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I don't regret an of it. The recovery after surgery was easy and I was back on normal food after a month. Because I don't cheat on an everyday basis, I can still occasionally have my favourite food and drink - but hardly any and hardly ever. I eat a balanced diet in very small portions 6 or 7 times a day and I have alcohol only on special occasions. Best of all, I don't feel hungry.

I agree. I have heard that it is far too easy to trade one addiction for another. That said, I feel sure that there are plenty of people out there that can enjoy a glass of wine or a beer every now and then. Alcohol is not important to me and I may never try it. i have also heard that if you do drink, use caution. It will hit you much quicker and harder than it did before surgery.

Ok that's not nice. The prices are extortion sorry I'm in Australia and I've never had any issue with bringing my own backpack in they may look but no issue unless alcohol of course. If you're a family and you buy food and drinks it can cost $100s to go cinemas otherwise! Plus if you're eating healthy you can't eat there so why not bring fruit or tuna or something before hand?

I eat out with my friends regularly. I choose what will best fit my eating plan. I never eat all of it at the time. If I like it, I will bring the leftovers home and eat them over the next day or two. So, you may continue with date night . Check with your Dr. but alcohol is not recommended for about the first year and you won't be able to drink during meals anyway. That and you might not want the empty calories.

I'm four months post-op sleeve and we eat out frequently in restaurants, but we order one entree and share it because I can't eat a whole portion of anything. We don't get any bread basket with our meal. I don't drink alcohol, so that's not even an issue for me. It's just an adjustment knowing that I can't order anything for myself and we have to share, but we still have our "dates" out to eat.

So... I attended my first party yesterday - an 80th birthday party! Lots of nibbles, birthday cake, party food flowing all afternoon... surprisingly, I was so strict with myself!! I had about 1.5 glasses of Bollinger (first alcohol since October) a piece of parmesan and 2 slices of meat - one chicken and one ham. I had to sneak the birthday cake into my bag and then throw it away when I got home... I ate when I got home - 75g prawns, 30g of avocado, 40g cucumber, 1 scallion, 2 cherry tomatoes, cup of watercress a bit of garlic, chilli and some ACV... and this morning I've lost .9lbs!! Unbelievable! I was convinced that the champagne would have done some serious damage. I'm arranging to see a nutritionist again - a different one this time who I hope thinks outside the box on trying to figure out what I can do to make the journey less rigid... I was also thinking of going back to my diet when I lost weight on Atkins... I was down to 5g/10g of carbs and that was successful for me... but eating at that rate isn't really practical long term... but keeping to 20g carbs which is what I'm on at the moment means I can add bits of veg onto my plate and keep that cup of hot chocolate in the evening... although I'm noticing that I don't want it every night at the moment which is fantastic!! My head witch doesn't think I have BED anymore although I'm not convinced. She went through the BED test with me and for the moment it does look like I'm not in that place right now... she said the stats for BED after surgery were that 50% of BED folk pre-surgery didn't have it after surgery. Please god that I'm one of the 50%! I'm feeling super charged this morning! I have one more hurdle to face tomorrow as it's another birthday event - this time lunch at a local lovely restaurant... I will have half a glass of wine and hopefully something simple from the menu like grilled chicken and salad... fingers crossed I make it!

My doctor was also very strong in teaching everyone in the preop class no alcohol for one year.

My doc is super conservative compared to most. He says no alcohol for a year. I'm 6 months out and haven't tried any yet only because I try to be super picky about what I ingest to maximize my tool. Alcohol is protein-less calories so I don't want it yet! I will very probably go the full year without any alcohol.

Hi everyone, my surgery date is coming up May 2,2019!! I'm so excited to start losing weight and being more energetic!! I want to loose about 115 pounds!! Even though I want and need the Gastric sleeve surgery did anyone experience regrets or miss eating their favorite foods or drinking alcohol?? Thanks!!

