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Just out of curiosity, What kind of alcohol are we talking about here? like are you taking shots or having beer/wine? And if all how do you react to each one? I am 4 months out a have not drank alcohol yet, but probably will soon over the holidays. Getting liquids in is still the hardest thing for me . I actually get more full from a sip of Water than a bite of food. The only advice I have for you is to find another "healthy addiction" like exercise ( I know , easier said than done ) or maybe some kind of hobby you enjoy. I took a few psychology classes in college and remember learning that " most addicts can not eliminate their addictions, they can only replace them." I have heard a lot Of wls patients end up drug addicts/ alcoholics, so please be careful and make sure you are watching out for yourself, cause it could easily get out of control. As long as you are not getting black out drunk every week , I think it's fine that you are having a couple drinks once a week. Just don't let it escalate.

Realizing there is the potential for a problem before it turns into a real problem is a big deal. I agree with the other poster about buying a smaller bottle and saying that is it for the weekend. Then move to not having in the house at all. Maybe talk to someone who is a professional. Not hard core psych sessions. But talking to a person who is unbiased can help you find a better hobby. It is a slippery slope and glad to hear you are paying attention before things got bad. We are all at risk of transferring addiction. Maybe try excersize or volunteering with a cause you feel strongly about. Something to keep your mind engaged so alcohol doesn't become the main focus. Good luck and please let us know how things progress. :-)

Hi...I was August 23rd too. Here in the uk they have a slightly different take on the diet - post op...I was on full liquids for two weeks, now on purée, mash ...anything relatively smooth and can eat approx the size of an egg (don't know how much that is in oz) . Have another week on that and them its small meals of any softer meats and fish etc etc. just no bread, alcohol etc for a couple of months. I'm down 20lbs with 64lbs to go:) Big hugs Xx

My weight loss binder from my clinic says to avoid because of the empty calories, but once I'm on regular foods again my NUT (who works at the clinic) said the occasional small drink is fine. Just be aware, as kerbarrett mentions, that you'll get drunk on far less booze - probably good since we don't need all those extra calories anyhow! Additionally, because many of the people who have WLS are recovering food addicts at some level, to keep in mind that transference of the food addiction to something else (alcohol, drugs, etc) is a risk we should be aware of and monitor ourselves for. I don't plan to completely give up alcohol, but I'm already one who rarely drinks more than a few drinks a month (as in, usually 2-3 or so), so I also don't expect it to be a problem.

Well I already have the alcohol addiction, but hope to be rid of the food one next week! LOL

LOL I am SO right there with ya on not wanting to go into surgery looking like a hairy ugly nail girl hahaha I am an OR nurse and this is in NO way medical advice, just my experience. I have not had any patients that I know of in a LONG time come to the OR with those instructions... but I am sure it's prob based on the surgeons' comfort level. I would definitely check with Dr. Kelly. We shave people IN the operating room after they are under anesthesia all the time.. but we also immediately prep their skin right after and we use a combination of any or one of the following based on surgeon preference: betadine, chloraprep, hibiclens, rubbing alcohol. We do realllllllly like having a fingernail we can put a pulse-ox on so we can see how your oxygen saturation is throughout surgery, but I work in a major trauma center so we get people all the time rolling into emergency surgery after car accidents and gunshot wounds etc with fake nails on and there ARE other places to put that probe so again, just ask your surgeon's office and it's typically up to your anesthesiologist's comfort level as they will be the one monitoring that throughout surgery. Anyway that's just some info... and I hear Omar is super nice so I'm sure he won't mind you giving him a call! My advice is just follow whatever they recommend

11 months out .. Dropped 80 in 3 months and havent lost or gained a pond since. It is my fault. I eat pretty much the same as I did pre surgery, but not as much. I Also I cut soda and alcohol (for the most part.) My appetite returned to full blast after month 3. I can eat a whole pizza without blinking an eye and very little side effects, I do not make a habit of this however,

