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Hello everyone, So I haven't had my surgery yet. Still seeing the nutritionist and getting all the pre-op work finished. Haven't set a date yet but they said 6 months after my consultation so around end of October early November. That being said I'm going to Los Angeles with my mom on May 1 and I'm scared I won't be able to enjoy everything I have planned so I'm hoping to get some incite from others who are 5/6 months post-op and/or have tried the questions I'm going to ask below. Questions: Please be respectful and honest if responding (: I'm very new to this and these are just some wondering questions I had floating around 1. So yes, we all get the point of the surgery is to lose weight and lead a healthy lifestyle BUT that doesn't mean we can't enjoy ourselves sometimes. My favorite food chain is in LA, In-N-Out Burger. Will I be able to eat a cheeseburger and small fry with like a milkshake? Clearly I won't be opting for this on the daily but we all still need to indulge in our favorites once in a while and I'm not sure how much of it I'll be able to eat I'm assuming maybe like 1/3 or maybe 1/2 of the entire meal. But does anyone have experience with eating cheeseburgers, fries and a milkshake on like a vacation or for just a little "cheat meal"? (Again, I get the point is to NOT eat these types of food but sometimes you have urges especially on vacations). 2. I absolutely LOVE sparkling water like La Croix and San Pellegrino, does anyone drink sparkling water on occasion? 3. Cocktails and Wine, I'm not sure about you but being 24 I like to have myself an occasional couple of social beverages, how was your experience with alcohol both mixed drinks (hard liquor) and wine? (Don't worry about beer I don't like it). 4. Not to generalize but I think a lot of people have a sweet tooth, I love the occasional scone, croissant, cookie, French macaron, etc. how has your experience with these types of baked pastries been? 5. Coffee. I'm ADDICTED to coffee and espresso beverages; lattes, macchiatos, cappuccinos, matcha lattes. How have these affected you and do you sweeten them at all or keep it plain? Can you sweeten them with like flavored syrups like a pump of lavender simple syrup or matcha powder? 6. Now I know the clear answer and feedback I'm going to get on this question but for those who aren't going to just simply says "QUIT!!!" then I'd appreciate an answer, don't answer this is you're going to lecture me on how bad this is in general regardless of VSG, I know it's bad, I'm not stupid but it's an addictive habit I'm trying to quit. Smoking. How have cigarettes or e-cigs like Juul's affected you? Does it bother your stomach or can you smoke without issue? If so how many cigarettes or Juul pods do you go through a day? 7. This is hopefully not going to be a struggle but when I eat I like to sip on water or unsweetened iced tea, coffee, etc. I know in the beginning you're supposed to drink like 30 minutes BEFORE consuming food. How soon after can you drink something? Also will there be a time when eventually I can have a beverage while eating a snack or meal? Or will I forever not be able to consume liquids and solids at the same time? Thank you guys so much for the support and I appreciate all of the insightful comments to come! Best of luck on your journey. xo, CashmereAndBones

Thank you very much you have no idea that your post really impacted me and touch my heart thank you for being so supportive and non-judgmental against me I am having the hardest time I almost regret having the surgery not only am I having issues with this surgery and trying to make better choices and learn as much as I can about the sleeve which by the way I should have done before I have the surgery I am dealing with an alcoholic adulterous husband which is causing more emotional pain besides the pain that I have dealt with since a child I am in the process of checking myself into some serious counseling to get over the problems of my past once and for all so that it doesn't lead back to eating my way through the pain I have lots of things to conquer but I am strong I am smart and I'm Not Dead I will overcome these things I will live and maybe one day find happiness Within Myself first and then hopefully in a meaningful relationship with someone that I deserve vice versa thank you for sharing I really enjoyed reading your post it touched me and led me to think of lots of other things kind of outside the box what a support and Super Trooper you are thank you again[emoji5] [emoji7] I absolutely loved your post what encouraging words!!!! Sent from my SM-J327T1 using BariatricPal mobile app