I got the call!!!! I’m APPROVED!!!! Thank God I have stuck to my pre-op liquid diet this whole time!!! It’s so real now! I’m so ready to start this new chapter in my life. If anything’, this pre-op diet definitely put me in the right mindset. Watching everyone celebrate on Easter with tons of food and alcohol didn’t even bother me at all because I wanted this more then anything!!! This is why I know I’m going to take this tool/gift I’m given and do everything I can to succeed!

The weight you want to lose is much easier than a 50 80 100+. Pound gain.... It can be done. Years out, much of weight loss is fighting the mental battles to get back on track. Seriously I have motivators on my fridge to remind me of my goal and where I want to be. Its right in my face when I am seeking food. Makes me stop and ask. Am I hungry? How much room for calories do I have left in my log for the day? Is this boredom or emotional/stress eating? (see photos below *lol*) All I can share is my personal experience. I’m a sleeve. My surgery was in 2014. I have worked off a gain in my third year. Log your food. Make sure you are eating your weight loss calories and macros.(Log including alcohol) I’m female 5”5” My calories are 900 to 1100 Carbs are 60 grams for weight loss. ***We are all different - You may need to dial in your calories to see what range you lose weight***. If you need help with this let me know. Get temptation out of the house and keep healthy options for sweet and salty cravings. I have a bit less restriction than I had in the first year. I found ways to fill the extra space and keep my calories/macros in range. Add as much veggies as you like until full. Ditch liquid and soft stage protein. Dense protein will help keep you feeling more satisfied. I’m not sure how you are going to trouble shoot your hydration. My surgeon gave me a prescription for zantac. Trial and error for fluids that sit well. I drink crystal light, pre workout or nuun tabs. I’m also back in weight loss mode for the summer* My food log is open.

If a gallstone migrated into the pancreatic duct, oh yeah! Blockage is blockage ,baby, to channel Austin Powers! And it is a pain of pains, other poster was blessed herrs was diagnosed with bloody stool. Mine started with vomiting, after going i,to dry heaves that didn't stop, I was curled into a fetal ball, trying to guard my abdomen, I hurt so bad I was praying for the release of death where the pain would be gone, didn't matter at that point that my eartly existance would be over, just wanted to be with God and beyond all this. Believed if God really loved me, He Would Release my Spirit so I Could be With Him. Luckily I still had my wheelchair because I don't think I could have walked. My color must have been pretty bad because they took me right in, none of the " See the triage nurse and then go sit in the lobby until we page you" s*** I have heard in the past! Did an abdominal ultrasound/CT, said "yes you do have a very swollen pancreas but we're seeing something else, you might have a tumor!" Luckily by now they had started an IV , which I hadn't complained about, some of my veins are" rollers", so usually have use aeroplane needles, the ones with a stabilizing flat plate. Must have been some sort of Happy Juice going in, maybe Morphine or a cousin? Had enough presence of mind to ask " Exactly where would that be?" Left side- Okay that's the top of Kidney #3, since it wasn't on my records perhaps you were not aware of it! Whew, escaped an exploratory there! But my Lipase and Amylase values were all elevated, I was NPO unless several hours before I went home, greasy floating feces, called steatorrhea- that's the right medical term for it. Comes from not being able to digest fats in your intestines and they are smelly too. But my 2 clearest memories are the pain, oh the pain! And the idiot general surgeon that stopped by. Asked me first how long I had been an alcoholic? Excuse me, I don't even drink! Then he said "Well then we better remove your gallbladder" about 31 years for that,looked at me with a woebegone expression and said " But THAT'S what causes THIS" Well Bozo you better look down another avenue because I'm neither of those! If I had anything hard in my reach, I would have chucked something at his head- a pillow wouldn't suffice- wondered who filled out his exams for him- definitely got nothing from the lecture on gastroenterology. This started an uneasy relationship, his parti,g words to,me were that I never would lose weight because fat, lazy and unmotivated. I should receive an RnY as torture and punishment. Wish I had taped him, bet the the hospital board would enjoyed that! As is it is,, would be my word against his and who would they believe? Yeah,that's probably about right, my voice does go up a couple decibels when I'm angry, maybe only dogs can hear me. Anyway. a little over 3 years later I did receive,my RnY, nothing torturous about it, perhaps my excellent surgeon is not a sadist, like Dr. Bozo Ding- Dong. And I will never be sorry or apologetic for the surgery I received at OSU. Once in a great while I do see him,off in the distance, maybe,i will show up when,i get closer to goal, show,him what a good surgeon's work looks likeband point out I was never lazy, unmotivated and far from a loser in life. And fat no more, no thanks to him!

