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i know it's tiring to hear "talk to your doctor", but if something should happen you want your doctor to have your true and complete history. I know with my doctor who I also signed a contract for a year no alcohol surprised me when I told him about my annual Christmas drink. He let me have it! So ask him/her.

Pasta with sauce? Have done, sometimes gives me trouble, but usually I kind of know how the day is going and know whether or not to even try. Extra sauce please. Lasagna? Same as above. Mac n cheese? Same as above. This was my first 'soft food' after mushies. I over cooked the noodles a bit, made it nice n' saucy. Yummy. Grits? Haven't tried. Oatmeal? Works well. I make it more moist, usually with milk. Cucumbers? Yummy! Bananas? Kinda 'sticky'. Half a nanner will last me a good long time. Especially with peanut butter! Grilled cheese sandwich? Sammiches are tough. Gooey cheese can be tough. On the right day if the planets are in proper alignment, I could eat a grilled cheese sammich. Oysters as in fresh? Haven't tried. Sushi? Oh yes. I love getting "sushi bowls" where the fish n' stuff is on top of a bowl of rice, instead of in the nigiri pieces. I can do some rolls, but usually take the seaweed off. I've been told you can ask them to make the rolls with rice paper, which disolves on your tongue, but I haven't tried this. Rice? Sometimes. Shrimp as in cocktail? Shrimps are iffy. Usually fresh shrimp is not a problem, but frozen shrimps are a bit tougher, and can cause issues. Celery? Haven't had any that wasn't in soup or something. French fries? French fries will ruin my meal if I have them. Sometimes after I've eaten my meal, I can eat a couple fries without a problem, but trying to have anything after eating them is dangerous. Fake crab meat? Nummy. Corn on the cob? I think I've had this once since banding, and I did not have a problem. Chili with Beans? All the time. Enchilada? I have had a couple. Tortilla's slip me up alot, so I don't have them often, but every now and then (again, planets in proper alignment) I don't have an issue. The enchiladas cooked in the sauce seem to be fine though. Have you ever slipped up and had champagne? What happened? What could happen? I was not told to not drink carbonation. I drink diet soda at times, and yes, have had carbonated alcoholic beverages. Carbonation does sometimes bother me if my tummy is tight, but I know if it's gonna be a problem within the first couple of sips, and if I stop there, I don't have a problem. The only thing you need to remember about alcohol is empty cals. But the occassional 'slip up' shouldn't be a problem. None of my advice is to be taken in the place of a medical professional's advice (unless you decide to, but then that's on you )

Wow, these are some great numbers. congratulations. I was banded January of this year and am down around 50 pounds depending on what I call my start weight. My restriction as been very difficult to get but I am now on about my 4th or 5th try and have some restriction. My big issue as been drinking alcohol. Not only is that empty calories that add up extremely quick it also leads to reckless abandonment when making food choices. I am committed now and hope to make great progress. I am at 329 and trying. Good luck guys!

My addiction was diet Pepsi. The thing that I finally was able to kick it with was orange flavored stevia drink mix mixed with about a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. It actually does taste good and I think it gave me that sweet-tart and crisp feeling that the soda did. Interestingly I read that back in the day they used to use apple cider vinegar to help alcoholics kick.