So I live with one of my coworkers - had reservations about it, but it was just the best option financially as we we're both mid-twenties and not "settled down." I didn't tell her or anyone else that I was planning to get surgery, just said I was going on vacation to Mexico. Explained away my pre-op diet by saying I wanted to lose some pounds before going. Unfortunately, there's a lot of crossover between my job and my social life, and it got really hard having to avoid situations with food and alcohol, worrying that everyone wondered what was wrong. Also I did have to tell my roommate after getting back, and I felt guilty thinking that she'd have to lie if anyone asked her what was up with me. It's a tiny office and yesterday our boss was out, so I decided to tell my supervisor. I say "supervisor" but she's only a few years older than me and we hang out socially, so it's really just a title. Anyway, I tried to bravely tell the story with a smile on my face, and was all ready to explain how I didn't mean to be secretive, just needed some time to get used to things before I started telling people. I never even got the chance - she blew through a few judgmental questions ("Did you go to a really reputable clinic or something?" Ummm, NO, I just had it done in a rusty van behind a 7-11! I mean what kind of question is that?!) and then insisted that the reason I was tired at the end of the day was not that I'm recovering from surgery but that I'm starving myself and not getting enough nutrients. When I tried to explain that I actually have seen a nutritionist and there are plenty of ways to make sure I stay healthy, she just ignored it. On top on it, my roommate starting piping in saying she'd "never seen me eat anything" since I got back. I've had Jell-o, Protein shakes, Soups, yogurt, etc. all in front of her!!!!! It was so unsupportive and just ended up feeling like a humiliating ambush. I didn't even get a chance to finish before they just changed the subject and I pretty much just slunk away. I already forgive them - they haven't done the research I have and I can't expect them to understand. It just made me feel awful, and now they will go and tell people what a "crazy" thing I did. I never should have said anything, it wasn't their business to begin with. It's just really hard to keep up a lie, and I thought I'd be saving myself trouble. Might I add that I got this lecture while they sat there drinking soda and stuffing their faces with brownies! Like that's so "healthy and nutritious"!!!!

As far as fluids to avoid post op, make sure you stay away from anything carbonated and make sure you are not drinking within an hour of eating. Because of the empty calories, alcohol is not recommended. However, we all have to live and an occasional glass of wine is fine for most people. Perhaps you could find a substitute to help as you wind down from work...maybe try a smoothie or something hot? Take care, Lynn

I agree with Jachut. Wine can be good for your heart. Just don't overdo it!! My surgeon allows a glass of wine. "A" glass of wine. Not the whole bottle. The alcohol will affect you a little differently now that you're banded. I'm not sure why, but you'll be a cheap date. It goes straight to your head if you drink to much. One glass does me just fine these days.....

Have your liver checked by your doctor. Liver issues can cause abdominal pain and drinking causes liver issues and since surgery increases the potency of alcohol... yeah, have them check your liver!

I have a birthday party that I have to go to tonight. Anyway I don’t wanna drink alcohol as I’m only one month out, I can’t drink juice due to sugar, and I’m worried anything with bubbles will hurt. I don’t want a bunch of questions and why I’m only drinking Water. What can I drink that looks like a normal drink that I will be able to tolerate. I was hoping for a non-alcohol, non frizzy, non sugar drink. Does a drink like this even exist? Please help guys I have no one else to turn too? [emoji20] I’m so anxious about tonight.

I too hope I do well, I was sleeved December 5 two days before my birthday which I wanted to celebrate the hell out of because it was my 35th, we have the holidays and I am a very big drinker. Love the wine. I told my children if anyone asks I do not want clothes or alcohol I want gift cards to use later on in spring,maybe. Good luck!

Well im 2months 10 days out of surgery feeling great can pretty much eat anything with out issues havent started the gym yet because im waitin on payday to hire a PT but im down 48lbs im not sure if im doing it wrong if i shouldve lost alot more weight with my time but i have no complaints i am eating as clean as possible but sometimes you just have to eat whats there but i do take my daily protien eat clean no sodas or alcohol no smoking so hopefully i can loos 10more pounds by mid december but i can say i will sure as hell try

At my pre-op psych visit, the doc told me that often people who give up one addiction (food) will take on another addiction. It can be alcohol, drugs, smoking, gambling, shopping, exercise, or any manner of things that can be either positive or negative. Has anyone discovered a new passion, OCD behavior, or outright addiction that you have exchanged for food? Personally, I think I am becoming OCD about my exercise goals. I increase them each week, and am happy with the results, but I find myself thinking about it a lot. I think it is OK as long as it doesn't become an obsession. Anyone else?

I'm not on any prescribed meds, therefore never really thought about this before...Do we need to decrease the doses of meds, such as over the counter meds (ie benadryl, tylenol, motrin)??? I know with alcohol the absorbtion rate is quicker, was wondering if anyone had input on this??

