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I agree with the above post I am 100lbs down and the alcohol affects me quicker then it used to I can not drink beer due to the carbonation, but I can drink mixed alcohol. The biggest thing you want to remember is that alcohol is high in calories and so if you drink it often it will not help your weight loss. I can drink about the same amount as far as oz but I can not slam shots as this makes me sick. Life is not over after the band its just beginning....

Are you on an acid reducer like Prilosec, Protonix, Nexium or Prevacid? If you are, you might need to change to a different one, if you aren't, I would recommend talking to your surgeon about getting on one. Alcohol definitely relaxes my sleeve, and all it does is allow me to eat more. I hope you feel better soon. Your sleeve is healed, and you really shouldn't be having these issues this far out. I hope you feel better soon, and hopefully your surgeon has some suggestions for you.

Hi, I have staples in that were very itchy. My Mother suggested taking a q-tip and putting alcohol on the incisions. She says this helps with bug bites as well! Take care!

I don't drink alcohol, much. But he couple times I have had a drink, it goes to my head quicker. I have lost 100 lbs, so size makes a difference. But 1 drink, gives me a buzz. I had a Bud light on tap watching football yesterday, just one was all that I could drink. So, my answer is "yes" it affects you differently. I have been banded for 1 year. Karen(kll724)

Oh the only advice I can give is still count every single bite of chocolate and sip of alcohol you consume, I do, and on saturday I reached 1209 cal! Yesterday did better, a bit less then 800 cal, I had a cocktail at a halloween party, but i did watch what i had during the day cause I knew I was going to have some chocolate and drinks at night, today back to square 1 though and I'm weighing on friday!

Yep so it was satisfying and contrary to my fears, did not reanimate a junk monster. Actually, I think I may approach these kinds of treats in the same manner as alcohol; I pesonally wouldn't drink a cocktail every night (always been a lightweight), I wouldn't feel well. But a cocktail or two on a Friday night, a bloody mary on a weekend morning, is perfectly acceptable. Well, sending sugar into my bloodstream has a radical effect on my body, just as alcohol would. So, I think that I will be a "teetotaller" during the week, and indulge in a "choc-tail" on Saturday nights!

Drinking alcohol on a regular basis is one of the reasons listed as who should not get the band. Not that you said you did. Cheri

Since a few people started the topic of drinking alcohol after getting banded, I have a few quick general questions I thought a few people might have answers for. I just turned 30 and am looking into getting banded. * What are the rules regarding drinking alcohol after being banded? How soon after surgery can you drink? Is there a limit to which kinds of alcohol you can drink and/or how much you can drink? * Does alcohol affect you differently after you've been banded? * Are most people able to drink alcohol with the band? * Are there certain types of alcoholic beverages that give people with the band trouble? * After you gotten through the harder post surgery period (say, about 3 months after your surgery) can you drink the same amount of alcohol with the same frequency as you did before the surgery? * Are there any dangers with drinking alcohol after the surgery? Thanks so much!

Janet, I missed that about you falling out of the chair, too bad you can't blame it on alcohol! You might be stiff tomorrow, so take some tylenol before going to bed. Phyl Make sure that you tell us the results of your MRI. Yes, if the fever is still spiking you do need to go to urgent care. On the pumpkin recipe, I just followed the pie recipe on the back of the can except substituted 1/2 of egg beaters for the 2 eggs, FF condensed milk instead of regular canned milk, and I used sun crystals for the sugar, but splenda will work as well. For the crust I melted 1 tablespoon of butter in the bottom of the pie plate, and sprinkled Anne's ginger thin crumbs over it, about 8 cookies worth. I think graham cracker crumbs would probably be better, it was a littler gingery, but I like ginger. I baked it at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Like I said, I'd love whip cream on it, but I don't like coolwhip, so its better just to eat it naked. The evening was okay, it just get stressed in a crowd of people I don't know. All my insecurities coming out. Got about 6 boxes unpacked in my sewing room, I don't know if I will ever get it back in shape, it is so much smaller than my old one. But I can always take over one of the spare bedrooms, which I will once the kids decide what they are going to do. I think I'll put my featherweight upstairs this summer, so I can move it outside to quilt if I feel like it. Well, I'm ignoring the trick or treaters, I know, kind of mean, but the furries would have to be locked up if I opened the door to them. Candice, does Canada do halloween?