I didn’t start dating until after 6 months so I was cleared for alcohol, but typically went out for a drink and an appetizer. I’d prep by having a larger breakfast and a smaller or earlier lunch, and then I’d eat whatever I felt like during the date (which is usually quite little). The good thing is that unless you’re going out to dinner, no one’s likely to notice what you eat and “I’m not really hungry” is a perfectly valid statement. By the time you progress to dinner, the guy usually already likes you enough to brush it off or is adjusted to eating 50% of whatever you ordered. The key thing is feeling comfortable with you. Someone will notice if you eat lightly AND guiltily. They’re less likely to note anything if you’re so casual about it that it’s a non-issue (because it is). Just be careful about what you order early on, it’s really easy to have eyes bigger than your new stomach and you can get tricked by old budget-conscious habits. One of my first real post-op meals with a friend we ordered the cheap fixed-price lunch deal, and I finished half the soup and started laughing because I was full and had a main and dessert still coming! (I got them both boxed up) For body image... it takes a while. And probably depends quite a bit on how much you’d internalized your overweight self-image. But it’s really not worth worrying about, and do NOT apologize or explain for anything about your body. Attraction is about so much more than whether or not you unveil an impressive set of bingo wings. Power throughout and be confident.

Yep. Also the 8-10 month lull is a real thing. I've seen it in myself and in so many other sophomores! Bottom line, to lose? I need to be at 600-850cals per day, <25-30g net carbs, 60-75g protein, and healthy fats to fill up the remaining cals. It's about 30-45g fat per day. Absolutely no alcohol. Very little artificial sweeteners. And I do IF. LOL. It helped me get my last 20lbs off. I started IF in my 9th month. I can easily get my protein in from food and get 100+oz water/liquid daily.

Never give up, chatted with a lady who was worried because she was 3 years out, wondered if it benefited her? Reminded her You're still alive, there's a bonus right THERE, when you start out at 300 or 400 pounds all you hear is Doom, Gloom and You're Gonna Die Soon! Are you still hearing this from doctors? No? Good Step! I even had my pastor get on my case, wondered how soon he would have to preach my funeral? Told him put the prayer books and Bible away, I am not plotting my demise in the near future, if anything happens , I'll have my son call YOU!❤ Yeah I too have Thunder Thighs and a Hubba Hubba Heinie, joked I could feed an entire cannibal family off one butt cheek for Easter dinner! As I lose weight, I hardly recognize myself, I used to have pudgy chipmunk cheeks, round-square shaped face, now my face has narrowed out and I am starting to resemble several dead relatives, never saw a likeness before. I think my color is off, live in Ohio so winter pallor, sunshine has yet to kiss my face, of course when it does I will either freckle or it will reactivate my rosacea, the curse of a Celtic ancestry. Its hard to be accused of being a lush ( just because I'm Irish) for my blotchy cheeks and 👃. Few attempts I made at alcohol made me only sleepy, if I'm gonna get taken advantage of, might as well stay awake to enjoy it! Yeah, I once might have been as big as the Blarney Stone but inside me resides a leprechaun spirit, don't take a lot serious anymore, I'm more fun at 73 and losing down weight than I was at 30, or even 50-60, I now have hope and that enlivens all the facets of my life. The world had discounted me as fat, worthless, might as well die, well I am proving them wrong, they were looking at a. fat shell, they didn't try to know me, the real me inside. For a while I couldn't visualize any changes in my exterior, thought it was useless. Then I started being able to sit in chairs I used to have my son help pry me out of. I could stand up off of furniture without him holding and yanking me up. I was having better luck having strength to go places, pay my bills, do all those little errands. And clothing that used to split me where I was trying to sit, suddenly I had wiggle room. And those little things kept mounting up. One of my latest, bought an outfit for an upcoming doctor appointment, hung it in the closet, morning of the appointment I started dressing, pulled on the pants and they fell down! Good thing I had saved all the tags. Back they went to get a size smaller. Still didn't believe it totally so I tried the next lower size on! OMG I really was that much smaller, fit better than any others had recently. I had a lot of " well it's close to right, I'll just have to settle for that." All of the sudden I can try clothes on, choose what I really want, not to panic and buy something just because you're afraid they won't get that size again. And it is so blasted cool to have such an option. Now I Am not the Largest size they carry!💦Tears of Joy!