My doctor is OK with alcohol in moderation. I had my first glass of wine about a week after surgery. Hope that helps! Catherine

Every doctor has different rules. Mine recommends against alcohol until goal is reached. That's not a safety guideline, though--it's geared to maximize weight loss. (He's a low-carb kind of guy--and it's worked really well for me.) Other doctors are okay with light alcohol use, but recommend against carbonation.

Protein bars have a warning saying that eating too much will have a laxative effect because of the sugar alcohols they use. If you are having the monster 30g protein bars, no more than 1 a day. If you are having the 10g ones, 3 max.

So I'm 4 months post sleeve surgery and down 40lbs. My unsupportive husband decided he wasn't in love with me and we are in the process of divorcing. The divorce was no surprise. Unfortunately he didn't want the marriage or work for it like I tried. Anyway I'm looking forward to dating later this year and meeting new people. I'm 30 yo. But food and alcohol are often part of the dating process. Luckily I never was much of a drinker. I can only imagine going out and eating 4 bites and being full. How do you deal with this? What about the scars? When do you tell your sleeve story? I'm excited but scared of dating. Any advice from fellow sleevers is appreciated.

Warning: this is more or less a variation on the never ending ‘should I tell a guy I’m dating’ & ‘how quys react to WLS’ theme, so if you are tired of that jibber jabber, move on to something else. I’m just 1 month out. I’ve recently met a guy and although I’m not exactly into dating at the moment, we immediately hit it off. So we went on a couple of foodless, decaf, non-alcoholic dates, and surprisingly had a lot of fun. Apart from me constantly having to come up with reasons for my unconventional dating behavior while still giving the impression of a sane person, of course. I hate lying on dates (not that I have moral issues, it just makes me more nervous), so coming up with answers that were truthful but wouldn’t expose the fact I had WLS has been EXHAUSTING. This is just a sample dialog: ‘Does 6 pm work for you?’ ‘Can we make it 7?’ ‘That’s fine. What do you do at 6?’ ‘I’m having dinner’ ‘Couldn’t we have dinner together?’ ‘I don’t think that’s the best idea’ ‘Why, do you have celery for dinner?’ etc. So yesterday he invited me over and it was all going very smoothly, except he kept offering me something to drink, and I just got tired of excuses, so… I told him I recently had the surgery to help me lose weight and I was in recovery, following a special diet. After a minute or two of what seemed to me like an awkward silence, ‘Ok. So are you allowed to have sex yet?’ Am I crazy to think out of all the answers he could have given, that one was actually pretty good?