The issues regarding alcohol and WLS are the following: Healing - alcohol is corrosive to the raw stomach tissues that have been exposed during surgery, so we need to keep away from it while the stomach heals. Surgeons differ in their opinion as to how long that should be, from a few weeks to a few months. Liver health - starting out obese or worse, our livers are often in pretty poor shape (hence the "liver shrinking" pre-op diets that some surgeons impose). Further, our livers are further stressed by their role in metabolizing all that fat that we are losing, and doesn't need any further stress from ingesting a liver toxin like alcohol (that's not a moral judgement, just basic physiology.) Surgeons vary widely as to how much this bothers them depending upon their backgrounds and WLS philosophies (short term vs. long term.) In my doc's program, we are under contract to not drink as long as we are in a weight loss phase (call it a year, though ideally forever) - with his "sideline" as a liver transplant surgeon, he doesn't want any of his bariatric patients coming back onto his transplant table. Transfer addiction - to the extent that we are/have been addicted to food (a very individual thing) that we can no longer satisfy, courtesy of our WLS, we can be prone to transferring those addictive tendencies to something else - alcohol, drugs, gambling, shopping, etc. So, a casual drinking habit pre-op can (and often does) morph into full blown alcoholism.

This is what my surgeon told me. He said that it will likely affect me more quickly and to be careful when drinking. He by no means said, however, that I can't or shouldn't drink. I've also seen that some surgeons differ on when alcohol can be consumed after surgery. I only have to wait 6 weeks, but have seen that others say 3 or 6 months.

I had the gastric sleeve surgery on May 7th. Before surgery I liked to drink wine several times a week. Usually white, sometimes red. After surgery, didn't touch alcohol for 8 weeks. But tonight I've had 3 glasses of white wine. It's only 3 carbs per 5 oz. and around 100 calories. I ate protein for every meal and didn't snack at all. My total calories for the day including the wine are 700. Can someone explain to me why this would be considered "bad"? I'm not looking for judgement on the wine, just truly curious as to why alcohol is considered a bad thing.

See, I guess this is another pet peeve of mine. Every surgeon's program is different. There is no standard program. I agree that alcohol should be avoided because it is liquid calories. But I don't agree at all that it is a safety issue. That brings me to another pet peeve, scare mongering by surgeons and NUTS. No straws, because you'll swallow air? How do you even do that? And if you do get air in your stomach, you burp, bfd? Carbonation will stretch your sleeve. So these tiny little bubbles are powerful enough to stretch this incredibly tough organ that churns and breaks down all of our food. I'm not a Dr., but I have common sense, I just don't buy it.

The alcohol posts mess with me my program preach 1 year and that’s for safety

Don't try with alcohol to drown your pouch You'll be the one,saying OUCH! A little Bariatric Humor on this fine Friday Evening🍸😛🍹🍷

Since we have a very small stomach compared to body weight alcohol will have an outsized effect on post op sleevers. An empty stomach will just make it worse. Even if you dont "feel" drunk your Blood alcohol level will be higher per drink than someone your same weight with a normal size stomach. Use caution.

Hi all, Just want to share something I noticed recently and couldn't understand for some time, but now it is clear. I'm about two years out of surgery and I'm a happy skinny person, however occasionally I noticed very strange alcohol reaction. Here the story. I was leaving my job and had a little departure party which I was really looking forward. When finally everybody gathered and we start drinking, I got ABSOLUTELY WASTED after two(!) glasses of white. Party was spoiled, I was embarrassed and probably loss fair part of my reputation there. I could not believed it, I was bearly able to stand straight and wasn't able to communicate at all. Normally at home I have 4-6 glasses of merlot and able keep myself midly drunk and happy, but that! I was thinking a lot and than realised what happend. Due to sleeve surgery I don't really feel hunger ever and being excited about party I simmply forgot to eat. Consecutively, this couple whites hit me hard. Well, I'm glad I know that now and can prepare for parties better. Cheers

Understood. I was told to wait until the 6 month mark to reintroduce alcohols. But, things are different with the bypass (and like every surgeon on the planet!) BUT I did have 2 drinks at this point, maybe a total of 4 -6 oz between the 2 of them. Got drunk quick, but got sober quick too... didn't seem "worth it" really anymore.

I was aloud to reintroduce alcohol at 3 months postop. I had vodka and SF Red Bull for my first drink. Some people would ridicule me for having carbonated beverage, but it doesn't bother me at all. But, on the same note, I didn't pick something with a lot of calories... I'd be afraid that Irish Coffees would go down too good, if you catch my drift. Things that we too heavily enjoy, seem to be a slippery slope.

