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I think all docs are different. Mine says no alcohol for 6-8 months.

I loooooove Crystal Light! I can't drink alcohol so I buy the margarita and martini flavored packets. They are so good.

I am going to say something that will probably get me blasted by a lot of people. I drink diet sodas. And am sitting here kinda buzzed on Mikes hard lemonade. No problem with band. Am down 60 pounds since January. So it is possible to drink sodas and alcohol. Now.....i wouldnt recomend it on a regular basis. Diet sodas can most likely expand your pouch. The carbonation can give brutal gas/burping. And the alcohol is empty calories. But my feeling is that anything in moderation is OK if you realize what you are doing.I rarely drink and only have diet pepsi (not coke) occasionaly. I have lost weight steadily and plan on keeping it up. But if I deny myself totally I am more likely to fail.

Hello, friends! I made it to Onederland!!!! First time probably since I got married 14 years ago. It feels great to buy smaller clothes. Eating is going ok. I really need to get back to using my Baritastic app to track my food. Some days I feel like I'm eating too much, other days I forget to eat. Ugh! My hair is falling out like crazy. Wahhhhhh! I'm using Nioxin shampoo and taking 10K of biotin a day. Oh well, it will grow back. Went out for sushi with my husband last weekend, and asked for options without rice. There were two rolls on the menu without rice already! It was fabulous! Sometimes you think life is over because of all the foods you can't have, but times like this make me happy We were talking about life and social events revolving around food--and people noticing that you're not eating. So true. I said I feel like I get noticed more for not drinking alcohol. How about you guys? HW 295 SW 255 CW 198 GW 160

All things in moderation. Just remember if you drink too much you can throw up and that would not be good. Also due to to the calorie's the alcohol always seemed to land on my butt -- be careful....

I second what everyone else is saying - definitely go slow and drink alcohol in moderation - you will most likely notice a very significant drop in tolerance - i tried not drinking for 60 days and didn't drop any weight so i just drink in extreme moderation - maybe 1-2 glasses of wine once or twice a week -

Haha, yeah, sometimes things just feel like they should be done now. Had that feeling about a few things lately. Good on you for raising the money too! I was just having a chat in another forum with a Dutch man who's getting the surgery done soon - comparing differences in insurance paying for these sorts of things... Huh, lucky you got a bank loan... My bank wouldn't give me one last year. Which reminds me, need to email them. I remember Dr Fris being really relaxed about the first few weeks. Probably a good way to be though - your body gets put under a lot of stress having a rubber band stuck around your stomach so it pays to take some time to get used to it. (Actually, because I got it done before Christmas he actually told me he wasn't bothered if I put some weight back on. Heh.). Once you're off liquids it is a lot easier... And hey, 5 years down the line and that summer holiday is just a blip, so even the memories of it get better. Hmm. And now you're making me want mashed potato... Lol. You can still eat rice, but be careful with it cos it fills you up real fast. Probably don't try it too soon, and pay attention to how much you're eating (remember the example I made of a friend thinking I was bulemic? ... Yeeeah. Hehe.). To be honest I don't think there's much I can't actually eat, it's just the amounts that have changed. I have even had garlic naan when friends and I have gone for Indian food - though only a tiny strip of it. You appreciate the taste/texture/all the other characteristics of the food a lot more when the amount becomes a lot smaller. It is a bit hard when you're restricted to only liquids or something. You can actually get pretty creative. A friend of mine recently mentioned a 'Moroccan-spiced autumn vege soup with orzo'. I haven't looked up a recipe but probably best to wait till you're back on solids before trying anything that is chunky (like I'm guessing this is) or orzo (or other pasta). But I've discovered looking up different recipes to test out is fun. You could try making your own smoothies for breakfast, too, perhaps? All I know is I was pretty damned sick of optifast by the time I was off liquids... Heh. Of course, that doesn't help being sick of soup, really, but... It won't last forever! Haha! Yeah, the port does feel really weird. My mum kept poking me in the stomach for a while... Did think of two other things today that I've noticed throughout the time I've had the band (amourette, would be interesting to see your thoughts on this, too) - 1) Energy efficiency - much more energy efficient now, mentioned this before as well. My body is a lot better at using the energy it gets now, which is really good. 2) Don't go hungry for too long... I found I'm walking a very fine line now of being hungry vs being full. Sure, I can't eat much, but I can't go hungry for long either. I usually keep snacks on me - a muesli bar in my bag, for instance, or pretzels in a draw at work. I was away with others for a conference once when back in NZ (about 3 years ago now) and I couldn't eat much of my lunch (a potato salad) and didn't have any snacks on me. We went to the beach for the afternoon and it was probably 7 hours till dinner... Walking around looking for a restaurant turned out to be the last straw and by the time I ordered dinner I was so low on energy I almost fainted. Fortunately I'd also ordered an orange juice which came out almost immediately and that helped me wait for dinner to arrive. You don't want to over eat, but I know I can't /not/ eat either. I've only felt the same way twice since when I didn't keep suitable snacks nearby and nowhere near as strongly as that time on the conference. Sort of makes the 'small meals often' thing ring quite true. Semi-related observation: Actually, my stomach seems to be really sensitive now days - I get stressed, I can't eat as easily. I go on a plane, can't eat as easily. Try sitting down for 33 hours of flying - all I managed of my last meal on the plane was the tea and a bit of a roll. Found when I was in Amsterdam in February last year that put 33 odd hours of flying + stress of an interview together and I had a week of surviving off about one to two meals a day, could hardly eat anything for the first few days I was here - Jet lag really messes up my appetite as well. Things change a lot. My alcohol tolerance seems to be a bit lower, but then I don't drink all that often anyway, so could just be because of that. My tastes seem to have changed as well, but that could just be an age thing or something. Good to hear you managed work!

