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It may depend on the type of surgery you have. My surgery team said one year. I'm going with it because I've met a number of people now that have had bariatric surgery and alcohol became a problem for them. I don't want to become an alcoholic and I'm wary because it runs in the family. Oh, and yes, I work with individuals in recovery from addiction.

To loose weight is an everyday commitment, if you are not ready to give the 100 % do not do it. Before I got banded My friend did it, I saw how well she looked, she told me she was not diabetic anymore and I started thinking about it, I did research and I learned as much as I could about my options. Then, I decided to do it. On the 25th of the month it will be 10 months since my surgery, I had lost about 55lbs. My friend stop loosing weight after I had my surgery, she has put all the weight back and she is always complaining about the band, now she is telling me she will take it out to see if they can give her the sleeve. i don't think her insurance is covering because the band is not damage. But she is my friend and I see what she is doing wrong, she is eating small amounts of food all day long, she eat everything fried most of the time. she has never stop drinking alcohol, every weekend she has an excuses to drink, she can easily have 10 margaritas in one night plus 10 or 15 Tequila shots. Can you imagine the amount of calories a margarita has? it scare me. She eats ice cream almost every night and when I bring up why she is not loosing weight she start defending her actions, obviously she is in denial, it is getting to the point we are only talking once a week because she doesn't want to admit she is the reason she is not loosing weight not the band. The band is a tool to loose weight like your glasses are a tool to see better, but they only work if you put them on. So YOU have to do the work. Good luck to the newbies, be positive and now is worth it. Peace and harmony!

Mine hasn't told me that, but I have read that after surgery we have to be careful because with our new stomachs the alcohol will be intensified and affect us/make us drunk a lot faster.

sometimes carbonation can make you throw up... also it expands your stomach, which is why you are suppose to avoid it. I dont know where you are at in your journey, but when yhou have a lot of restriction you may be more sensitive to it. I used to be a diet coke addict, now one drink makes me puke. Litterally. Dont stress it. Just do the best you can to avoid alcohol and carbonation so you dont stretch out your pouch or consume too many calories.

I have not had this happen but I am still recovery from my surgery. If you had a bypass I could understand this happening to you. However I see you had the sleeve. I am not sure how people with the sleeve surgery react when they have had alcohol. Was this the first time you had a drink since your surgery? I hope your doing better now and don't have that reaction again. However if I had that happen I think I wouldn't drink again.

I totally agree, we live in a world that sickly revolves around food and alcohol. That's my point. It's talked about, it's on tv, radio, tv, billboards, etc.... It's sick. I also dvr and fast forward or Netflix as well. I never drank before surgery so that was never a focus for me in the first place. Well I stopped drinking in my 20's anyway. But now I like you said eat for fuel, period. Ughhhh I am so glad I can come here and be understood. It's a very lonely feeling.

Since my surgery I have noticed I don't think about food very much, hardly ever. I do of course to eat and when I am eating I am thinking about my food then, but that is it! Then I MOVE ON! My life thank God does not revolve around food anymore. I have noticed since surgery that this whole damn world is so sick....... All these people who did not have the surgery ever talk about is friggin food and alcohol!!!! Good God what is wrong with them!! Did I really sound like that before/???? I want to bang my head when I sit around a bunch of people who have not had the surgery and there is no food or alcohol around in sight, because you can GUARANTEE that the damn conversations will turn to food & alcohol! I just sit there in shock of how obsessed the world is seriously. Am I the only one who thinks this?

