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Well, I've said this before, but I love to repeat myself. What in the world is wrong with the easy way out??? I don't wash my clothes the old fashioned way by banging them on rocks down on the river; I take the easy way out by using my washer and dryer. Why does losing weight have to be a moral issue? It's a health issue, and you should do it whatever way that works. If the health community came up with a surgical way to cure alcoholism, no one would be complaining that it was the easy way out; they would berate those alcoholics who didn't get the surgery and "chose" to remain alcoholics. So why are we MO's supposed to always do things the hard way? No scratch that, the inefficient, usually nonworkable way?

Hi Michelle! My first thought was that it could be the estrogen pills, but I'm no expert! Sorry about your stall! Sounds like you are doing everything right. I've been doing well. I'm still (and probably for the rest of my life) tracking what I eat. It's crazy how some seemingly harmless foods have SO many carbs or fat grams! I'm paranoid about gaining, so I monitor everything I eat! I know some on this forum have a different philosophy, but this works for me. I've been losing at a pretty steady 3 lbs. per week. I'm still only eating 600-800 calories daily and I think I've only hit 800 once. My goal is 75 grams of Protein, 30 grams or less of fat, and 50 grams or less of carbs per day. I was told no alcohol until 6 months out. Even then, I'm going to only have a sip or two on special occasions, since even small amounts always gives me headaches. I work out 4-5 times per week, but it's been a little spotty these past few weeks as I am adjusting back to work after summer break. I am on my feet and walking ALL day at work, though! Since my pre-op days (beginning last November) I've lost 116 lbs and have gone from a size 26-28 to a very loose 16!! I'm holding on to the 16's until the cooler weather is here and I can buy a few cheap pair of long pants and warmer tops (still in Capris and summer tops for now!). HANG IN THERE!!! Talk to your NUT and don't worry! How are you feeling? I'm sure you have more energy, feel so much better from eating healthy and working out, and are a healthier person overall! Sometimes I forget that that is the most important thing, not the aesthetic!

Transfer addictions are a consideration. Some minor ones are just very expensive hobbies you always wanted to do (the serious ones can be alcohol etc) You may become fixated on new clothes, specialty equipment or even eyelash extensions 🤫

I am in my early 20s and just got the band. I was similarly concerned about how it would change my social life. I am only a few days into being banded, but I think the real changes for me on this topic came about a month ago, before I had the band. The truth is, you can have fun in moderation. I am a big drinker and social eater and often plan outings surrounding these things. The thing I have found out from being on my preop diet and being restricted in eating and not drinking is that people don't really care if I am eating fatty foods or drinking alcohol with them. As long as they can do those things, and I am not making my not-participation the focus of what is going on, then no one really minds. The bigger change will not come from your friends, but from you. You will have to learn to be fun and jolly and entertain yourself without the food/alcohol. No one is going to care if you order a Soup instead of a Pasta dish, or if you have a cranberry juice instead of a vodka tonic if you are still being fun and normal. Your friends like you for you, not for how much you can drink or eat. It is a hard transition though. I have added other things to my social life too, like doing-non drinking activities, like seeing a movie or going kayaking with a friend or going shopping, as a replacement to some of drinking/eating related things. I also went to a BBQ at my friends house where people could bring food but I provided food that I knew I would be able to eat without feeling deprived (I brough lots of grilled veggies, veggie burger and crab stuffed mushrooms and propel zero-- no one cared what I was eating or that I wasn't drinking and it was a ton of fun. I enjoyed myself way more not feeling guilty about over eating or worrying if someone counted how many chips I had had and was judging me and I felt the need to drink less). It will be different for every person though. These life changes are good ones. The sooner you start the sooner you get the band you will be able to have control of your life, feel good about yourself, and show other people how confident you are. Being able to have fun without alcohol is an awesome skill, and being able to having conversations and socialize without using food as a crutch will only make you a better friend. I just work hard not to make my new eating habits or band anyone else's problem. It requires planning and has changed my life, but for the better. I have had to really look at what is available on menus before getting to a restaurant and I always carry something that will curb my appetite in a pinch (although there are some fast food options that aren't awful, just look at nutrition and do your best to stay high, Protein and low carb). These things aren't hard though. I think it is good you are asking these questions and if you aren't ready to make some changes inside yourself with how you cope with social situations (not drinking or eating your way through them) then it probably isn't the time for you to get banded. It would be worse, in my opinion, to get banded now and feel like you are failing then to wait until you are mentally ready to give up some of the social comfort and let your friends still have it. The band won't be a cure for any of your bad habits or mental reasons for eating, so those changes need to either come first or you need to be prepared enough to fight them when the cravings come. Doing the 6 month preop nutritionist consults, meeting fellow bariatric surgery patients, being on this site, watching youtube videos, reading blogs and meeting with a therapist have all helped me realize that I don't use food in a normal way and in some ways that hinders my social life more than it helps. This is all just me though. I don't know if it relates to you, but as a young 20 something, the sooner you are happy, the better. It just might take more work mentally if you don't want to change your lifestyle 180 degrees, because the triggers and reasons to eat will still be there after the band. Good luck deciding and feel free to message if you have more questions.