Group--what are you thoughts on sugar-free candy? For the past several weeks I have had about 4 to 5 sugar-free hard candies during the day. I know they contain sugar alcohols and I am wondering if any of your NUTs have advised against them. They satisfy me between meals and when I feel like I want to eat out of boredom (not hunger). They are a quick fix for me in these situations. I have no issue with a laxative effect as I'm only eating a few. Thoughts?

I’m scheduled to have surgery April 16th. My surgeon wants me to drink two bottles of magnesium citrate the day before surgery to keep me from getting constipated afterward. I just tasted this stuff and it’s awful. There’s no way I’m going to get all that down. It’s like soda water with some rubbing alcohol mixed in. I have Miralax, so I may drink that instead. Has anyone else had to do this before surgery and how critical is it that I do this? Thanks for all the great information that you all give.

I live in Vegas and, girl, I get it. I had my first sip of alcohol 6 weeks out and was fine. I drink Jameson on the rocks with a lime every now and again. I'll have one "shot" (sipping, not shooting LOL) and sip on that for a few hours. Usually that's all I'll need in a night. Saves on the bar tab and empty calories. Not a huge drinker, but we just vacationed in Ireland and was worried I'd miss out on all the distilleries! I was totally fine (that was 3 months out). The posts above are right, your sensitivity/tolerance will be much different than before. Just take it really slow, you should be fine. Martini's or straight up liquor would probably be your best bet. Try to avoid bubbles and especially sugary drinks like daquaris at all costs! Best of luck and enjoy your trip!

I think it'd be okay, but they warn you that your sensitivity to alcohol will be much greater/you'll get drunker quicker, so be careful.

I had gastric bypass in December, I’m in Vegas this weekend and really want to have a cocktail...Has anyone had a drink 4 months out and if so what kind of drink?? Thank you

Ok so here is my cheat ... I’m 8 months out from gastric sleeve and down 96 pounds.. I know I am not supposed to but I’ve had alcohol! Apparently Jim Beam Honey with iced green tea is my drink. I’ve never been a big drinker but.... Now when we go out to dinner (No I don’t drive if drinking)... since I can only have one drink before eating I make it a double for good measure with my green tea. When my food takes awhile then the real problem starts !!! The first drink went down well , I ask for it in a small glass and since I’m never hungry I have a second double Jim Beam Honey with green tea. Once my food arrives I then wait ten minutes and eat my protein like a good girl! Everyone else is always eating way longer and more than I am. So by the. I’m feeling pretty social and chatty and if we are still there I’ll order a third or when I get home have one more with the spouse! Next thing I know it’s 8pm and I have to go to bed because it all caught up! LOL This will not become a habit, but this just happened the other night so I figured I’d share!