I ended up at 154lb at 5ft 10, my weight loss just gradually petered out, and I've not needed to adjust what I eat. I eat slightly less carefully now that I'm at goal, I try to choose healthy foods but I dont worry or even think about amounts, I just dont eat uncessarily or when I"m not hungry most of the time. I'm not afraid of little treats and moderate alcohol intake. I recently had a small fill of 0.1 cc as I found I was getting hungrier and could eat more and faster, I want to stay on top of it. So far from needing to be unfilled, you need to remain aware, although there's plenty around who have been unfilled. I guess in terms of how much I eat, its less than average for a woman of my height. Its not noticeable to others that I'm banded, they just probably think I dont have a large appetite and that's why I'm thin. I dont eat loaded platefuls of food and I dont eat entree main and dessert when I go out. I notice in the staffroom at lunch time I eat WAY less than most others though not so little that it causes comment. I continue to run for an hour four or five times a week, its a very important part of maintenance. I have more fitness goals I wish to pursue and although I've relaxed my eating somewhat, watching what I eat is part of my lifestyle. I accepted a long time ago that I just cant eat what some others can and stay thin. Because I have to eat less than normal people to be thin, I need a lap band, end of story. I didnt really have a problematic appetite in that it was abnormally huge or inappopriate, but what I ate was too much for my body. I cant say I ever downed 3 quarterpounders at a time or lived on huge milkshakes or ate 24/7, I just tended to be heavy (190ish) on quite a normal amount of very normal (and really pretty healthy) food and when a few lifestyle factors such as having babies and becoming less active hit me, I gained some alarming weight (up to 245) and made it into the obese category which is when I acted.

How scary!!! I'm so sorry, but glad that you're ok and sounds like everyone else is too ~ just take it easy tomorrow because it always seems that you'll really feel it most the day after. Take some advil and maybe make yourself a margarita or something to try to relax abit ~ alcohol = good muscle relaxer!