Cheri... I agree with so much of your post! I have a wonderful doctor myself, who is very well respected in my area... like your doctor he did tell me to make sure to EAT the Protein... not to rely on the protein drinks-- that they would stall your weight loss or you would lose slower. The only time I ever did Protein drinks was in the beginning before I could eat food. As for nuts, my doctor didnt tell me about the nuts, but I did keep a journal of my food and would compare it to how much I lost for the week. I immediately noticed that the weeks I ate nuts... no weight loss and sometimes I would even gain! I cut those out quick and did just fine. So I couldnt agree more- for my body nuts were just not good! The only difference I have in what you have stated is my doctor said that with the lapband he would get 80% of the weight off - the rest was up to me. He told me this since the first time that I met with him. Set those expectations from the beginning. I was determined to hit my goal and I knew that most of the weight loss would happen in the first 6 -9 months... he told me get the weight off during the first year. So I went on and ate just like he told me too- got my protein in thru eating a solid piece of protein first every meal and then ate veggies if I had room. I cut out nuts, Pasta, bread, rice, sweets and alcohol. I found that if I stuck to the simple rule of eat my solid protein first when hungry-- I never had room for the other crap. I hit my goal 9 months and 1 week after surgery.. 108lb down! I went from 242 to 134. I am currently going for 130 just because I have found that I have a 5 lb flucuation and I want to always stay at my goal weight. I am also back at the gym again... doing weight training to tone up. I really appreciate my doctor telling me the things he did and being realistic with me- by doing that he was the key to my success. Also, when I hit my 80% mark he said- step it up -- the rest is up to you! This has been a great journey - I have learned so much about myself and ways to better myself.

My doctor prescribed me ambien. I slept all night last night it was heavenly. Oh thank heavens. I am a drug and alcohol counselor, in an inpatient facility and am a single mother of 2. I need sleep to function or I would go clinically insane. Lol.

I have kept to the diet described in my Surgery Bible. I do not eat anything that my nutritionist says is objectionable. I know me. If I start binging on foods that are sorta on the list of bad things. I will explode! I know of 1 person that lives in my building that had the same surgery. He lost some weight. But started eating all the same FAT and SUGAR stuff he ate before. That is not for me! I have a long journey before I am through. I will not eat pizza. I will not eat Junk food. I am a FOOD ADDICT. If I start down that road, The Gremlins in my head will tell me SURE IT IS OK. Eat what you want. Your tummy is all shrunk up. No problem. BULLCRAP! I have to not give in to my cravings. now Addictions. I have been Sober from Alcohol for over 24 years. I had just switched Addictions from Alcohol to Food. I had to learn how not to drink 1 day at a time. I am learning how not to Eat as an Addict. This to me is a WAR that I aim to win! 1 meal at a time!

I enjoyed going to restaurants (fine dining not chain) before surgery & I still enjoy going to them after you surgery. The difference is instead of ordering two or three courses I only order one. The only regret I have is there are a number of restaurants I’ve wanted to go to & now I can’t because they only do degustation menus. There’s no way I would be able to eat 6, 8, 9, … courses even if they’re small - the volume of food still adds up. An unfortunate side effect of COVID has been many restaurants in Australia offer three course set menus now. Can understand why - better economies & less waste - but is a waste of money to be forced to order three courses for me now. Hopefully, they will go back to full a la carte soon. As for alcohol, yes I enjoyed drinking too: champagne, gin, scotch, wine were my preference. But was never an excessive drinker. Every night I had big glass of wine sometime followed by a scotch or a gin followed by a glass of wine. Now, I only have a drink about once a month (last month I drank three times but that was very unusual circumstances). And I can nurse a glass for ages. Do I miss drinking more? Not really. Do I feel I’m missing out socially? Nope. I just enjoy being with friends & family. Honestly, I don’t enjoy alcohol quite as much. It has made me more particular about what I drink - quality over quantity. Champagne over cheap sparkling.

Have you thought to let your hair just "breathe free" so it can get some direct nutrients and moisturizers--maybe use Motions, Design Essentials or other [products with NO ALCOHOL, that dry hair]--and give your hair a break from that stuff and possible more entanglement (plus the weight of the added hair)? Hair loss happens to most; it will need the most direct care, moisture, nutrition, scalp massage you can give it. Not through those materials. Good moisturizers, a flat Iron on low...you're good to go. Stylish. Maybe loosely braid it at night/bedtime; silk scarf or pillow case. Just a thought. Good luck.

