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Am really sorry it turned that way with you, actually nausea is no jock but try smelling some alcohol swab might help you, it helped me A LOT, and to me it didn't last for more than 3 days, waking is so good for the gas, try to open up your appetite with teeny tiny super small sips, increase gradually, all the best in your journey [emoji123] Sent from my SM-N950F using BariatricPal mobile app

Walter. You've been so honest with us. Thank you for sharing your struggle and triumph. YOU have great power inside you to figure this stuff out and not be a victim to your addictive nature/genetics or whatever it is that predisposed you towards these substances! Please, please, please work on getting to the point where you are just sick of continuing sliding down the slippery slope and regaining all your hard lost weight? PLEASE? I know this is the last area that you get to control. And there must be some part of you that is wanting the high that comes from medicating with food (dopamine/seratonin rush). Why not talk to your surgeon or PCP about prescribing I think it's something like Contrave? Or naltrexone? They give it for food addictions but also to help curb alcohol and drug cravings. Then start working your OA program, just as you work your AA program. Don't let having 3 kids give you the excuse to cave to the craving. You don't want to be obese. I think you don't. Right? It's hard, but you can do it. Someone mentioned a book that is really helpful and free on Amazon for Kindle called Never Binge Again. A dude wrote it and you might relate to it. It really is a helpful book. I have used it for years to help with my BE behaviors. You got this bro. Just take that 2nd step now that you've taken the 1st step!!!

Naw, your joke about methadone is not offensive. I am not some fragile person that cannot take a joke. The only drug I ever struggled with was weed, I still love it. But sadly I cannot use it or it will consume me, all I will want to do is get high. And I don’t mean just a little high, I mean like semi coma high. I am an alcoholic to the bone, I cannot even have one drink or I will drink every day after that. The only option I have is to abstain and stay sober. I used to go to OA about 10 years ago. I never got really that active into it, but liked the meetings. I have found a meeting near my house, but haven’t gone yet. I am a food addict for sure, I will abuse food just like a drug.

I couldn't have coffee right away after surgery, but now I drink a cold brew coffee everyday. I also eat fruits and veggies; no where near what you eat now, because my smaller belly won't allow it, but I do eat them. I also drink alcohol occasionally, again, not much and not right away, but I can. I haven't really had to give up much after having the sleeve. If I want a piece of chocolate, for instance, I have it, but just a small amount, and I'm sure to track it. It's all about moderation, and the sleeve helps with that.

In a few months, I can have virtually any fruit except ones with membranes (citrus). Proteins should always come first, but if you still have room for fruits, you can have them. I can also have virtually all veggies except broccoli stalks, potatoes, celery, and asparagus stalks. Again, if there's room. People are always eating salads with chicken/salmon, etc, making smoothies. There's a billion recipes that incorporate all sorts of veggies in with things. Lots of really good bariatric cookbooks. I don't drink coffee, but was told at 1 month, 1 cup a day is fine. I'm sure people farther out have more... it's really just a concern at first due to dehydration from caffeine. I am 6 weeks from surgery and I can't comment on "is my life better" because I'm not "there" yet. Life doesn't suck. I don't want nearly anything I did pre-op. I feel like I could live on proteins alone forever. I stopped cravings carbs. I don't want fruits like I used to enjoy. I didn't have any typical comorbidities either when I had surgery except pseudotumor. I lost a lot of weight on my own, too, but gained it all back. With this, unless you really mess up, you won't gain it back like rebound with dieting. I ate total crap (and healthy stuff) before surgery and my labs are normal, too. Not even fatty liver. They do say never drink alcohol because you don't absorb it the same way and get very drunk very fast, but some people on here can manage a drink every so often. The risk of alcoholism is much higher.