You may be gaining muscle which I hear weighs more than fat. Do you measure your body to see if you've lost inches? How long since surgery? Are you eating fatty or sugary foods? Alcohol??,,, if you have to, Rum I don't think turns to sugar~! Alot do. Get strict with youself... it will come off and then you can enjoy and try to maintain. ))

I drink plenty of Guinness every other week or so. I've tried drinking garbage like PBR, Coors, Bud and miller but they are very painful due to the high amount of carbonation. As mentioned above, it is all empty calories and a lot of them. Be prepared to work that much harder to lose the weight if you choose to drink. Knaroz, You're wrong on the mixer thing. The hard alcohol has more sugar and calories than anything you mix it with.

I don't, but because the sugar alcohols in them cause me terrible bloating, gas, and diarrhea. I can't imagine that a small serving would impede weight loss; if you aren't bothered by the sugar alcohols and are losing well, I wouldn't worry at all. You can always pare them out of your intake if you run into trouble.

I know my dr has instructed me no caffiene, no alcohol and no carbonated beverages for 3 months post op. They all can irritate the healing stomach. My dr recommended to cut out caffiene pre op so that we aren't dealing with withdrawal on top of everything else post op. Giving up caffiene is easier said than done.

5 days.... no coffee and holding strong. Wow. I feel kinda clear like I'm not walking around in a caffine cloud. Well I must say I am eating everything before monday except no alcohol either. I know its wrong but I want to eat things that wont really be an opition. Eating the bad stuff has been liberating in a way because it doesn't taste good anymore. 1 more day till shakes good luck everybody and Happy Halloween.

My surgeon would *like* his patients to wait one year. He fully acknowledges that it is probably the one rule he makes that most people break. I'm not a big drinker, so I don't anticpate any problems. I'm sure it will be quite a while before I attempt to drink anything with alcohol.

I was cleared at 4ish months out, I think. My surgeon warned me to avoid red wines (there's actually a member here that explained the tannic acid/pH in red wine can irritate a newer sleeve), and to drink at home first to see how it would affect me. The first time I drank I was passed goal, and I had one glass of a light Riesling. It hit me hard and fast, then I sobered up pretty fast. Now that I'm almost 17 months out, I drink on a more than social occasion, I have a few drinks a month, one to two a week sometimes, in my social circle I'm known as the "afternoon cocktail girl". I lost my taste for red wine completely, drink rum/cokes when I go out to the bars, and for my afternoon cocktails, I prefer strawberry or raspberry mojitos or bellinis. Some people choose to drink sooner, but try to remember, it's just wasted calories for the day. If you're calorie/protein/carb focused, then make sure you track those calories and drink plenty of Water to avoid dehydration. One thing I can say is that my alcohol tolerance has returned to what it was pre-op. I'm not sure that's a great thing, but alcohol no longer hits me hard and fast, I'm able to catch and maintain a decent buzz, and have tied a few one on special occasions. Plus, I haven't had a real hangover since surgery which is a HUGE plus ! ! !