Even a 5-minute run can help prevent heart disease Good news for runners: A new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology suggests running, even for a few minutes a day, can reduce your risk of dying from heart disease – whether you plod along or go at race speed. Researchers studied more than 55,000 adults between the ages of 18 and 100 over a 15-year period, looking at their overall health, whether they ran and how long they lived. Compared to nonrunners, those who ran had a 30% lower risk of death from all causes and a 45% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, investigators found. In fact, runners on average lived three years longer than those who did not hit the pavement. When data was broken down by age, sex, body mass index, and smoking and alcohol use, the benefits were still the same. “That’s important to note,” said Dr. Warren Levy, a cardiologist and chief medical officer of Virginia Heart in northern Virginia. “Even with all the negative factors, such as obesity, smoking and diabetes, those who were, let’s say, obese and ran had a less likely chance of dying from heart problems than those obese people who didn’t run. Same with smokers, diabetics, etc. ” The speed and frequency of a person's running routine did not make a huge difference either. The data showed novice runners who ran less than 51 minutes, fewer than 6 miles, slower than 6 miles per hour, or only one or two times per week still had a lower risk of dying than those who did not put on running shoes. D.C. Lee, lead author of the study and an assistant professor at Iowa State University's kinesiology department in Ames, Iowa, said the researchers found runners who ran less than an hour per week have the “same mortality benefits compared to runners who ran more than three hours per week.” So more may not be better. “Its been shown that after a certain amount of running over a certain period of time, the benefits seem to wane,” said Levy. “We aren’t quite sure why.” However, researchers did discover that consistency was key. They found participants who ran consistently over a period of six years or more gained the most benefits, with a 29% lower risk of death for any reason and 50% lower risk of death from heart disease or stroke. There have been many studies that have shown the benefits of exercise on the heart. But this study is one of the largest to pinpoint the positive effects of running, especially for nonmarathoners or nontriathletes. "Since time is one of the strongest barriers to participate in physical activity, the study may motivate more people to start running and continue to run as an attainable health goal for mortality benefits," Lee said. Activities like running can lower your blood pressure and decrease the production of glucose, which cuts your risk of developing diabetes, according to the American Heart Association. Running also seems to protect the innermost lining of the arteries, keeping the walls and cells intact, which cuts the risk of blockages or clots that can cause strokes or heart attacks. Levy, a runner himself, said people considering taking up running programs should talk to their doctors first, especially if they have chronic conditions. “A lot of weekend warriors just go out without preparing for their run. It’s the runner who takes it gradually and trains correctly, even for a run around the block, who's the one who avoids injuries and other complications." http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2014/07/28/even-a-5-minute-run-can-help-prevent-heart-disease/

You might want to increase your calories a bit with protein if you are doing some serious workouts, you are going to burn through upwards of half your daily intake in 1 good session! Cutting the alcohol and coffee is a good idea, lots of extra calories and carbs in the alcohol. What's your water intake? If it's not upwards of 128oz, work on getting it up there. Something else to watch for in case you didn't think of this, working out is going to increase muscle mass, so you might appear to stall weight wise. If your gym has a body fat % measuring device or scale, start checking it out to track your body fat % losses.

So I’ve been in a stall for the last month, toying with the same 2 pounds. With the help of a fitness guru coworker, she created ~45 minute circuits for me to do at the gym. Yesterday’s was “leg, back, biceps” and it was SO challenging which is just what I needed. It’s definitely a far departure from my usual . Today I’m super sore, but stretching a lot since tomorrow is circuit #2–arms. Hoping this eventually jolts me out of my stall, but it’ll probably take time—these muscles are like “the heck you doing to me woman?!” 😂 I’m hoping with a little protein before and after the workout I won’t need a calorie adjustment. 500-600 calories has served me well most of the time, it’s really been getting a meaningful gym workout causing me to rut I think (either not going or doing less than I’m capable of) and I also cut out alcohol and coffee this month, just to make sure I wasn’t sabotaging myself with that! Cheers to changing things up and hoping for a reward? 🤔💪😊

3-day Update: I'm feeling a bit better everyday. - I'm off the liquid pain meds as I don't seem to need them. I also don't seem to need the nausea or antacid meds. - The gas pains these last few days have been the most challenging. Every burp and fart is celebrated. And walking around definitely helps to relieve those. - I still have a tightness in my chest though. I've been putting it down to gas pain but I'm not sure anymore so I'll be ringing the doctor today to check. - I had some leakage from one of the incision sites (on my sternum) yesterday (no signs of an infection though) - my husband and I were able to get dressings and alcohols wipes from CVS and redid the covering, which is looking better now. - I sleep on my side or my back with a pillow against my tummy. Partly to protect myself from any unexpected movement at night and partly for support as the belly button incision still 'pulls' a bit. - Yesterday I experience spasms of the stomach, but I've been given pills for that which I took every 4 hours. I also read some advice on here which said a warmer temperature might help, which it definitely did. - I haven't been able to get much Protein in last few days and I'll start again today as I'm feeling a bit more myself. But need to remember to sip very very slowly. - Finally, I haven't had a BM since surgery so last night I picked up some liquid Colace per advice from an RN from the hospital that rang to check up on me. She said Milk of Magnesia should be the last resort as it's a bit more aggressive on the gut. I'll update again in a few days. Good luck all. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Ladies.....I will scoot over and you can come share my boat....I am three weeks post op as of yesterday and have honestly wanted to eat everythign in sight as early as 2 weeks post op. I was told this is normal, but that we need to make sure we adhere to the diet as this is a time to let are bodies recovery from the surgery. Right, tell that to my body who is pissed because it is carbohydrate deprived. Yes ladies, my body is not happy with me....well, not right now. Like I posted on my blog yesterday, it is like telling an alcoholic, drug addict or smoker to stop cold turkey----it sucks and you feel like you are turning into a, well, bitch sometimes. Okay, moody person for those who may be offended at that word. I have lost 16lbs since my surgery APril 29 and I was only given 1 week notice I was to have surgery, therefore my liquid diet consited of about 7 days pre op. I have not weighed myself since my post op appointment and do not intend to until I go in for my 6 week checkup the first week of June, to which I will be asking for a fill. Hell, demanding one......LOL Do NOT beat youself up as it is not going to help matters, in fact it will only drive you to want to eat more.....Do NOT weigh yourself everyday either, that is only more frustrating and again, giving you another reason to want to find that comforting food you are so accustomed to. I have noticed that whether I am losing weight or not is irrelevant because I can most definitly tell I am losing inches. Just got my butt into a pair of Old Navy jeans, size 16, that three weeks ago I could not even pull over my butt. DO NOT focus on the weight only, but rather on the overall outcome. You will be surprised!! Good luck and again, try to stay positive and I understand about the family thing....I have an 8 & 9 year old who are understanding, but who tell me that I should not eat this and that and this and that as they eat it in front of me. LOL....sometime I would like to kick everyone in the head, including the friggin 100lb hooker (not literally) that I work next to who can eat 5 donuts, three candy bars, a slice of cake and a fat greasy hamburger and LOSE weight. Oh well, here's to will power. huh?!?!?!