Well I really thought there was a possibility that I might get a slightly upset stomach but no, it did not get that. I didnt even catch a buzz. I dont need to be drinking alcohol and will not be doing that again for a while.

I think food addiction is a thing for sure. I haven't been diagnosed with that, but I believe its a real thing. I've said this time and time again that this is 80% head, and only 20% body. You have to fight the urge, change your ways, and cope in different ways. I suffer from PTSD from childhood sexual abuse, and I think eating helped me cope with that. When I had my psych eval the doctor asked me if putting on weight, was it like a security blanket for me? Did I think that I'd be fearful of a reoccurrence (of my trauma) if I was thinner? I answered, no, but I didn't know the full scope of how being "thin" would feel like. I have been heavier my whole life. Even in high school I was athletic, but heavy. So who knows, as I get smaller, will I feel more vulnerable? My point is, that a lot of people cope with stress, trauma, anxiety, ect. with eating. I think this might as well be a food addiction. It's just like how alcoholics reach for the bottle. We use it in the moment to cope. Its a temporary fix, and doesn't solve the problem. I used to be this way as well, but I hit my rock bottom. I literally felt disgusted by my actions and knew that I was heading towards an early grave. I no longer rolled my eyes when people expressed concern for my health, because I knew they were right. I was fearful. I think therapy is a great idea, and I always recommend to establish with someone prior to surgery. It doesn't matter who you are, everyone would benefit from talking it out with professional from time-to-time. Ultimately, I hope that you get help, and have this surgery. Your life will change forever.

@adiosannie300 while this may sound harsh people who truly care about you will be supportive. I have run into people who seem very upset by the fact I will no longer eat sweets, breads or drink alcohol.. it bothered me for a bit but when I thought about it.. they are just upset with themselves that they have not made the changes in their lives and I will not sabotage myself for anyone. True friends will support you on your endeavors and encourage you to do the right thing! I hope we all have more of those types :)

It’s so true. When you politely decline dessert or other food item people get very defensive. I have had people say that I’m obsessed about my diet and that I am not fun. Turning down alcohol gets the same reaction as turning down cake and ice cream.

AdiosAnnie300, there are some of us who are sugar addicts just like others are crack addicts, heroin addicts and alcoholics. We just can’t. When people say, “Just have a bite,” I want to say, “Would you hand an alcoholic a glass of wine and say, Just have a sip?” But it seems so benign to others. And I get that. It’s playing with fire to us. ;)

We’re pretty much on the same page. Sugar is my devil, too! Once it enters my body, it owns me. I’ve been in Type 2 remission for 5 years now. It can be done! I don’t worry about fat though. Low-fat just means more sugar and/or additives/preservatives. Not for me. To answer the original poster’s question, we all have different strengths and weaknesses. We have to take command of them. I could have a few bites of cheesesteak, no prob, but not with bread on it! That would cause an epic sugar spiral! Cake is out of the question for me! Might as well hand an alcoholic a bottle of Jack!

Hi- I'm scheduled for surgery next Monday 7/9 at BI Milton in MA and I'm on 2 protein shakes a day plus 1 meal (protein + veggies + fruit, no carbs). No snacks, no caffeine, no alcohol. The first few days were TORTURE. I was lightheaded and dizzy and really cranky. Now I'm a week in and it's better physically but still hard emotionally/socially. I've decided it's good prep for post-op and it's getting me in the right frame of mind for surgery and the changes I'll need to make long-term. Hang in there! Elizabeth

This is something that I've found out for myself. Nobody made me eat the vast amounts of food I ate, I did it all myself. I am a compulsive overeater and even with WLS I will still be a compulsive overeater. The WLS has given me a great head start in the right direction but, if I don't control my compulsion I will be back to where I started before my WLS. That is why I sought help with Overeaters Anonymous (OA). It is modeled after the 12 step program of Alcoholics Anonymous. I go to meetings, call my sponsor everyday and most important I work the steps. I have said this in the past, there are many on here who can maintain the weight loss by themselves, I unfortunately am not one of them. I will never be able to eat like a normal person. If you feel that you need help, look for it and embrace it. I am only nine months out from my WLS, I don't consider myself a weight loss success just yet. I hope that I can maintain long term and stay healthy for the rest of my life.

