" questions. You know, "When can you have ice cream again?" "When can you have hamburgers again?" "When can you drink alcohol again?" It seems all they're interested in is when I can start eating/drinking certain foods again. They just don't get it. I've tried to be patient and explain to them that it's not just a surgery, it's also a lifestyle change. But they seem to fixate on the whole "timeline" aspect of it. And they never stop to consider that the last thing I want to do is think about all the foods I can't have yet (or can't have anymore). And god forbid I tell them something like, "I can't have soda anymore," they respond with that wide-eyed "No!! Oh wowwww!!!" in a tone that clearly indicates galactic doom. It's just not what I need right now and I've had to brusquely tell them to stop talking to me about it. I feel bad, but I can't take it anymore. Has anyone else encountered this phenomenon?

Interestingly enough, I was just asked by a friend last night when I can drink alcohol again and was appalled when I said "probably never". Her idea of drinking alcohol is getting drunk and acting stupid. Someday I may be able to have a glass of wine or a craft beer, but honestly I have no desire for it.

I waited 4 weeks. When you do, remember that alcohol tends to dehydrate you a bit. So increase your water consumption. I have noticed that I'm tighter in the evenings after a stressful day. The half glass of wine on those days, loosens it back up and I'm able to eat normally. I just don't do it every day. I was banded on Nov. 19th and have only done this about 5 times. Lots of empty calories......

I did very well. Water was difficult at first because I was so full from even the tiniest bit of Protein. My surgeon and nut actually customize the plan for people based on their sw, gw, history of weight loss, and eating habits. For me, there were very few restrictions... the one I'm still following is to abstain from bananas and carbonation; all other restrictions are gone. I gradually added in caffeine (one cup/day as per my nut), alcohol (maybe twice a month, one drink), carbs (less than 40/day, about to go up to 80), 100 g of protein (started at 60), exercise (every day at first, then vigorously 3-4 X week for 45 minutes), sleep (very important- this really affects your metabolism and most plans I've seen don't address this), Vitamins. Since the restrictions were fewer at each stage and since I came into this with pretty good eating habits, by the third month I was basically off the leash to do what I wanted provided I met protein/carb goals. I kept a glass water bottle with me and knew that I had to empty it 3X every day to get in the water (I still use it). I tracked everything I ate. I began by walking every day and then transitioned into running and biking. I'm no athlete but I actually like exercise now! My other tip is to have a good relationship with your scale. My surgeon also had guidelines for that. Daily weight for two weeks so you can see your progress, then every 4-5 days until the 4th month, then once a week... once you hit gw, once every two weeks. I wish that I had followed this protocol but I didn't until I was about 2 1/2 months post op. The scale can make you crazy!

Alcohol has never played a big part in my life. Probably helped by the fact that I hate wine (don't stone me, please!) and that my driug of choice was food. So I haven't bothered to drink since being sleeved. However, with the festive season looming, it might be nice to have a non-fizzy go-to drink. I am slightly apprehensive about drinking anything (heard the horror stories of how quickly you can get wrecked) but what's your experience of introducing alcohol to your sleeve? And what's your favourite tipple now? Thanks...

I'm surprised at the vitamin situation. Id be nervous to not take them. How do you manage alcohol? Do you drink anything carbonated? I have GERD as well and I take meds so thinking RNY might be my best option.

I think alot of children of alcoholic parent(s) grow up having no choice but to have a good sense of humor, its the only way out. I am also the youngest of 7 so my elders taught me well. To this day we still do silly stuff and we are all in our 40's and 50's. Life is to short not to laugh.

I gave up anything carbonated, alcohol, sweetened begs and any sweetener that wasn’t natural years ago. Coffee was my last real THING! 😜 :). Argh!

I didn't find out til after I was in recovery that mine was enlarged. They did a biopsy and it can't back with stage 1 non alcohol fatty liver disease aka nash aka nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. I'm fine, losing the weight will help it keep from progressing. it's partially hereditary for me. My grandmother had the same issue. She ended up with cirrhosis and was never overweight or drinking. There have been recent studies that show it is related to high fructose corn syrup. our generation are the ones who have had that crap in our foods our entire lives. So where those 50s to the elderly are the ones who are developing this disease as adults, it's happening to twenty somethings also. So long story short, get your kids off of it. Even if they don't have weight issues. Just my opinion. But I am 27 and have Nash. It may not seen to hurt them now...