In response to going out for food. I also had to go out to eat for a work function about 4 weeks after surgery. It was an Italian place that serves many courses so I was a little nervous of what my workmates would think as I’m hardly eating. So as they were all drinking alcohol I was looking at my water glass not drinking anything in fear that it would fill me up and I couldn’t eat anything. Then the cheesy garlic bread came. I wanted some so bad but couldn’t. Then the soup came. I could actually have this but everyone was done and I was still sipping it down and could only finish half the cup. Then it took awhile for the main entrees to come so by then I could eat my chicken. But they gave me 4 chicken breasts. I could only eat half of one. My boss kept looking at me like why isn’t she eating. He even asked me if it didn’t taste good. Which made me feel bad because it looked like I was wasting food. I did take home the leftovers but still. It was a little awkward but still glad I went. (No one at work knows I had the surgery.). This outing made me realize how much I used to eat compared to now.

I'm 36- I weigh around 240 and I'm 5' 6". I was this weight at the age of 12. I managed to lose 100 lbs when I was 17 or so with an extreme diet where I would just eat a can of soup and a nonfat yogurt and that would be all my food for the day. A bit disordered. I kept off 80 lbs of that for around 10 years and then it came crashing back on in a 3 month time period and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I manage to lose 30 lbs or so, but, then it creeps back on. I have one kid, I gained 80 lbs while pregnant due to preeclampsia but was back to prepregnancy weight in just three weeks, so, just water weight. I know that I really have to do some kind of weight loss surgery. I know how to lose weight, I've done it before and maintained it for years, but,it just doesn't work anymore. I'm thinking I should do a real gastric bypass since I've lost the weight before and kept it off and now can't lose, so, probably can't get away with the less drastic procedures. My insurance will not cover it. My work got a new plan a couple years ago and they did include gastric bypass. You just had to have the insurance for a year. So, I met with a doctor, did my monitored diet and all that crap and then by the time the year was up the insurance company dropped weight loss surgery. I was furious because I did all the preapproval work just waiting on my year to be up and then they pull that crap. I will be doing this in Mexico. I have no comorbidities other than slightly elevated liver numbers. Cholesterol under 200, glucose under 100, a1c was normal. My doctor hates it because she has to tell me my labs are perfect after lecturing me about the health concerns of being a fatty. But, you all know exactly how that is..lol Here are my concerns. I love fruit and vegetables. I eat around 800 grams of them per day. The UK does fruit and veg servings easier, 80 grams is a serving and thus 800 grams is 10 servings. I'm guessing that's why my lab work is good despite being obese. Obviously, I won't be able to eat ten servings of fruit and veg a day after surgery. What will I still be able to eat? I've already mostly dealt with my food demons, gave up soda in my 20s. I'm still drinking coffee. Will I still be able to drink coffee after bypass? My life sucks as it is. I can't get promoted at work and I know a big part of that is my weight. I'm the person that gets phone calls from other locations on how to do things. I work at a level three pay grades above my current level but can't get promoted to that level. I'm married and my husband is a normal weight vegan, so, that whole relationship sucks too. Everyone assumes that I'm lazy. I had a well-meaning friend invite me to go walking with her, a one mile loop. Seriously? I walk 5 miles everyday. Will my life suck less after bypass? I've mostly given up alcohol, but, weight loss surgery will have to be a secret from my local relatives. I will have to occasionally be able to drink a little alcohol. I will have to be able to drink a little coffee. I want to be able to eat fruit and vegetables. I just don't want to make my life worse than it already is. I'm lucky, never really had a binge disorder or anything like that.

I am an addict, I will abuse anything that makes me feel good. I have struggled with drug addiction and I am an alcoholic. I am sober today and go to AA meetings. Food is the last drug that I have and thus why I ended up weighing 440 pounds. I still get the high from food, the endorphin rush, the pleasure sensors in my brain are triggered.