I think I am a sugar addict. I read somewhere that addiction to sugar is very similar to alcoholism because alcohol has a high sugar content. I have no idea if that's true. I was successful for a long stretch of time in cutting sugar completely out of my diet, along with refined flour, white Pasta, etc. I can tell you for certain that my appetite normalized--in other words I was not nearly as hungry as usual. Yes, I lost weight, but eventually did the backslide into my old bad habits and regained it plus some. I reach for Cookies in times of anxiety and stress in exactly the same way an alcoholic reaches for a drink. I find that counseling has helped me to greatly reduce that reaction. Hope this helps... Carol

I'm so very proud to say I'm on day 3 of the preop diet and I've stuck to it religiously. I haven't had 1 slip up. I even went as far as going to a crawfish boil at my best friend's house which was full of delicious foods and alcohol. I patiently drank my protein shakes and chicken broth. Sipped on water all night and still had a blast. My friends have been so very supportive and loving. I will admit I did bust into tears briefly from feeling a little overwhelmed. But the important thing is I'm sticking with it! I've found strength and determination I didn't know were there. I have to admit I'm feeling a bit like Wonder Woman. Lol

My surgeon says no alcohol for 1 year after surgery and no carbonate beverages at all. There are several issues with alcohol from what I understand: Empty calories. Alcohol can cause ulcers Addiction - If someone is a food adict they can transfer addiction to alcohol. I think it really becomes a judgement call for each person but those are the risks as I know them.

I have to agree with honk...but maybe because I'm also not a drinker, and I'm still pre-op and completely focused on the vision of giving my body only what it needs. It seems like the most successful bandsters focus on protien, veges, then fruit, and staying hydrated with water. The surgeon that spoke at our seminar also highly discouraged alcohol just because replacing a food addiction with another substance is entirely too easy. But again, I'm not a drinker, and I'm pre-op

Admittedly I am not a drinker. Sure you can have alcohol but it really is just calorie water. If someone told you they were working really hard to loose weight but then said they had snicker bar several days a week; you might roll your eyes.

Wine at about 4-5 months....started with 1/2 to 1 glass. Vodka cocktails around 6-7 months. I've had whiskey, rum, cream liquors (Amarula, Rumchata, etc) since then. Normally I might have a drink 1-2 times a month, but when I was on vacation I had 1-2 cocktails pretty much every day. I was never a "cheap drunk", and surgery has made no difference in my alcohol tolerance. I did discover I could drink a lightly carbonated drink like hard cider if I pour it over ice and let sit awhile, but definitely can't drink beer....my sleeve can't do bubbles.

Just my 2 cents- a lot of people that are obese it's because of addiction. (I understand that some obese people have medical conditions that can make you overweight) I have an addiction to food and I am an emotional eater. Having any weight loss surgery can help control the eating and the amounts, but the struggle in your head is a different story. I think that some people have this struggle more than others. Anytime there is a big stress in my life - I have to worry about my food intake. People can fail from wls because of addiction - it's just like someone who struggles with alcohol or pills. •• I'm not saying that it's not possible to overcome it, I'm just saying that the "head hunger" and the actual emotional eating can affect others differently.