Sherry, I love your description of your mom in her leathers! You know, forgive me if this is off base, but when you mentioned the alcoholism of your father, it made me wonder if perhaps that is in play with your sister? If so, then you must for your own sanity and serenity distance yourself from it...and you can tell your mom the bottom line, whether it is jealousy, greed, envy or whatever it was, without telling her the ugly names. I don't really know enough of the subject matter to know if any of my little advice is on target, but if it is, great. If it isn't, forget I mentioned it. I know there's a lot of stuff that just doesn't have to be repeated in order for your mom to get the idea of the problem. She probably has an idea already anyway. I'm going to bed already...just wanted to write back to you Sherry. Hugs, Cindy

I can't drink anything with even the slightest bit of carbonation or I will be in MAJOR pain -- groaning, rolling on the floor pain -- from the gas. Really, it's that bad. So some of us do have problems with carbonation. I've found that the only thing I miss is that some of my favorite alcoholic drinks have Coke in them and I can't have them anymore. Since alcohol isn't exactly conducive to weight loss, that's probably not a bad thing. Otherwise I don't miss it at all -- there are plenty of other yummy things to drink. Lots of flavors of Crystal Lite. So if you're a bandster who hasn't tried carbonation since banding, proceed with caution.

Addiction gets such a bad rap societally. It is one of the most difficult things to recover from, yet it is so socially stigmatized that we don’t often talk about it freely. Food addiction is the most difficult addiction, in my opinion. Think about it: what other addiction do you have to wear on your sleeve? Alcoholics can drink to excess without anyone being the wiser. Pain pill addictions go unnoticed for years. Even people with addictions to cocaine, methamphetamines, and other hard drugs can go unnoticed for years. Gambling and sex addicts also go freely into society everyday without anyone raising as much as an eyebrow. In addition to having to “wear their addictions on their sleeves,” - food addicts can’t ever have the luxury of quitting “cold turkey.” We can’t quit food. In OA they say, with drug and alcohol addiction recovery- you slay the dragon, with food addiction recovery- you still have to take it for a walk three times a day. This is why understanding why we eat vs. just focusing on what we eat is so paramount in re-establishing a healthy relationship with food. If you’d like to take my free online course that helps you with this very concept, click here. Author Laura McKowen talks about the concept of the “pregnancy principle,” when people are recovering from alcohol addiction. She talks about the idea that when a woman is pregnant it is societally acceptable to say “no” at any time. A woman can go to a party for a mere 15 minutes and say “hey I’m really tired, I think I am going to go home now,” and everyone responds with “of course, you need the rest,” or “you are caring for two now- you have to listen to your body.” So why can’t one treat themselves with the same courtesy when recovering from food addiction. If you are at a party that has a bunch of triggering foods, a co-worker’s birthday party, a potluck, a restaurant where everyone has decided to order dessert- why does it feel so unacceptable to say “hey guys thanks for the great time, but I’m going to head home now.” This is much in part due to inherent shame surrounding addiction. One feels that they should just be able to be like everyone else. Yet study after study has shown there are key genetic factors that often play into overeating, food addiction, and obesity. We shouldn’t have to have another person inside of us to give ourselves permission to take care of ourselves. Aren’t you enough? Whether you are in the beginning stages of your weight loss surgery, or 6 years post- this month, try to look at your recovery the same way a pregnant woman looks at taking care of herself. If you know something is going to be too triggering, not fun, exhausting, mentally draining- either bow out politely, or go for a short period of time and excuse yourself when you’re no longer feeling it. If you are interested in receiving more free weight loss help with the psychological part of recovery, please check out my free course here.