Transference addiction is completely a real thing. I have already noticed a habit of me going from overeating to purposefully undereating. Basically one eating disorder to another. It's something I'm trying to keep tabs on, since I am so soon post-op. A coworker's family member began drinking after surgery and later moved to heroin. Your brain looks for new ways to cope with underlying stressors that caused you to overeat or eat unhealthily to begin with. My surgeon and the rest of the team stressed that the rate of alcoholism is much higher in bariatric patients. They also said that patients are much more likely to engage in high-risk activities, like adrenaline sports (which I did find a little amusing). I was super-screened for any past history of alcohol or drug use. I was not much of a drinker beforehand, maybe a handful of times a year. I'm not sure I will ever try it, personally, because I am worried I may enjoy it a bit too much. I wish you the best of luck! My best friend is currently in inpatient rehab for alcoholism and is doing very well.

Discovered I'm now seriously lactose intollerant along with artificial sugar and sugar alcohol. My whole plan for weight loss is out the window. The final straw is my Dr said I should be losing more than one lb per week. Anyone have similar symptoms? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using BariatricPal mobile app

Well that depends entirely on the individual, the doctor/clinic, and so many other things. Don't forget, by the time you are 10 months out quite a good % of WLS peeps can eat "almost" as much as they could pre-op--and if not in actual amount, they have the knowledge to "game the system/surgery" to eat around their surgery and do serious damage to weight loss momentum. Plus they're feeling pretty great and looking good and they want to get back to livin life. And they get hungrier!!! And many add in alcohol too. It all makes continued weight loss/maintenance not so cut and dried. Oh and then there are those who start working out and getting fit and that adds new demands that adds variables to the equation...

Your'e putting yourself at risk by having alcohol within 6 months of surgery. Your stomach is still healing and alcohol is very acidic and can mess with the healing process. You're also at a high risk of developing a dependency issue. Not sure how long post op you'll be by your gold trip? Sent from my SM-G960U using BariatricPal mobile app

Thanks for the advice guys. I dig y'alls passion and commitment! It's evident that y'all are winning the battle of obesity. I should have made my question a little more clearer. I totally understand that alcohol equals useless calories and can lead to poor choices in general, namely food consumption! I was referring to the sleeve itself, and the potential harm that alcohol could have on the healing sutures and such. As of now, I am self funding my revision (appeal in progress), so I am in no way planning to waste my hard earned money and sabotage my potential success. But having said that, I still want a life! I am a very light drinker and may go months without nary a drop. There are times and occasions that I like to be social and partake in the "party". That's all. Thanks, Ray

I can only speak to my experience,,, most alcoholic drinks and beer,,, will be off limits,,, for at least a few months after WLS... I know my doc said wine would be a good thing to start back with if you wanted,,, beer has lots of carbonation,,, sounds painful,,, just thinking about it,,, im 4 yrs post op,,, any way,,, I decided after ,,, to forgo,, so Ive been sober for 4 years,,, BEST decision of my life,,, please take this endeavor seriously,,, this is not a cure all,,, if you dont change your habits you will go back,,, and re gain the weight,,, I decided to take this GIFT and use it to its fullest,,, sounds kind of fruity,,, but im dead serious,,, 4 years of maintained weight goal,,,, lots of gym / great nutrition , exercise and SOBRIETY I doubt I will ever go back,,, you can and will fall into old / BAD habits,,, I wish you luck,,, WLS is just a head start,,, but ya gotta change your eating / drinking / active habits !! best of luck

Howdy, I am getting sleeved (revision, Band to Sleeve) in a couple of weeks. I have a question. I am an avid golfer and my buds from work and I, take a couple of golf trips a year. Usually to Myrtle Beach. Usually 4-5 days of golf and beer! We have a blast! Well, as much of a blast that 50 somethings can have. LOL . Our next outing is in late April and I am wondering how I will handle this! So, my question is this.......how is alcohol consumption after VGS? Is beer off limits? Thanks, Ray

Olay so..... Most docs, NOT all docs. This is something that I spoke with MY doctor about before I started. I got the okay. Maybe I should elaborate more. I make a mixed drink with less than a single shot and have yet to finish one. I have not ever gotten drunk since surgery, barely even a light buzz. Because I listen to my body. I don't consume more than 800 calories a day, including the alcoholic drink. I have lost 31 pounds and hit onderland. I have averaged over 4 lbs of weight loss a week. Please don't criticize me and my Journey. You're not me. I'm not fooling myself. I'm not dependent. I don't get drunk. And I'm still losing weight. We are here to support each other. You may not like that I drink, but you have no right to judge or criticize. Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

I brought it up to my doc on my 2nd post op visit because of the holiday season and he cleared me on alcohol in moderation as well as caffeine. I have a few shots worth every other weekend or so, but i did talk to him about it first. My suggestion would be to talk to your doc first. My surgery was on 10/23.