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

I understand exactly how you feel. The thought of surgery often frightens everyone, but just remember the outcome. My mother and father both died in their early 60's. They both had numerous health issues, including high blood, diabetes and heart disease. Neither one of them smoked or drank alcohol, but they were over weight. My life-long goal is to become healthy and live to enjoy the "Best" of my life... I have surgery on May 25th... not too scared at this point... trusting that God will see me through this time... Hang in there...

I can't have an alcohol funeral until the end of the week when I've totally weaned off a fibromyalgia med. But I have my bottle of Cupcake Moscato D'Asti ready for Sunday. Lol

My husband said something about someone "being fat" and not really in a mean way if you can describe someone as fat in a NOT mean way but I quickly corrected him. I don't care if I end up a size 2, I am always going to be fat because I can never see a day when food is not my issue. I could care less about drugs, alcohol or cigarettes- but leave me alone with a box of donuts and I am still that fat girl.

Hello All! I'm Carol, and I'll be sleeved at the OCC on Friday, April 4th. So I'll be coming in Thursday and leaving the next Monday, April 7th. Just took the obligatory before photo, though most of my photos lately have been before photos. I wish Flickr had instead of a delete option, a "tear up, burn and bury the ashes" option, because that's how I feel about my reflection right now. I've been doing the research I believe we've all been doing. I decided on the sleeve but was denied by the psychologist who works for my insurer. She said, in a somewhat condescending, whispery talking-to-a-child voice, that my history of depression and past use of alcohol make me a bad candidate for the procedure. I take Effexor for my depression/anxiety, and it works well for my anxiety and for the bulk of my depression, but I don't think it will ever go away completely. And I have had bouts of excessive drinking, but for the most part I've had that under control for years now. I know exactly why it would be a bad idea to drink with the sleeve, and I know I wouldn't put myself in that position-but how would I prove that to her? To her I'm a statistic, she says I have a higher chance of "suicidality", which apparently is a word, because my brother died that way. When in reality, I would never commit suicide, because I know exactly what it does to a family, and how it's a permanent solution to a temporary problem. I appreciate life all the more for having been close to someone who gave theirs away. I understand that statistically that's not the case. But I'm not a statistic, I'm a person; a nice person with quirks but also a logical mind, a person who has learned from her flawed but nonetheless valid journey of self-discovery. I've gone from being a young single mother with a high school diploma all the way through graduate school to where I can now support my little family. I shook my demons off one by one, but I can't shake off this weight. I've tried and sometimes succeeded for a time, but it always comes back, plus 20% more. Now my back and feet hurt, even my fat clothes aren't fitting right, and I'm having trouble appreciating all the things I've worked so hard to achieve. I won't let Kaiser tell me what I can't do. I will take their reasoning into consideration however, that if I drink with the sleeve, the alcohol will be absorbed faster because of my smaller stomach, increasing my blood/alcohol levels and putting additional stress on my kidneys, pancreas and liver. I know that people have destroyed their health by drinking too much after WLS, and I don't want that for myself. I don't think I'm ever going to fit into their mold though. I can't change my family history, so I'm going down to Mexico. Who else is coming?

i'm with @mrshawk92. munchies never been a problem here. alcohol isn't worth the calories to me and i usually avoid it, maybe 2 or 3 drinks/month... and i intend to continue doing so after surgery, but i do love a good glass of wine or a finely crafted beer. and kahlua. mmmmmmm!

I'm not a smoker of any variety. I believe if pot is illegal, then cigarettes and alcohol should be as well. They're far more destructive and addictive than pot as proven to be. I know many people on a personal level who use pot and are extremely high functioning intelligent people who are quite successful at the careers they've chosen. All that said, pot is illegal and it amazes me that the owners of this site have no problem with promoting illegal behavior. As for those who choose to break the law so publicly...at least when you get caught (post banded), you'll have the consolation that you'll look so much better in those prison jump suits than you did pre-banding. .