This is the approach that I use: I strictly avoid processed sugars. I have a sweet tooth and that is one of the major causes that contributed to my weight gain over my lifetime. I limit myself to artificial sweeteners (such as Splenda and sugar alcohols), to natural low calorie sweeteners (such as Stevia) and to the natural sugars found in fruits and milk. I had diabetes. That went into remission when I left the hospital two days after surgery and I have not taken any diabetic medicine ever since and my blood sugar levels are good. I test my blood sugar levels periodically. [Currently over 5 years post-op] I read the labels of all food that I consume. I look at the grams of sugar per serving. If it is above 5 grams, I look at the ingredients. The ingredients are listed in order by highest percentage, and if the first 5 ingredients contain processed sugar (in any of its many forms), then I avoid this food, like a plague. I also restrict myself to about one meal per day containing complex carbohydrates (such as pasta and bread). I also avoid all carbonated beverages. I lost 20 pounds pre-op solely on eliminating carbonated beverages from my diet and I will not go back.

The mental aspect of all of this is the hardest for me. I didn't expect that at all. Learning how to cope with stress without food or alcohol has been hard too. And stalls! The scale makes me crazy but I can't stay away from it!

Bariatric-branded vitamins are not necessary or better. Taking 2 Multivitamins a day from Centrum or One A Day, or their generics (from Costco, Walgreens, etc) are fine. Try to find a multi that does NOT contain both calcium and iron as taking them together impedes absorption of both, so then it is as if you didn’t take them at all. I take One A Day 50+ as it doesn’t contain iron and then I dose my heme iron separately (2-4 hours apart) from my multi and calcium citrate supplementation. My thyroid medication is also impacted if I take iron and calcium with it , so I don’t; instead, I take thyroid RXs first thing in the morning and vitamins at lunch, dinner, and bedtime. Works out great, which has been verified with excellent lab work results. If you find your vitamins are too big, you can use a pill cutter to make them smaller. However, I didn’t need to do this myself. The only modification I did in early post-op days was to take vitamins one at a time instead of as a handful of pills. As well, don’t stress out about taking or not taking vitamins in the first month as you have plenty of them stored up in your body and won’t go deficient right away. Ease into your new vitamin regimen if that works better for you. i found chewable and dissolving vitamins made me nauseous or caused me to vomit after bariatric surgery. I think this is because they contain sugar alcohols which are no bueno for me now. Lastly, my doctor emphatically said to NOT take Flinstones or children’s vitamins as they don’t contain the right types of vitamins and amounts.

Social situations changed for me when I reframed it as being about people, not food. I'm there to enjoy the conversation and the company. To gain comfort from the relationships. It helps me not obsess about what I can or can't eat or start rationalizing a bad choice. I was on my pre-op diet at a dinner party with some close friends, so I had to not eat anything but my salad and afterwards I went home and cried because it was the first time I simply enjoyed the company of the people in my life and I didn't think constantly about food. It was so amazing and also sad when I realized how much life I missed by thinking always about food. I can't say I'm "healed" but I'm able to catch the food obsession and remind myself it's not about the food. I'm an introvert so social situations can be stressful so sometimes I have to remind myself every few minutes, but it helps. I'm a teacher and not being able to drink alcohol in the summer is a lot harder than I expected. I didn't realize how much I use alcohol to relax over vacation. I haven't found a way to reframe that one. I feel the scale pain: my weight stays in the same two-pound range for weeks and then drops suddenly, then goes back up a couple pounds before starting the whole process again. It's super frustrating, but over the long run the weight loss does happen, eventually. Just not on my brain's schedule.

I have been an avid baker and cook my whole life. This morning I went through my kitchen a gathered all of my baking ingredients and sweets; tons of chocolate chips, sugars, lard, shortening, condensed milk, etc and put it all in a storage bin. I couldn't bring myself to get rid of it so I put it out of sight in the basement. Just now, I threw it all out. It was liberating. I remember years ago I burned my ex's love letters that I had held on to for years, after that I was able to finally move on. It felt good getting rid of that food myself, like an alcoholic clearing out their liquor cabinet on the path to a new start.