Not really. I really have only liked diet soda and alcohol pre WLS. Never really drank juice, or anything else that wasn't diet soda or alcohol, or alcohol with mixer. Now days, I get my fluids as a mix of water (ugh!), diet soda, La Croix & protein shakes. The diet soda and La Croix are the most appealing, but nowhere near enough to drink 64 oz without a lot of focus and effort.

I haven’t had any alcohol since. I’ve had one coffee since which is a big achievement for me. I used to have one coffee a day for breakfast and felt I couldn’t function without it. I used to drink a diet soft drink in the afternoon and haven’t had any since.

Woohooo! How did everyone do? So Saturday (Day 7 for me) ended up with me face down doing obscene things to a sausage on a stick and a giant pretzel with mustard. German Christmas Market here...did so well until then. I ended up this morning with the following stats: Start: Day 1 Weight: 152.4lbs Waist Size: 29.5inches End: Day 8 Weight: 151.6lbs* Waist Size: 29.5inches (This is a temporary fluctuation from Saturday's poor choices. I was down to 149lbs on Friday.) Sooooo...even after my transgression on Saturday I ended up a little lower than I began. I have to say, it's a great plan if you're someone who hates veggies. For anyone else, it's sheer torture. And not worth it. I'd much rather do Atkins in any derivation. Not that eat so much contraband, so sugar alcohol subtraction doesn't trip me up or fool me into thinking I can lose weight while eating junk with 100s of grams of sugar alcohols--I do believe that most of us can safely subtract the fiber in veggies and things like psyllium, etc. So I will continue doing my low fat Atkins (with a lower CCL than usual) and will probably net it out. Cuz um, I rationalize. Have I mentioned that? I wish I'd stopped to take a pic. This was brekky this morning and it was VLC (very low carb, super low cal for the protein buck) and I was perfectly satisfied. No angst or carb/veggie envy at all. To me, this is just the "balanced approach" that works for me. It was an egg foldover - like a fluffy egg taco that you fold in half and eat with the guts of turkey, lite cheese, and arugula. Yummy! Edited: It was actually arugula but I clicked on the wrong button cuz I'm so used to having super greens rather than arugula. But they're pretty much the same macros.

Your'e putting yourself in great risk by having alcohol so soon after surgery. Most docs recommend to wait at least 6 months. Your stomach is still healing and alcohol is very acidic and can mess with the healing process. You're also at a high risk of developing a dependency issue. Having two shots a day when you're probably only bringing in about 1000 calories a day isn't "light". You're definitely fooling yourself if you think that alcohol isn't having some negative impact on your weight loss!

My surgery was on 10/17, and I've been having hard alcohol and wine in moderation and it hasn't effected my loss. I make sure I put the calories in MFP and just adjust things if I drink. I also keep it very light, never more then 2 shots worth of alcohol at a time (per day) ever. But that is just me Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

Another question...How are you guys faring with caffeine (coffee or tea) and wine? I haven't had wine or any alcohol after surgery but did have some caffeine and wonder if that sets us back or something else...

That nausea, put it down by smelling perfume or alcohol swab, i hop it helps u like it helped me. Sleep tight. Sent from my SM-N950F using BariatricPal mobile app

From what I've seen the 30 gram bars are usually just higher in protein because they are bigger. You can only cram so much into a small bar. I second the Think Thin bars, they have sugar alcohols instead of nasty stevia or sucralose, but don't eat them in excess because sugar alcohols can cause terrible gas and bloating.