I'd love to hear how I screwed up. I never ate off plan until I passed goal. I followed every instruction my doctor gave me. I have gotten 60g+ Protein and 64oz+ Water every day. (Except when I was so nauseous from a medication I was on for a C. diff infection that I couldn't even swallow my own spit...which of course led to dehydration and IV fluids at which point my doctor and I found an alternative solution to cure the infection. In other words, make sure you drink!). I take my Vitamins every day. I get my bloodwork done as recommended and adjust supplements accordingly. I am active everyday. I lost over 100% of my excess weight and have kept it off for 7 months. Sure, now I eat deserts and carbs and drink alcohol, but I'm in maintenance and I'm allowed anything and everything in moderation. Any weight gain I observe I immediately check by going back to strict protein and veggies. Again, where is my non compliance? But if I was, then good for me for being so successful despite all my cheating! My point to the OP is that this is a lifetime commitment and she struggled with just 7 days. food addiction is serious business and everyone needs to get whatever help they can to overcome it. Like @@VSGAnn2014 said, not everyone is successful with this tool and not taking responsibility for your choices and trying to validate cheating makes for a slippery slope towards failure. I consider myself a rockstar of WLS, and I'm on here to pay it forward. I'm a big proponent of everyone making a plan that works for them. My way is not the only way, just one of the many ways that works. But not being able to say no to sweets is generally not one of the plans that works.

a person i know uses xylitol based gummy bears to break constipation. gastric “side effects” happen with overconsumption of some sugar alcohols (a couple spoonfuls of the sweetener may work too)… the body can’t process it for energy so no calorie issues

I have had alcohol on several occasions since my surgery. The first was at 3 weeks out and I had two glasses of wine over the course of about 5 hours. I made sure to get in all my Protein that day using my shakes and then actually budgeted the calories into my plan for the day. Just be sure to make sure it's not a really bubbly wine. I drank Riesling. The second occasion was about 6 wks out and I drank a margarita on the rocks and a vodka cranberry. (those were not budgeted in but I actually lost weight the morning after.) I will say the only issue I have had was the frozen margarita I tried to drink last weekend. I got down about half of it and was sick to my stomach. I guess it's all the sugar in a frozen drink. Whatever you choose to do is up to you personally! Good luck to you!! Kacy Sent from my iPhone using VST

Happy New Year to you and everyone else too. I only had 1 beer and stayed away from the chips, crackers and sweets, but I enjoyed the other Snacks at the party. I wonder how many people didn't realize how alcohol can have a greater effect on them post WLS (I would like to be at their party to observe that ).

Beautiful post. You're right - a food addiction is tough- you can't quit "cold turkey" because you need food to live - you don't need alcohol or drugs or other things people get addicted to in order to live. You can't just remove the temptation, you have to beat it. Congrats to everyone that continues the battle against food addiction and wakes up the next day to fight it again!

Misinformation about Weight Loss Surgery If you have ever who has discussed weight loss surgery with uninformed individuals, you know that the initial reaction is likely to be negative and backed by false information or no information at all. Many people who have not investigated weight loss surgery believe that the surgery is a quick fix for lazy people. They may think that you can walk in off the street and leave from bariatric surgery a couple hundred pounds lighter; that you chose to ignore your weight for years; and that all bariatric surgery is the same;. Wrong, wrong and wrong. These misperceptions contribute to the stigma associated with weight loss surgery. People may look down on surgery as the “easy way out” for “lazy people,” instead of as a tool for hard-working people to have the opportunity to lead the healthy lives that everyone should have the chance to lead. You already know that you’re not lazy and that bariatric surgery is not a magic bullet; the next time you run across an uninformed, disparaging individual, you can patiently explain to them the steps of the process and the hard work you and every other successful weight loss surgery patient puts in. Not Everyone is Eligible for Weight Loss Surgery You can’t just “go get bariatric surgery,” and this is an important fact to understand to reduce the stigma associated with weight loss surgery. Each weight loss center has strict eligibility requirements that you have to meet before you can become a candidate. In general, patients must be morbidly obese, with a BMI over 40, or have a BMI over 35 and have health complications related to being overweight; for example, you might be eligible if you have a BMI of 35 and already have type 2 diabetes or high cholesterol levels. Most clinics have additional eligibility criteria that you need to meet before being considered as a potential bariatric surgery candidate. You need to have been overweight for several years, usually over five years. You also need to show that you have tried, unsuccessfully, to lose weight multiple times through diet alone. You cannot be a smoker or be an abuser of alcohol or drugs because the additional health risks from surgery will be too great. Pregnant women or women who want to become pregnant soon should not have bariatric surgery because pregnancy is only safe after your weight is constant. The decision to have surgery requires significant consideration and planning. Bariatric Surgery Requires Preparation Bariatric surgery itself does not guarantee permanent weight loss success, and much of the responsibility for losing weight will be up to you. Even after going through the screening process and learning that your clinic agrees that some form of bariatric surgery is right for you, several steps remain before you can undergo the procedure. The steps are in place to ensure that you are likely to succeed with the surgery and are not signing up on a whim. You will meet your bariatric team members, including your surgeon, dietitian and psychologist or psychiatrist. In most cases, you will undergo a psychological interview or series of tests to make sure that you are capable of sticking to the required diet. You may be asked to follow a specific diet for weeks before your scheduled surgery to demonstrate your commitment and ability to succeed after the operation. This step may also be required by your health insurance company for your bariatric procedure to be covered. There are Risks People need to understand that you can’t take bariatric surgery lightly. Each type of surgery has risks, although different processes are riskier than others. The lap band is relatively low-risk, with minor concerns of the band slipping out of place or infections at the incision site. Roux-n-Y gastric bypass carries a higher rate of complications, including ulcers, spleen injuries, leakage through staples and deficiencies of micronutrients, such as vitamin B-12 and iron. Nobody would choose to have a bariatric procedure if they weren’t convinced that they had tried all of their other options to get healthy. It’s a Long Process Bariatric surgery is a crucial milestone, but it is early in your weight loss journey and bariatric care plan. After surgery, you will continue to have follow-up appointments with your surgeon as dictated by your health and type of weight loss surgery. You will also meet with your dietitian regularly to stay on track with your diet. Most clinics have optional or mandatory support groups to motivate you and provide opportunities to ask your surgeon and fellow patients questions in a group setting. The surgery does not take off any weight. It’s a tool to make it easier for the patient to follow the proper diet for the long term. Contrary to what some people may believe, you do not lose any weight during the surgery. All of the weight that you lose is because of changes to your diet. The surgical procedures help you eat less by limiting the size of your stomach and making you feel full faster. Even if you lose 100 pounds in your first year, which is a standard benchmark for success, you may still have more weight to lose. Once you reach your goal weight, you still need to watch your diet and exercise regularly to keep the weight off. In Conclusion You’re already familiar with the intensive efforts required for weight loss surgery, but unfortunately, most people are not. This often leads to negative reactions when you tell them about your procedure. An important step you can take in reducing the stigma is to explain that the procedure is a component of an overall program to improve your health through lifestyle modifications.