No problem with alcohol (no beer) I feel it faster and get way too tipsy too fast if I'm not careful. It's because I can't eat and drink at the same time. I've cut it out to see if I loose more weight without it. I'm sure I will- I lost 1 lb in 2 days. I have low energy too. I drink liquid whey protien from wall mart near the pharmacy. It's like thick grape syrup but it helps. 3.5 oz container 42 G Protein and I drink half at a time. I have been making videos of my journey on utube if you want to watch. kayakerak I think we are doing great. I'm glad I'm not alone. It's VSG WLS

I came close to vomiting at hospital and nurse put ice cold cloth on my neck,chest area and forehead and had me sniff alcohol. It did work. Just until you talk to Dr.

If you're not on solids and experiencing pain and difficulty swallowing you need to discuss this with your doctor. Personally, I would go back to liquids for a day or two and try again. Typically whenever I go in to the band doctor, I'm asked a series of questions: 1) do you find yourself looking for food during the day? 2) how much food are you eating at each meal? Is it dense Protein with veggies? 3) are you satisfied for at least 4 hours? 4) are you having any difficulty when eating, pain or other problems. 5) are you drinking 64 oz + per day, not drinking with meals or for 30 min after? 6) are you exercising? 7) are you consuming any alcohol? 8) what medications are you taking, including OTC, supplements and Rx? I don't know why 8 turned into an emoticon, lol! This helps them to determine if you need a fill or perhaps in the case of #4, if you are having a problem that a fill will only make worse. Some people go a year or more without a fill and do very well. Please post next week after your dr appt and let us know how it went

Even if you are on someone else's insurance, that does not give them the right to dictate your medical care. It's illegal and HIPAA protects your medical privacy. Your father would have no rights to have sued your former surgeon, he was not the patient. Now, of course he can try to drop you from the insurance after the fact, which in my opinion is a really crappy thing to do to a child. Unfortunately, people in 12 step programs can get extremely over zealous with wanting to share the program. IT DOES NOT WORK FOR EVERYONE! In particular, people with food addictions. As an alcoholic, he can avoid having another drink the rest of his life and live a normal productive existence. Unfortunately, never eating again is not an option. If he had to have just 1 drink a day...I wonder what his success would be? Food addicts are faced with their demon everyday. You are in a tough situation. Personally if you are prepared for the financial consequences of being dropped by the insurance and potentially losing assistance with your tuition, then go for it using the insurance. Hide it from them. Make sure your insurance knows that you will take legal action if they share your medical information with your father or anyone other than you. Laws are there to protect your privacy!! All correspondence should go directly to you if you live at a different address. Call the insurance company and make this clear with them. They can get in big legal and financial trouble for breaking the law! Good Luck...

Your parents pay health insurance for your health, use it to become healthy!!!!!!!!!! I wish I had done this at 19 instead of weighting lol so long!!! I'm 25 now and 60 pounds heavier and have an even more f*d up relationship with food from the extra years binge eating. I get where your dads coming from but as a recovering alcoholic I bet deep down he wishes he had some sort of surgery to make his struggle easier! But in all honesty his journey is not yours and he sounds way too controlling and frankly a little unstable. Just a tip: think through exactly how he will react when he finds out and have some professional help to deal with the turbulence that will most likely arise... Go it girl, do it, get it done and start living your life!!!!!!!!