You should set your goal where YOU feel comfortable. Some want more weight on their frame. Some carry heavier frames. Some carry way more muscle. I thought I was "big boned" for all my life. Turns out, now that I see it, I'm just boringly average, so there's no reason why that calculation shouldn't apply to me. I am not a super athlete, don't have more bone mass than other 5'4" women, and am not super muscular by genetics. But you MIGHT be! You know? I personally? Think curves are a bit overrated and a bit of a cop-out rationalization. At least for me. I don't want to carry 15lbs more on my ass or in my boobs (impossible cuz I had a double mastectomy), or in my belly. I just don't want to do it anymore. My degenerative arthritic joints and back can't handle the load as I age! So why settle for anything more than my "normal bmi weight range" = smack in the middle of normal and congrats. It's also right at 120-125lbs. How odd, right? NOT! But I think most of us set a higher goal than we should. Most of us revise once we're there and see what we still look/feel like. (That's why I have 3 goals + a top secret goal.) But some don't. 1. Some cheat and love living life and are unwilling to give up there drug of choice: food, alcohol, drugs, etc. and so they settle for 25% above goal--going through the angst and pain of surgery to never realize their goal. 2. Still others are just flat dealt a bad hand from life: medications, illness, excess skin, mobility issues, mental health issues that prevents them from reaching goal--so they land where they can and God bless em. But in my opinion, if you are able to, we should all aim for as close to ideal weight as we are comfortable. Cuz I swear REGAIN will happen to most of us. And I only want to be here once. As a friend said, "I only want to do one-year-of-weightloss one time." I heartily agree. I don't mind dealing with 2-4lbs of loss...but not a year or 2 years worth of losses.

Ok, this may be hilarious and I apparently didn't learn my lesson the first time I did this several years ago, BUT..... I stocked up on a bunch of "sugar free" hard candies and ate about 8 pieces in one sitting. I was like, "No biggie, it's less than 100 calories, right?". That's when the rumbling started, very low in the guts. They seemed to echo like a humpback whale in heat, starting very softly, but constant, ever increasing until they were able to be heard from across the room. The look that my wife and kids gave me was not nearly as priceless as the look I gave them as I started the 10 yard dash to the bathroom. I won't go into the rest, but I recall a scene from Dumb and Dumber when Lloyd got back at Harry for stealing his date by dumping Turbolax 3000 in his coffee.... It was just as violent. There's no dignity coming out of the bathroom afterwards, I tell you, but I should have remembered what sugar alcohols do to me when I over-indulge... That is a lesson I am not going to forget again, I hope....OMG 💩💩💩

Knowing how judgmental people can be and already having heard negative comments about WLS, I decided to keep my surgery very private, Coworkers are starting to comment on my weight loss now, however, and some have asked, "What are you doing?" My standard answer is truthful - that I have made some major lifestyle changes that have been ongoing for months and even years. I tell them that I have given up wheat, sugar, soda, alcohol, caffeine, artificial sweetners/colors, additives, and processed foods. I also tell them that I have stepped up my exercise a lot (which they see, because I wear my tracker and try to get as many steps in as I can during a work shift.) Usually by the time I get to the sugar or alcohol they sort of sigh and walk away. I don't think I am being dishonest, as all these lifestyle changes are necessary for me to be ultimately successful, regardless if I had surgery or not. Anyone not willing to make substantial changes is not going to lose weight and keep it off, so I don't feel I need to go any further. WLS is just one more tool, but doesn't guarantee success by itself, as we all know. But I still feel a little guilty. What do you think?

So I am 10 weeks now and have tried a few different drinks at different times .... white wine- i can have a full glass and it does nada but makes me tired (so that is out) red wine- one glass and I am definitely tipsy but also tired i had one truly spiked seltzer ( i know it's not the best cuz it is carbonated but I did let it get pretty darn flat)- this was my favorite drink i have tried but also made me tired last night i had vodka/water with extra lemon- this was my go to drink before wls anyway - one shot of vodka in a really really big glass of water and a glass of water on the side and i add more water as I go. got a little tipsy quicker than any of the other drinks and TIRED after...like so so so tired. And thirsty as hell today and I drink a lot of water normally So the moral of the story for me is that alcohol makes me so damn tired and I won't be drinking regularly or anytime soon again. I hate feeling exhausted tired like that.