I still think I have my same food obsession, just can't eat as much of it. I feel like I have done okay shopping, only once half way I splurged on a spring suit (300) that is now too big I'm sure. Regret that! I don't like to overindulge on senseless things like that, but I did look great that one night. At least I sort of made sure it was things that could be altered like a straight skirt, etc. and I do plan to do that. But the blazer that goes with it....I don't know if it can be altered. I hate that feeling of waste. I will say my culinary skills are improving post sleeve.. I seem to be in search of that "perfect bite" and get really pissed if I get a bad meal since I can't eat much anyway. I'm more interested in recipes and novel tastes and things cooked to absolute perfection. Like this morning I made a small Breakfast for my family, and was overjoyed that I finally did not waste food, but I was so happy each and every item tasted perfectly. It has been hard to not cook too much and I still tend to fall into that. My dog has eaten very well this past year b/c I basically need to stop wasting ingredients. We have two children (step kids) that moved out too recently so I think I was used to cooking too much bc they would eat it eventually and now there is no one to eat the extra for the most part as my 12 year old only likes certain things and not others and my little guy does't eat much (he is 3.5 years). My husband rarely eats leftovers. As for shopping, there are so many things to buy once you lose the weight bc NOTHING in a closet or drawer fits, not even your shoes as I went down a size and a half. I am so sad I have wasted so many clothes and shoes b/c I either give them away or they just sit there not being worn. I gave so much away and recently did a garage sales. But it is just waste everywhere!! I did wear 3" thin heels to a special event the other night. I have not done that in years and I was very uncomfortable (my feet seem very bony now with not much pad on the heel). But heh, I made it standing up a couple hours on and off throughout the evening. I cannot believe how uncomfortable heels are, but I couldn't even try before so it was fun to just wear them to look cute which was not an option for me before. But will I wear them again?...that is the thing. I don't like to waste. I tried so hard to find a pair of comfortable heels but I tried on a million shoes and these were the most comfortable I could find. My foot is so damn tiny and small now and the heels just swallow me and I couldn't find narrow size shoes that were cute and comfortable. I'd rather buy a pair of comfortable shoes I wear every day than buy fancy things I hardly wear - especially right now bc I always need clothes for work. Before I would have worn dressy flats so I wouldn't have made that extra purchase which is what I'm talking about. THose one time purchases to look extra cute are killers. Like I bought some expensive jeans in Vegas that are so fancy I've actually never found a place to wear them. Once again, regret. I could spend all my time just buying and returning, buying and returning. One purchase that worked out was some cute straight jeans from banana Republic (8P) and some Ann Taylor jeans (8p) and some tall black boots with a heel which are extremely comfortable. I don't think I've EVER had the nerve to have tall boots b/c a short fat girl in tall boots is well, not real nice. I bought a sweater dress too to wear with them but haven't done so yet. Still might return that. I spend a lot of time questioning my purchases and if it is expensive it is even worse. I don't have endless time to shop so that makes it more challenging. But definitely no matter how many clothes I buy now I need something else because I have nothing old to fall back on in my closet. I feel like I've overdone it and yet I just wear the same things over and over again. So that is what I've struggled with, not an obsession, but I have definitely struggled with waste - buying/cooking too much food/clothes/making senseless purchases. It is like a new door has opened and for some reason it has led to me feeling like I overspend on groceries, restaurants, and sometimes shopping. I can't tell you how many times I have wasted money/food at restaurants bc I overorder. It is all so overwhelming and then in a couple hours just hungry again. I try to save and eat again but sometimes it isn't what I want. I am a bit fickle with everything now. We are going on a cruise this summer and I've been shopping already for that and have really picked up some bargains off season. We are going to DIsney World, then beach/fishing for a few days, then a short cruise. This trip would have been way to much for me before...whereas I'm really looking forward to it. But all this extra activity leads to a lot of extra spending for my whole family, not just me. It is hard to define, but sitting at home was just cheaper. As for alcohol, I've never had an issue bc I can take it or leave it. I had a full glass of champagne at the party and never felt it for some reason, but it didn't make me sick or anything. I think one thing is as you are losing, and as the surgery is new, you get used to a lot of attention from it and when people get used to you thinner and they don't say anything you are like !!!???!!! I do I not look good? But hopefully eventually I won't be looking for that constant feedback. BC people just get used to you thin and don't mention it anymore. My husband is tired of me saying" feel this bone ", etc. One day he even said he wanted his fat girl back b/c I get annoying to him sometimes stressing over how I look, trying to get noticed, etc. It is kinda weird that I would be that way bc I'm not a teenager. Some days I feel so damn cute, but other days feel the same as before. Like when I needed a dress and couldn't get in the small sizes (I had to buy a 12P) and I felt so fat. For some reason my rib cage and breast area is still kinda thick and fitted dresses do not fit extremely well and I was kinda embarrassed that I popped a zipper b/c I tried to wear too small of a dress. It is all just weird. Thanks for listening.