I appreciated the postings with detailed experiences the most before I had surgery, so here's my take on things. Overall, I had a really good and easy experience. I have had 5 surgeries in the past: an extremely painful C-section, a low pain hysterectomy, a very low pain laproscopy/uterine ablation, and 2 knee surgeries. I'm pretty tolerant of pain, but I don't ever try to push it. If I need pain pills/shots I get them. I would rank this very close to the laparoscopy/ablation for pain. All my pain levels except right after surgery were less than a 3, but I kept on top of getting pain meds. Right after surgery, when I woke up I had some pain and just asked for pain meds and they were there in a second giving me something. It was about a 5, but could tell it was progressing. It didn't last more than a few minutes after the pain meds. Before arrival: Check with your cell phone company to see if they have a Mexico plan. Check with your bank to see if you can use ATM in Mexico (most can't), if not, bring cash. You can exchange for pesos at the hotel desk. Everywhere I went accepted dollars, so no real need to exchange. Arrival: Heading out of the airport keep tunnel vision and don't pay attention to the people there trying to get you to try tequila or give you a ride. Your ride will be in the next room towards the right side. There will be people there that insist that you are on their list. Keep walking and look for sign with your name on it. They will take you to a small room where you will wait a minute or two for the driver. Ana Karen will probably not be there to meet you, but she will be staying at the hotel, so if you want to see her, just give her a call. She is very sweet and will help you with anything that you need. Dr. Lopez also stays at the hotel. Hotel: The hotel is pretty nice. The pool is heated and there is a hot tub. You won't be able to get in it after surgery, so take advantage before. Getting around: Taxi service is cheap, but the roads are very bumpy. I took a ride downtown after surgery and it did me in for the rest of the day. A shorter ride to the pier would have been better. Food: The broth at the hotel is good. One version I got was amazing, but couldn't figure out how to get it again. You can order from room service or at Champions. You could probably order from the restaurant by the pool, but I didn't try because I wasn't hungry. They don't have popsicles or Jello (or any that we could find), so I did without. We did get a wonderful orange juice and mango smoothie (ice and orange and mango juice) from the bar the last day. It was a nice change. Hospital: The hospital was the nicest hospital I've ever been in. There is a couch in the room that your guest can sleep on. It's ok on the comfort scale. It was new and all the equipment was new. All the nurses are new and pretty young. They aren't the best at starting IVs, but I have really hard veins to find. My sister (ER nurse for 30 years) helped the nurse find a good vein after I bent the first one while sleeping. There is an odd mix of new technology and new hospital, but some older practices. They have alcohol in a metal container with cotton balls instead of individual alcohol wipes. They used ace bandages as leg compression instead of the automated inflated leg compressors that our hospitals use. I didn't see anything like that though that would increase risk in the operation. After surgery: The best advice I got was to walk, walk, walk. Every time I woke up after surgery I would get up and walk. The first time just a little bit down the hallway, and a little bit further every time. Even throughout the night. I woke up every hour or two and got up and walked. I had very little gas pain. I would also advise burping as much as you can to get rid of it. I took a heating pad, but never needed it. I would still take it if I had to do it over, because you never know. I had a bit of nausea the second time I woke up after surgery. I could feel it starting and immediately rang for the nurse to get some meds. It didn't come back. Dr. Lopez gives you the option the day after surgery to stay another night or go to the hotel. I asked Karen if most people go to the hotel after one night and she said yes. I planned for 2 nights in the hospital so I didn't have enough clothes to wear, but I just wore stuff twice... no biggie! I had a pair of loose pajama shorts that I wore in the hospital under my gown. The drain and tube is cumbersome, but bearable. The doctor will leave it in until you're at the hotel. It didn't hurt to take it out, just felt weird. Things I'm glad I brought: carmex!, pajama shorts, Water flavors (mio, crystal light, etc) Things I brought but didn't need: Heating pad, ear plugs (the hospital was quiet), sleep mask, sore throat drops Things I wish I brought: Tylenol (sometimes needed a little bit of pain relief, but took the prescription from the hospital), more unjury Protein broth mix, unflavored Unjury (could have mixed it in with the mango smoothie), bandaids (for the port incision) Doctors: My sister (ER RN for 30 years) was extremely impressed by the hospital and the doctors (she wanted to take Edgar, the anesthesiologist home with her... you will too!). Dr. Lopez is very good. I was extremely happy with my choice to go through him and to have it done in Puerto Vallarta. Results: my surgery was 1/17/13. Including the preop diet, I've lost 31 lbs. My BMI was 38 before surgery and is down to 33. Loss is slowing down the last two weeks, but hoping to increase my exercise levels soon. I am already so glad I made this decision. Looking forward to a healthier 2013.

Hi everyone just curious how everyone is doing. My start weight was 197 current weight is 165 I'm down 32 lbs. I had my 1st drink of alcohol this weekend. Ughhhh I know, but it was so good. I chose Titos vodka with a large Water and added 2 limes. Not too bad and no side affects. Sent from my SM-N920V using the BariatricPal App

Yes true sugar alcohols and certain sweeteners they use in sugar free foods cause GI distress in some people. Gas' date=' bloating, diarrhea and pain.

I do agree that there are 2 ends of the spectrum. I don't necessarily agree that you have to live right near the red zone to be successful. And I don't agree that if you live nearer to the yellow zone that you'll either fail or probably don't need the surgery at all. I stayed nearer to the yellow zone for a few months and continued to lose. I did have to work at it only in that I'm very carb resistant and had to avoid the very simple carbs because they sparked cravings. I believe I will have this problem no matter how much Fluid is in my band, at least until my brain accepts the fact that these foods are not good for me and were always my biggest problem and I don't need them. Sort of like alcohol and cigarettes. I do believe that I could have maintained my weight without so much work, but to lose, I log, exercise and monitor things closely. As for falling off the wagon, this isn't impossible for anyone since it is easy to succumb to temptations that would pack on the pounds. But all of our opinions differ. I'm sure I'm not alone in believing that men lose weight and a lot differently than women. Good luck and you can make it with this. By the way, I am a native Oklahoman and miss it very much. I also am former US Army.