Its really pretty easy. The first rule of healthy is variety. Dont eat the same thing day in day out. You need to decide whether the low carb thing sits well with you or not, for me I dont believe in it, dont have an interest in living that way and would have to relearn planning and cooking a healthy diet, so I just eat "normally". So..... eat a lot of different foods, try to include a few different coloured vegies on your plate with your evening meal, try to eat two fruit, five veg a day, dont overdo the bread, Pasta and rice, eat the wholegrain or wholemeal varieties where possible, dont add fat when cooking and definitely dont bread and fry things - the grill and the barbecue and dry roasting are best. Most nights of the week we do eat boring and plain - ie. a piece of Protein be it chicken, fish or red meat simply prepared, potato and vegies. We'll do a rice or pasta meal once a week. Home made Soup makes a good dinner and your family can have a bread roll with that even if you dont. Salads, yogurt, fruit and nuts, someting on crackers and some fruit makes good lunches, and I always stick with a basic good quality Cereal (oatmeal, muesli etc) for Breakfast, usually with some berries and a dollop of yogurt, or a piece of wholegrain toast with Peanut Butter (or vegemite, lol, I am an Aussie after all). I pretty much stick with 3 meals a day, no Snacks, no seconds, avoid sweet stuff nearly all of the time and dont have a lot of alcohol or liquid calories. I lost 130lb, and have maintained that loss unfilled for five months now, just a basic, sensible diet really does work - but I do run for an hour or so or go to the gym most days.

1. Sedentary work approx. 6 weeks. Although I didn't take time off because I work from home. 3. You can drink Protein Drinks but watch the sugar content. I made my own or went to Tropical Smoothie. 4. I wouldn't take the chance with Alcohol, I'd assume a small amount would make you tipsy. 8. Not really. I'm 7 weeks post op and only have incision itching from the largest incision. 9. You could get pregnant right after surgery. Fairly common I heard. 10. Yes, yes, and yes. Stay hydrated. 11. The food will sit on your chest. May cause you to vomit. Sit up.

I know that I will not be able to be off for 6 weeks. I can be off 2 weeks at most. I'm a fast healer. When I had a breast reduction, I was out shopping in 3 days. I'll take things easy. Yeah, I assume even a little bit of alcohol will make someone with a small stomach tipsy. I'm not big on alcohol. It's never really appealed to me like is has to my friends. I guess I'm in the wrong generation sometimes, lol! Thanks so much for your response!

Only last night i had a couple glasses of wine and a glass of vodka also with orange juice . first alcoholic drink sine op , I was fine , went down ok , didnt feel the need for any more ... note the 3 drinks were consumed over a period of 5 hours . My surgeon said fine as long as in moderation and again the empty calorie scenario .. ie calories in , but nothing much else from the alchohol. That had been my first drink in 6 weeks , which is good for me as I do like a drink also , but thats the old me and now I am just going to treat myself once a month , to a couple of drinks whilst out after having dinner with my wife. Again as recommended discuss with your surgeon , everyone different and everyones surgeon give different advice based on what info they have etc tc best of luck :wub: