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The NUTs had a 15/30 minute rule, but I asked the surgeon and she said it didn't matter. That said, I seldom drink in the 30/30 mealtime window unless I'm drinking wine or another alcoholic beverage. Then I sip up until eating and usually leave the glass half full after dinner (cuz I'm all full). I would say that if I do continue drinking later, it's probably naturally 30 minutes plus, but that's all the sleeve restriction allows. That said, I'd love to see the "evidence" you were shown!

Most of the well-known bariatric surgeons in Mexico have done thousands more surgeries than those in the U.S. My guidelines say "No carbonated beverages or alcohol for 6 weeks."

Tommygirl...I hear your frustration. It's a daily struggle for me and I'm sure all of us. Some reminders. This is YOUR time and your life. It is not a dress rehearsal. This is it! Sit down and write down what you know you are supposed to be doing. Then write down what you need to change. There's something about getting it on a piece of paper that helps me. Set some mini goals...and stick to it. Heck, share it with us and give us daily updates if you need to. I've slowed down in my progress too despite improving my exercise ability. I decided it was time to start tracking my nutritional choices and intake to see what I'm really taking in. I like www.mypyramid.com although I hear "fitday" is good too. Be honest with yourself. You may not change all of the bad habits you've slid back into right away but work on one change at a time. Shaping up your behavior overnight may seem too overwhelming. We've been doing this for barely 6 months now. You can't expect yourself to change a lifetime of bad habits and thinking in that amount of time. It is a gradual process. The band will always be there (hopefully.) Another thought is to simply start recognizing when you are eating and mentally, or outloud ask yourself "do I really need this?" Just by doing so you are making yourself aware of what you are doing, and may choose to stop before it goes in your mouth. I am guilty of grazing without realizing completely what I am doing. I work with addicts and have been told that some have been around alcohol and suddenly realized that they have a drink in their hand and were not aware of picking it up. I also have seen a friend light up a cigarette in an indoor sports arena. When I asked her what the heck she was doing, she suddenly freaked out and spit the cigarette out. She really was doing it without thinking. Frankly, I think this is an addiction and am dealing with it in my own life as such. I find that the Twelve Steps of AA/NA/OA whatever really apply to myself. I hope you find some help in these suggestions. Keep us up to date and don't despair. Even if you screw up once, you can pick up right where you left and immediately resolve to do better. Don't wait until the next day!

I keep my sugar alcohols under 5 seems to be with the plumbing....

Hi everyone, I am new to this group. I have been meaning to post something and it seems like everytime I start one of my kids needs me. So here I go... I am getting my surgery tomorrow. I think it is finally hitting home. Today is the last day of drinking diet coke...possibly eating white bread, sticky rice, some pasta etc... I am not looking foward to the liquid stage. I have stocked up on everything recommended, hopefully I can keep myself satisfied. It is really hard to try to lose weight right before this. Thankfully my doctor only recommended I lose five pounds. I compare this part of it to asking an alcoholic to quit drinking for a few weeks before going to rehab! :heh: I am very excited that I am doing this for myself and my family. I am looking forward to being an active mom who is a good example for her kids!!! Kristen

You are so right on. I am 4 days post-op depressed and angry. I'm bored out of my mind and all I can think of is food! I know I'm not really that hungry. It's times like these that I really realize how much I depended on food to make things better or to make me feel good. I never knew how much it meant to me. I am also a recovering alcoholic/drug addict, sober now about 5 years and I can say my addiction with food is much stronger. This will pass you are right. Stacy

Tami: We stayed at the Paridius Palm Real in Punta Cana. It was very nice. It wasn't too hard not to over eat as I found a lot of the meat too hard to eat. I had a lot of golf ball experiences, so I had to be careful. I don't drink alcohol so that wasn't a temptation. Now, the desserts and ice cream were a temptation, so, I just allowed myself small tastes after eating my regular meal.

So, there's always a lot of talk about retaining Water weight, but not a whole lot of solutions to that. Are there any out there? Is water retention only caused by either not drinking enough and/or consuming things that dehydrate you (caffeine, alcohol, sodium)? Is there an amount of caffeine, alcohol, and sodium that tips you over into likely water retention or is abstaining from these forever the real goal? I'm curious to hear other folks' experiences with water retention and how they finally got the fluids moving through their system better.

Went for my last pre-op today with the swallow test. 13 more days...Family reunion is this weekend. I'm going to work hard to ignore the comments about not eating and not drinking alcohol. They'll definitely assume I'm pregnant without a beer in my hand. Hopefully it will be busy enough that no one will notice. Have a great weekend everyone!

If you lose the weight relatively quickly, this summer is very possible. The waiting is also dependent on if they hire a new psychologist soon or not. They have been shorthanded for a while so I would hope that they are getting close to finding someone new. Other kaisers were helping out by doing some of the psych evals for fremont but last I heard, they pulled back and said they couldn't help anymore. I didn't start losing weight until a week AFTER I met with my surgeon(I met him the day before Christmas eve so enjoyed my holidays before getting serious). I lost 40lbs in my first 7 weeks. Once 1/1/17 hit, I went straight down to 1200cals. I have not had a soda, carbonated beverage, caffine, alcohol, fast food etc since. I added in a lot of the staples that they say are helpful post surgery, Greek yogurt, string cheese, eggs, etc and made sure i got my protein in from a lot of different sources. You could probably cut carbs and lose quicker but I didn't. I went high protein, low carb. I tracked my protein intake but not my carb intake, just kinda avoided excess carbs. I still have a piece of toast every morning but I don't usually have a carb with dinner. 2 thing to remember. 1, the most important part pre op is to build the right habits. A lot of people who do extreme dieting to lose weight preop quickly, really struggle with post op. You are dropping to 1200 cals, you will lose weight quickly regardless if you cut out all the carbs or not. 2, you have to maintain and continue to lose weight throughout the whole process. Especially because they are backed up, you can't gain weight after you hit goal. If they don't see you under your goal weight and continuing your weight loss progress, they won't approve the surgery. So however you decide to lose weight, it has to be sustainable.

@@dsdesigna I'm sure no one meant any harm to the OP...it's just sometimes difficult to tell which forum you are posting in sometimes. I do have a question out of curiosity regarding the post op/lifestyle differences between DS and GB/VSG. How are the post op/lifestyle requirements different for the DS...besides the fact it is a malabsorbtive procedure which is in common with the GB? I've read just a little bit, but from what I've read Ive seen alcohol as something that can create a serious problem for those who have had DS. But coffee, which someone suggested, seems to create a risk for ulcers just like in other WLS...which is why I choose not to drink it anymore....

Yes definitely scary. Ended up going to ER Saturday. Was there 8 hours while they did 4 different test. They were originally thinking blood clot from surgery was effecting my heart. But all 4 tests came back fine. So the only thing left was to monitor. They went away and tuesday I had a cocktail if tequila n lime juice and there they (palpitations) were again. Sooo needless to say-no alcohol for me anymore for a long while.

Like Everyone else said, you should call your doctor. But, for ways to handle the situation until you can get to the doctor, try drinking everything room temperature, nothing cold because the day of my surgery in the hospital I took a drink of cold Water and was fixing to throw up with the nurse held a alcohol wipe under my nose. The feeling instantly went away. So I would try the alcohol wipe if you get that feeling again. She said that some people can't handle cold stuff yet. Now, 1.5 weeks post-op I can drink cold things again.

If you lose the weight relatively quickly, this summer is very possible. The waiting is also dependent on if they hire a new psychologist soon or not. They have been shorthanded for a while so I would hope that they are getting close to finding someone new. Other kaisers were helping out by doing some of the psych evals for fremont but last I heard, they pulled back and said they couldn't help anymore. I didn't start losing weight until a week AFTER I met with my surgeon(I met him the day before Christmas eve so enjoyed my holidays before getting serious). I lost 40lbs in my first 7 weeks. Once 1/1/17 hit, I went straight down to 1200cals. I have not had a soda, carbonated beverage, caffine, alcohol, fast food etc since. I added in a lot of the staples that they say are helpful post surgery, Greek yogurt, string cheese, eggs, etc and made sure i got my protein in from a lot of different sources. You could probably cut carbs and lose quicker but I didn't. I went high protein, low carb. I tracked my protein intake but not my carb intake, just kinda avoided excess carbs. I still have a piece of toast every morning but I don't usually have a carb with dinner. 2 thing to remember. 1, the most important part pre op is to build the right habits. A lot of people who do extreme dieting to lose weight preop quickly, really struggle with post op. You are dropping to 1200 cals, you will lose weight quickly regardless if you cut out all the carbs or not. 2, you have to maintain and continue to lose weight throughout the whole process. Especially because they are backed up, you can't gain weight after you hit goal. If they don't see you under your goal weight and continuing your weight loss progress, they won't approve the surgery. So however you decide to lose weight, it has to be sustainable.

First of all, I'd like to say something to Angie and to anyone else to whom this might apply: You are not failing at the band - the band is failing you! the band has a specific function. it is meant to create a sensation of saiety (sp) (fullness) with less food. if it isn't doing that, it isn't functioning properly. sure, we can eat our way around this band, but that isn't the initial point. it is a point, but for later. i was fortunate to have this life changing surgery April 1st, making me 71 days post op. and for those counting, my practice looks at 90 days out to have adjustments close to where they should be. so stop being so hard on yourselves and take advantage of this adjustment period to figure things out, including your head. even if there is some serious sabotage going on, you still have a chance. because you still have the band. anyone who isn't friends with their doctor should get another doctor. do not declare defeat. fight for the results promised to you when they were selling you on this procedure. you haven't failed. (stepping off soap box) 1. WEIGHT highest 228 surgery 4-1-212 5-1 - 204 (2 lbs a week) 5-26 - 201 (you do the math) 6-8-09 - 196 (2 lbs a week) 2. FILLS-in a 10cc band 1) 5-1 - 2.5 cc 2) 5-26 - 2.6 cc = 5.1cc 3) 6-8 - 1cc = 6.1cc 3. RESTRICTION- none until the 3rd fill. i think i've got it. when i don't eat slow enough, i physically cannot eat another bite for a few minutes. PERFECT. so i slow down. i can't drink as fast as i could before. PERFECT. 4. RULES-here's where this process will be different for me than any other time i've tried to lose weight. i will break the "rules" life happens. so how do i account for the times and incidences and still make this work? THAT is the job of this medical staff that has my life in their hands (and mine in my stomach). 5. ANYTHING ELSE when i go in for a check up (and a fill) i tell them all the things i am able to eat that i don't want to be able to eat. i could down 6 Biotin pills all at once. i ate 6 oz of steak and another 7 oz 3 hours later. that's when they looked at each other and said "she needs a good fill". if you don't succeed, THEY haven't succeeded. they didn't keep their promise. i want the physical restriction promised to me. that's what i signed up for. that's what i paid for. that's why i'm doing this. there is no failing, because there are no other options for me. i hit bottom and there is no where to go but up. so stick to your guns ladies. tell them you are capable of eating in a way that will not help you lose weight. tell them you need them to make it so you cannot physically fail. on a side note, let me say this: at the initial office visit, i met with four different staff members. on four separate occasions, they all told me "ya know, you can eat your way around this band..." until i heard it (4 times) it never dawned on me to even try. I admit, with all due respect, I looked each one of them in the eye and in no uncertain terms told them : "hey, i'm not fucking around here." I'm not here to learn HOW to eat my way out of this. i'm here to learn how to use this to my advantage. on another side note, let me also say i realize after reading these posts that i am one of the lucky ones having little or no complications. the worst part of it all has been left shoulder pain post op for 3 weeks and now if i eat too much or too fast. it's a good signal for me to stop when i feel that. i am happy to say i might have found a good fill point with this last visit. i had 8oz of steak in front of me tonight and could only eat half. i had an entire box of Green Giant brussel sprouts in butter sauce before this last fill, made it again and couldn't come close to finishing. so this is good. my practice is overcautious with a very gradual approach allowing the stomach and your system and YOU to get familiar with this process. USE THEM to help you. i've had alcohol, and counted it (i'm a food log nut). i had 16 oz of 2% chocolate milk. and i counted it and didn't go over for the day. and that's going to happen sometimes. so here i am deep into week 10 (your typical weight loss program) and as my motivation starts to waver as patterns show, this is when we figure out how to live with it. someday i'll have to figure out the "why" but for now, i am still optomistic. so keep your heads up ladies, and hold the doctor accountable for some of this. work with him, be honest and let life dictate how you can use the band to help you the most. sorry for the long long post, but i felt it important since so many of you are blaming yourselves for what might not be your fault. keep your head high and we will succeed. hugs knewme

So happy able to reach our thread from my phone. I had to click the link in the message Janet sent me so my phone new I belonged. ;/) Well date nite was a fiasco, I guess all the stress of the week, too much alcohol, hubby not being totally honest with me sooo it did not go well. All my calories yesterday were alcohol related, very thirsty today, already drank 3 bottle of Water and yes Teri I logged every little drink! Lots to do today, brother going home, daughter coming next week and prepping for Mom next week. BBL have a great Saturday!

The only thing I miss is a good deli style sandwich !! ( do not and cannot tolerate breads) And since I don't, (cannot) eat meat, I do miss a sandwich made from pastrami, corned beef, etc. Go to a good delicatessen or diner and have one of these sandwiches with french fries (something else I no longer eat) cole slaw and a pickle. Maybe a triple decker club sandwich! But all in all I do not miss being fat, unhealthy, and a pig! Not to mention what others thought of me. I'll take this healthy, fit life any day! Also, unlike others, I do still enjoy things like soda, beer, alcohol, ice cream, etc, etc....I am NOT on a diet!!! This is different than a diet.

Yes we certainly will be cheap dates...lol. I think being able to have a glass of wine with dinner occasionally will be the thing I miss the most, but hey, the odd small glass of low alcohol wine can now be dessert Thanks for the message, I have sent a request to join that group. The thing I am excited about the most is being able to take my daughter to the beach or pool next summer and not feel self conscious about my weight.

Has anyone attempted alcohol yet? I had mine on June 27th and I'm not really a drinker and don't mind waiting for months down the road. But today is my moms bday so I was wondering if one cocktail would be a bad idea this soon? Opinions? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Every program is definitely different! My doc released me to full food at 2 weeks, some programs require liquids for a month post-op. I don't really understand no alcohol for a year, though? Is it for weight loss purposes? Our dietitians are very strict, but they're for guidance in my world, they don't tell me what I can and can't do, only my MD does that. I've been advised by our dietitians to use fake vegetable Protein, to use aspartame, to use only non-fat dairy and on and on. There's also been quite good advice, but I take what makes sense to me and leave the rest. I actually get a lot of advice and support from my case manager, a successful 9-year RnY patient. She's been there, done that on so many situations and is a wealth of info. I cherish her

I was told by my surgery team to not drink at all. Due to the increased risk of ulcers, transfer addiction & alcoholism.

Mine were loosening up but not enough to fall off by my 2 week follow up with the doctor. When he saw them, he said I was healing fine so just pull them off next time I got ready to hop in the shower. So that's what I did. I was nervous, but once I took them off and got the crusty blood off, I looked so much better and felt much cleaner. I'm still having trouble getting the sticky residue off though.... alcohol didn't work, so I just gently rub it when I'm in the shower and it's slowly coming off... but too slow for me. LOL

Tabithan, you are going to be successful with this because you have realized where you went wrong and you are taking positive steps to remedy it. I am glad you found FitDay. I love it!!! It is an amazing tool. I log everything that goes into my mouth. I try to keep my calories between 1200-1500. I occasionally go over, but I don't stress over it. On the addiction, I think the tendency to be addicted to anything runs in families: alcohol, food, gambling, etc. I have an addictive personality. My father and his father were addicted to alcohol. My mother's mom was addicted to prescription drugs years ago. I had a double dose of genetics, so I stayed far away from alcohol and all drugs even OTC ones. Unfortunately, you can't stay away from food, it is something you have to consume every day. Now, I have a tool to help me. SDchick: it sounds like you may be too tight. Check with your surgeon. If you fills are covered already, you may want to do a partial or even complete unfill and then go every two weeks until you get the right restriction. You shouldn't be getting sick that much. My friend went through that and she was completely unfilled 3 weeks ago and is on the journey to getting filled again. She is going for her second refill this week, and she is doing great now. Good Luck

OutsideMatchInside. Thanks for stopping by and replying. You are right with your answer. I wasn't nor I'm a alcohol " Addicted" When I said...I realized I can drink 2 beer or 2 wine easily...That I had after 1 year...and I am post 6 month surgery. I started occasional drink 2 weeks a go and I realized I can drink handsome amount. but yes....I was drinking with no effects. Thanks for motivation.

One thing my surgeon said - post surgery that wine/alcohol passes through us in a way that is different to others. One glass could make you over the drive limit, or even quite drunk, so take care! xxx for your anniversary!