Congratulations on loosing 50 lbs!! It's disheartening I know to regain, but it does happen. You can start losing again if you work at it. You will get different responses to this.. but what I've been taught is that the band is supposed to DIM your hunger. Making it a little easier to control your impulses. It's always possible to eat more and to make poor choices, the band doesn't take over for you. I was told to eat 3 oz of Protein (I actually ate 4oz at the beginning of my journey because I was SMO ~ super morbidly obese ~ and have gone to 3oz as I lost) and 1/2 cup of low carb veggies. Try not to eat white carbs.. white potatoes, white rice, Pasta, bread, white flour products, corn...As these items TEND to be high glycemic and will make you hungry sooner. After eating your protein and produce.. move away from the table. If I am still hungry 20 minutes after I finish my meal, my nurses say I can have more veggies. I'm usually not physically hungry. Oh.. I can eat.. head hunger is almost never quiet.. but actual physical hunger is usually abated by the small meal. Yes, I see that you are saying that you have no control over what you put in your mouth. I know it is difficult, but you do have control. As someone said on another support list today.. food addiction is very difficult. With alcoholism or drug addiction, you can put the addiction in a cage and never let it out. With food addiction you have to let it out of the cage at least 3x a day. If you can't eat solid food comfortably, you may be too tight. When you are too tight it's so much easier to eat soft foods .. and those tend to be higher calorie. You need to be able to eat solid, but tender protein and vegetables. And a tiny tiny bit of whole grain. I have also had all my fills done by the nurses. I have seen my doctor in passing, but never had him do a fill or even an exam room visit with him. I'm perfectly fine with this. I think I might end up seeing him next week on my regular appt as he has started seeing patients on Wednesdays and that's the day of my appt. If you feel the nurses are competent regarding fills, and other follow-up, great. If you are unhappy, then you could ask to have an appt with one of the surgeons, or maybe even look for another bariatric practice. I'm not sure I buy the "no will-power" thing, but I will grant that maybe you really don't have any where food is concerned. Would you be willing to try to learn some techniques to develop some willpower? Look into behavior modification books. A very good one is "The Beck Diet Solution" by Judith Beck. It's not a diet per se, but a guide on how to deal with disordered eating and sabotaging thoughts and actions. Try putting yourself on a feeding schedule, if you know you're going to be able to eat again in a few hours, it might be a bit easier for you. For example: I have Breakfast at 7am. steel cut oatmeal with walnuts & apples & 1 turkey sausage patty or link. If I get hungry before lunch, I let myself have a high protein snack around 10am. Lunch is anywhere from Noon to 1pm depending on my schedule. smoked salmon/reduced fat cream cheese, veggies. PM snack is about 3 hours after lunch. today was a small apple and a cheese stick. Supper is usually about 6:30pm chicken breast & veggies. If I really want something ..and I haven't exceeded my calories, I will have 100 cal. snack (or less) before bed. I try to keep it to a cup of tea, but sometimes I'll have a bit of almonds. I also make myself drink 32 oz of Water between breakfast and lunch. Another 16 oz before supper and the last 16 oz after supper. This doesn't include any flavored drinks or tea I might have. I'm not perfect (fell off the wagon and ate a half box of saltines yesterday.. dang it), but every time I fall off, I get up and try again. You might also try keeping track of your food intake on a website such as The Daily Plate on LIVESTRONG.COM - Calorie Counter, Weight Loss, Food Calorie Counter, Nutrition Facts | LIVESTRONG.COM. I know other folks here really like fitday.com. The website All Things Food and Diet - FatSecret also has it's fans. Just chose one that works for you and use it. I think it's very helpful to record what I'm taking in. I can also make a printout when I go in for my appts and the nurse and I can discuss where I'm doing well and where I need to make changes. I know you said you exercise, but it might be that your body has become accustomed to what you are doing, you may need to do some extra or some intervals. Do you belong to a gym? If you do, see if they have any trainers who will work with you for a short period of time. I know I used to think that hiring a trainer was an indulgence.. and it is to a degree, but they can be very helpful. And not all of them are expensive. Does the bariatric group you're involved with have support groups? Do you attend? If they don't have any, may I suggest joining this one online? SmartBandsters : Smart_Bandsters health.groups.yahoo.com/group/SmartBandsters/ I hope I haven't come across harsh and unfeeling. That's not my intention at all. I'm impressed at how far you've come and am so glad you're reaching out for help.

My surgeon suggests 6 months to 1 year before consuming alcohol. I'm only 4 weeks out so I won't be testing it out any time soon

I don't drink alcohol with any regularity, not because i'm against it, i just haven't. As far as calories I do seem to vary from 800 to 1200, but again not with any regularity. I do log my food and try to be a good tracker so i can keep a hold on my intake. I'm thinking i need to do really low carbs for a few days and see what happens. I've been considering the Plateau buster diet to get a fresh start. As far as exercise, Mariasha, I run at least 4 days a week for 35 to 45 minutes and when the weather isn't wet I throw in Cycling of at least 25 miles on an alternate day. I again probably need to increase the intensity of my workouts. I'm trying to remain positive, but am also worried about the "flying squirrel" arms that i now have! AHHH :thumbup:

My dr told me to wait at least 3 months to have alcohol and to be very careful because it affects you differently after surgery. Obviously it should be very moderate during losing phase due to the empty calories in alcohol.