Is 3 weeks post op the magic number? It is true anytime you ask about something obvious like chips, soda, crackers, alcohol, ANYTHING NOT PROTEIN you will elicit a response. Period. I'm still kind of a newbie and @@iam_yamii there are people who will politely tell you hell to the no... there are others who have hit their wall post op newbies asking about such things. Don't take offense. Think of it as watchers of the sleeve protecting you from yourself. I don't think you need a forum to answer your question. You already knew the answer-- maybe you were seeking validation or admission from others who do partake in chips and dip. My journey hasn't been without a flaw but I will say this-- after having to require surgical intervention to help me lose weight I honestly could have cared less if I ever saw another chip or cookie or anything that falls into the junk food category regardless whether it was paired with an avocado. This is an opportunity to start fresh-- a clean slate hopefully you follow the guidelines provided to you and try not to read into it. Your sole focus should be protein and water. Nothing else. Nothing else matters right now. Maybe once you're on regular food you can expand your horizons to include fruit and veggies in various forms but chips, crackers, pretzels should be something you SLOWLY incorporate during maintenance. Your body will thank you. Carbs drive hunger. Protein =Satiety.

My HW at the beginning of October was 491 and my weight on surgery day (Dec 17) was 422. I am sitting just under 350 right now almost 6 months from my HW and feel I have hit a slow down (not a stall) my only advice is anecdotal and that is that my weight loss slowed when I began eating two Quest bars a day instead of two shakes. I really think the sugar alcohols are to blame and am transitioning off of them doing only one a day or every other day until they are gone. I feel in the past two weeks it has really helped. We will see what this week brings. I am finishing the ones I have and then only using them in a pinch. I may PM you later as I do not have facebook and would love to keep in touch!

why can't you use alcohol gel?

Usually it's alcohol, smoking, or NSAIDS. I did none of those, they don't know why.

i was given the full go ahead for anything and everything (except alcohol) at 1 month post op. i didn't have any salads nor veggies at 1m post despite the all-clear cuz of food aversion issues...but that's another story. i think, if i remember correctly, i probably had my first go at raw veggies around 3 months (?) post-op and had zero issues.

I don't think anyone here said this is okay for YOU. We're sharing our personal experiences. MY PROGRAM and MY DOCTOR allow reintroduction of alcohol at 4 weeks. I'm very gingerly dipping my toes in. I'm not 'cheating' MY PROGRAM. If we sat down and compared programs side-by-side, I'd find things you're allowed that I'm not, but I'm not having a hissy fit about the fact that you're going to eat or drink those things. I'm 51 damned years old (my son always says 'you're a grown-ass woman'!) and if I, with the support and 'permission' of my surgical team, want to have a couple ounces of wine, I will. YOU clearly should not. We are not the same person. We do not have the same program. We do not have the same restrictions, guidelines, requirements, doctors... Do you get that? You're very, very insulting when you compare a rational, adult conversation about how to manage an APPROVED real-life situation to moronic behavior like mainlining pop-rocks and coke. Everyone here is an adult, and I don't think it's outside of the bounds of decency to expect to be treated like the adults we are.

It is too late to ask your doctor today, but what were your post WLS instructions? Are there any medical reasons why you need to follow a slightly different plan? You were sleeved ~2 months ago. If you do have a drink, be careful, alcohol may have a stronger affect on you post WLS, so let someone else drive. Alcohol, as compared to a battery acid martini with a carpet tack instead of an olive, when you don't know if it is safe to consume, is a better choice.