I don't think it's cheating at all. Just be careful of carbs and sugar-alcohols. Some of the sugar-free Gummy Bears and Jellybeans I've looked at have more carbs than I had expected. And the sugar alcohols can have a laxative effect...

Hey guys they are talking about alcohol on another thread! That's where I'll be!

Too make a long story short - here it is: i had the lapband surgery in August, 2010....my BMI was only 36 but i had diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, arthritis in my knee. It is now 8 months later and i no longer am on diabetic medication. I am down almost 50 pounds and 6 pant sizes (i am 5'9). I should be so skinny because i vomit almost every day and not by choice! Either it is the food i am trying to digest or i am still eating too fast - at work for lunch i eat mashed potatoes and soup for fear of running to the bathroom - Its funny - i can drink alcohol no problem and chips (potato, tostitos, corn chips, the like) and chocolate in any form! When I cook for my family I sometimes forget and try to eat - MISTAKE! So i end up just tasting a little of this and a little of that - which seems to work fine. OK thats it for now - do not want to bore any of you....hope to hear from you soon..thanks for listening and for letting me share....

I was a diet coke addict and couldn't imagine my life without them. I reduced the qty before my preop diet and that was rough. It was rough through the preop diet. The changes immediately after the surgery, though, are like hitting a wall. I think it must be like rehab for drug and alcohol addicts. Since my surgery, I haven't missed diet coke on bit. Five and a half months out, I'm thrilled with the changes to my body and health (normal blood pressure) but, honestly, I'm especially happy not obsessing over food and drink anymore.

This what I found.. I just don`t get Kaiser. NIH Requirements for Weight Loss Surgery The National Institutes of Health (NIH), a division of the US Department of Health and Human Services, is considered one of the world's foremost medical research centers. The NIH has set patient criteria for weight loss surgery which states that eligible patients should have a BMI of 40 or higher (morbidly obese) or a BMI of at least 35 with co-morbidities (obesity related health conditions) such as diabetes, sleep apnea, heart disease, high cholesterol, or hypertension (high blood pressure)and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.. Eligible patients must also have attempted and failed at previous weight loss efforts and need to pass a psychiatric evaluation to be recommended for weight loss surgery.

Having the sleeve is easy like having a mastectomy is the easy way out of breast cancer or not drinking is the cure for alcoholism. The sleeve is simply a surgery...it's only one part of curing obesity.

Well, and because your still healing. I can have alcohol after a year ..... Oh and empty calories

January 16, 2017 ============== 9 days until my next appointment. At my first appt way back in June, I was told I needed to be at 253.2 (about 250-251) by my home scale) and have all other requirements met before they would schedule my surgeon meeting. A few months ago (after meeting all requirements except the weight loss), they told me they if I could get to within 5 lbs of that goal, they'd schedule me. At my Dec appt, I was 6lbs over my goal. Yep. Grrr. As of this morning I was 254.8 on my scale, putting me within 4-5 lbs on my home scale!!! I am down over 3 since my Dec appt (again, based on my home scale). So I have 9 more days to drop another couple lbs and get safely into that 5 lb range. My diet since Christmas has been lots of Water, high protein/ low carb. No caffeine, no alcohol, no excess sugar, etc. Lots of sleep. I have lost 3 lbs since Jan 1st with this. Let's see how much more I can lose!! Fingers crossed my body cooperates on WI day I plan to bring a change of light clothes with me to put on before I weigh. Jeans can't be helping Sent from my Nexus 5X using the BariatricPal App

Im having surgery the 19th and I went and bough chicken broth, sf pudding mix, sf jello mix- they told me not to get the premade kind. I also bought 2 big bags of SF popsicles. I got to looking at the label the other night and it does say sugar 0gm, but also says sugar alcohol 2gm.??? the told me to watch out for sugar alcohol...what exactly is it? oh ya, i also bough 2nd stage baby food :-) Good luck !!