How long did you have to wait to drink alcohol post op? I'm not a big drinker at all, but am curious as to how long it will be before I can have a drink or two with the girls at happy hour. Thanks!

This was a big question for me pre-surgery as well. Not a big drinker but like to have a glass of wine when out with friends. I am 6 months out and can now drink anything easily, just not as much as I used to without feeling the effects (probably because I have less food in me!). I tried to have a "skinny cosmo" a few weeks out and one sip did me in - it tasted like raw alcohol and burned going down. 4 weeks out I tried a light white wine and was able to drink half a glass. Since then I have found that white or rose wine is the easiest thing to drink - and I can have a glass every night if I want to. I can also have margaritas and cosmos again but only one drink - two is too many. I don't feel deprived at all and really look forward to my glass of wine at night. Many on the site choose not to drink because it's not the best choice for calories - and I get that. For me, I am finding that it works in moderation and allows me to continue my social life just like before surgery - eating and drinking less of course - just like my skinny friends were doing all along!

I'm not claiming to be an expert, but the way I understand it is after surgery your hunger goes away. For some people permanently, but for others it could return anywhere from 6-12 months after surgery - but, it's a different kind of hunger, not the 24/7 Hunger that we all know from before surgery. In terms of gaining weight later on, the way I understand is that there are two types of malabsorption we encounter - malabsorption of nutrients, and malabsorption of calories. The malabsorption of nutrients is permanent, which is why we have to take Vitamins the rest of our lives. The malabsorption of calories is temporary, and at around the 2 year mark your body re-adapts and starts absorbing most, if not all, of the calories again. So, some people aren't aware of that, and don't keep an eye on their diets (by bringing in too many carbs, sweets, alcohol, etc.), and those extra calories can add up. The other thing is that weight loss happens most in the first 3-6 months, and then starts tapering off. My NUT drew my a graph that showed the tapering off, and even said that after it tapers off, it eventually bumps up a bit and many people will regain 10-20lbs back. Not sure if that helps, but that's about all I know.

Alcohol is not suggested because of the empty carbs and (in some cases) carbonation. That being said, I know some folks have had them...usually one is all they can tolerate... I was not a drinker before, so I am the designated driver now, and I'm fine with that. I'm sure others will have more info for you.

My esophagus is dilated do to the Lap band. When I went for the upper GI it looks almost double the size a normal esophagus should be. How long does it normally take to heal? Apparently the surgeon who will be removing my lap band is the best one at Kaiser. Regardless if he’s good, I thought he was an a*****e. I felt belittled by his answers and although I could go for a second opinion I know I’m going to need to get the lap band removed regardless. He said it’ll take a year for my esophagus to heal but I don’t know if that answer was exaggerated as I felt all his other answers were. For instance: When I asked about how much weight people normally gain after the lap band was removed, he said many people even lose weight because you can actually eat the right stuff and my hunger would stay the same. I asked how long would it take for me to heal after the surgery, he said because it’s a simple procedure many people go back to work the next day but it’s up to me. When he asked if I drink, I said yes on occasion he told me I needed to stop. I said I don’t drink everyday and proceeded to show me what alcoholism does to your liver. OK, SIR, I AM NOT AN ALCOHOLIC. He asked me when I wanted to get the lapband removed (although NEVER) and told him after the Holidays. He was upset at my response and said, "I had another patient asking if they can get it removed next week, but I said NO because I thought you were going to want to do it." Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh okkkkkkkkkkkkkk,,,,,,,, my appt. is Dec 2. The nurse is GREAT and I told her what happened and she told me she would talk to him. After they spoke, it almost seemed as if the story changed. She told me he would like to see me in 6 months after the procedure to know how I’m healing and I would be able to do the sleeve. I’m trying with all my heart just to stay positive. Again, with a dilated esophagus that almost seems double the size, does anyone know how long it takes to heal? Are there any remedies, Vitamins to speed up the dilation recovery process?? Thank you. <3

You can but honestly beer is the last thing I would choose early on. The carbonation is a killer with such a small stomach. I mean, serious discomfort and bloating. For me, wine was a better choice but know that I didn't have any alcohol until I was 9 months out and had lost a majority of my excess weight.

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

It's a get drunk quick, stumble around, and then sober up pretty quickly thing. At least that was my experience when I first attempted alcohol. Also, alcohol is just wasted calories so it's typically discouraged during the rapid weight loss phase. The liver is working extra hard during that time. Why add more to it by drinking alcohol? Hope that makes sense.