So - who here can tell that I was not into the whole "work" concept today. *sigh*. I am bad. I kept LBT up in the background all darn day. :] So - Cindy - what is Chess Pie? I am not familiar with this delicacy.... Oh and the menu is pretty simple at my house Turkey Stuffing/dressing Gravy Mashed Potatoes Green Beans Peas Cranberry sauce (ehem - out of a can) Too many relish items to list including cheese, pickled veggies, dip, crackers, etc. A variety of pies courtesy of DS Mary A cheesecake courtesy of SIL Carolyn. Cranberry punch with Glogg. Experimental. Glogg is a non-alcoholic spicy substance from Ikea. It is intended to be served warm - like mulled wine or spiced cider. DH likes the idea of serving cold - and I think it will lend itself to Cranberry. So we are mixing Cranberry, CranApple, Glogg and Sprite in the Punchbowl. It will seem pretty exotic to my family.... Only you will know how non-exotic it really is. :]

My doctor also recommended not drinking anymore, weight loss patients have been known to become dependent upon alcohol because it goes through our system fast. Meaning it hits us fast and then we sometimes feel like we sober up and go again. Which in turn can really harm the body. That being said I am almost four years out and drink socially. I drank almost an entire bottle of wine last night! The biggest thing is make sure you are getting your nutrients first before alcohol. Also start with liquor beer is carbonated and fills you up (not fun). Keep in mind it will hit you fast!!!!!

You can search my posts and comments for lotsa info, support, and hostility on this subject. While many doctors have cited health benefits from moderate alcohol consumption, I don't think it has any real medical value. That said, I find it quite enjoyable. Many programs say: - Never drink - Wait a year - Wait 6 months - Wait 3 months - Wait 6 weeks - Nothing on the subject My surgeon recommended the sleeve (over RNY) for patients who plan to drink. The reason is simple - once you heal (6 weeks), you basically have a normal metabolism - except your stomach is puny. RNY patients have more plumbing rerouting and thus have a greater chance of developing ulcers, although many RNY patients on this forum report drinking alcohol with no complication. So, if you drink after VSG, you must follow all the same rules you SHOULD have followed all along: - Don't drink to drunkeness and/or operate machinery. - Don't ignore the potentially high calories in some alcoholic beverages (sweet drinks, most beers, etc). - If you find yourself drinking everyday, watch out! I would add, if you were a food addict before your VSG, you may be at risk for developing other addictions - including alcohol. That said, I suspect soda, candy, or chips would be a more slippery slope for a former food addict! As long as you account for your calories, and meet you Water & Protein goals, it's no different than eating whole wheat bread, oatmeal, or sweet potatoes... I am 2 pounds away from goal and trying to develop more of a maintenance plan. Although I drank most of my life, I seldom drank during the week. My current thinking is to allow myself a limited number of Yellow and Green days. Basically, I plan to count my calories and track my steps about 16 days a month. On these days, my calorie intake is limited to 1,000 a 1,200 with no alcohol (Red Days). I will allow myself 12 Yellow Days a month. On these days, I will allow moderate alcohol consumption, but still track calories and activity. I will limit my calories to 8 times my target weight (about 1,500). Finally, I will allow myself a couple of Green Days a month where I won't count calories at all. So far this seems to be working well, stay tuned...

You go girl! I look forward to loving my band too.. how often were your fills and do you drink alcohol or wine?

It's funny, but I thought I would miss so much more than I actually do. I don't really miss sweets at all. I kind of miss salty, greasy tortilla chips, though. I love Mexican food, but at least I can make healthy versions of most of my favorite Mexican dishes. I really miss coffee and wine. I have a big wine refrigerator full of good wine. Heaven knows if I'll ever be able to drink it. I'm only 3 months out, so I don't plan to even attempt alcohol for several more months!