Are you measuring and logging your food? Do you drink any alcohol? And the only other thing I can think of is the more you lose the less calories you need. Have you tried 800-1000 a day? To lose the last 15 I had to eat 800-900 calories a day and I used a cross training schedule instead of just running (Ex. Run 3 min, stop jump rope 3 min, repeat for 30 min). And I had to quit drinking wine completely. :thumbup:

I am attending a halloween party on Saturday and we were asked to bring some type of alcoholic beverage. I'm a few days away from a month out so I wouldn't even consider drinking but it makes me wonder about upcoming holiday parties and I am wondering if it will ever be ok to drink. I prefer wine but my doctor has not said anything about alcoholic beverage restrictions. Does anyone know the general rule behind this?

Hi there... just wondered if anyone had responded to your request? I was banded in Sept 2010 and went on to your thread to get encouraged and saw your post. Were you given a food guide to follow when you were banded? Are you eating the right proportions (1 cup per meal), have you given up the liquid high calorie food eg icecream, chocolates, alcohol etc? Do you drink and eat? Hope some of these questions help you to evaluate where you are. If you email me I can send you something I came across about evaluating whether you have balance in you banding life. You can contact me at desmitchell@afrihost.co.za. Do hope you haven't given up - I'll try and help you find your way through. :thumbup: Example of my eating/drinking day: Wake up: coffee (small mug) Breakfast: small banana and yoghurt (fills half a cup) Midmorning: tea, coffee, juice, Water Lunch: tuna fish 1/2 tin & salad with low fat dressing Midafternoon: fruit (small & soft eg papaya) Dinner: 1 chicken thigh and mixed veges with gravy - might have a little mashed potato (saucer size portion)

Well Suzanne is one good stomach virus closer to goal it sounds like if she is gorging on her crackers!! Poor you Suz---feel better! Ashley, I would discuss it with the friend having the party---let her know why I was skipping out so she knows the combo is not good. Does the guy have a thing for you? Know too much about your difficulties? It is a hard place for everyone to be in. I know we spoke up at one time in regards to our son in law's Mom wanting to have our DD followed when we went to Denver to her Uncles funeral. Speaking out against him worked against us----he is her husband, but we are not fans......it has definitely caused tension. And that is with NO alcohol. What does your husband say about it? Is he aware he is so disliked? I would skip it all together. A sleeve Tat is what it is referred to when the arm, or the majority of it is tattood. In Trey's case it would be upper arm. And Trey, I meant no offense if you choose to cover the arm---it is just something that triggers me. If that arm moving, and I smell chorizo at the same time, watch out buddy!!! Yeah Cindy---I spoke with the Victim Impact Panel locally for several years trying to get our Domestic Violence Laws made more severe. It helped for awhile, then out of the blue one day I realized a part of me relived the worst times in my life everytime I saw the pictures, and the story was told. It was told in a way to arouse sympathies, and anger to try to get the laws revamped---not sensationalized, but a guts and glory---in your face---kind of thing. But I suddenly wanted to finish the story----the I WON part of the story. I quit reliving it monthly, and focused on the I WON part of it. It was a whole new feeling---I WON. He went to prison, and I went on to have a happy, full life---I WON! Well off to bed, I will probably be up at 3 again!!! I am freezing! I have on a sweatshirt, and long jammie pants---Rick is roasting in a tshirt and shorts, and poor Izzy is laying on the tile kitchen floor, panting. I guess I fed the fire too well.....oops!

crzytchr....I hope that is what we do. I will probably be pushing for that! lol Tracy...my mom has told Lee to keep his mouth shut. And I am agreeing with you that his wife probably has too. At least I hope! lol Plain...that's a good idea too!! Thanks for the advice!! I would talk to Jacque (Lee's wife...my employee) about it, but she doesn't work anymore this week. Hopefully he's not stupid enough to try to start trouble with his boss's son-in-law. But alcohol makes you do stupid stuff.