I stay away from processed foods, period. The nutritional value is not great, and after a while, you really don't even want that stuff. The longer you eat healthier foods, the more your body craves healthy food, and the processed stuff just doesn't have the same appeal. Realize that processed foods are engineered to keep you coming back. They often appeal to our genetically programed survival taste preferences for sweet, salty, and fat. Food manufacturers know how to manipulate these to get your brain to release dopamine as a pleasure sensation. The release of dopamine and serotonin is the key to addiction to anything, and processed food plays to this. WLS is such a gift. We owe it to ourselves to make every bite as nutritionally dense as possible and to train our brains away from unhealthy choices. You can actually get a release of pleasure chemicals by making a choice for a healthy snack instead of a junkier one - once you train your brain to be happy with a delectable piece of fruit rather than a processed quick fix. I admit that I am always a little worried for folks who ask about going back to unhealthy choices for fear of feeling deprived. This seems like a bit of compromising justification, and is what got us in trouble in the first place. An alcoholic is destined for relapse if they think they can go back to drinking in moderation. Sobriety cannot be compromised. A food addict is playing with fire if they think they can eat addictive foods in moderation. Why even mess around with that? Why not retrain your brain to love the good stuff instead? WLS gives us the tool, but we have to relearn how to eat and how to be happy about healthy food. Personally, I made the decision that I AM NEVER GOING BACK. I am NOT going to regain after all this hard work, and I am NOT going back to the unhealthy eating habits that made me obese. For me, that means I am NOT going back to processed foods in any way, shape, or form. It's just not worth it. A beautiful honey crisp apple is so much better than a bag or bar.

That comes across pretty harsh. My friends would never question my choices, but a well meaning coworker, or the spouse of my husband's boss, might get a little noisy. I am only looking for and offering up ideas for people who want to be part of a festive occastion without alcohol. Maybe they dont want questions or maybe they just want some ideas for beverages other than water or tea. Sometimes its easier to carry the proverbial solo cup. HW 385 SW 359 CW 338 Sleeved 10/5/16

Cupcakes, chocolate, bread and alcohol..and you had blow pops. lol I wouldn't worry about that. I hope I have the will power to pass that stuff up after my sleeve..Great job!

Has anyone else had trouble with UTIs since having their weight loss surgery? I was sleeved approx. 1 year ago and now suffer with these more frequently than ever. Someone mentioned to me it might be my alcohol intake, another one said not enough water. Thoughts?

I was given the following reasons to refrain from alcohol: (1) empty calories (2) can contribute to worsening GERD (3) metabolization of the alcohol may have undesired effects with your new digestive system (4) risk of transfer addiction. I was not told never to have it again, but to use caution before proceeding. I rarely had alcohol during weight loss phase, I would guess probably less than 10 times the entire time, and these times wouldn't even be an entire regular "serving". It was always dry red wine or gin/vodka with soda (less calories and less carbs). I once had a couple sips of a flavoured soju like 2 months post op and ended up on the bathroom floor for over an hour. Not pretty. I can get tipsy/drunk reeeaaalllly quickly (and on much, much, much less than pre-op). But I also sober up astonishingly quickly as well. 1 drink and I'm def affected. 2 drinks and I'm drunk. But about an hour later I'm totally back to normal again. I'm almost 2 years post op now and I drink fairly regularly (particularly since COVID started!), though I still stick to red wines and spirits with no sugary mixers for the most part (with the exception of Kahlua, an important ingredient in espresso martinis) P.S. I am NOT advocating drinking to all, especially if your team advises against it. Everyone is different and should aim to know their limitations and stay within them. Some may have more trouble with this, which is probably why lots say to just stay away. It can become a slippery slope.... Edited to add: I just realized the title of this thread was for bypass. Oopsies, I'm a sleeve, and I think it may be a bit different, between the two: alcohol will bypass a portion (or all?) of the small intestine in by-passers and go directly to the the large intestine, which results in different alcohol metabolization rates...

Doctors' philosophy on this vary from a few weeks to never again depending upon their experiences. The basic issues are: Healing - alcohol is somewhat corrosive to the stomach lining so one needs to give things a chance to heal first, Typically we see a few weeks to a few months sited for this. Alcohol tolerance - rapid stomach emptying means it tends to hit faster, and with less (i.e., a "cheap drunk") so care must be taken there, Transfer addiction - we can no longer satisfy whatever addictive tendencies we have with food, so it is easy to transfer that addiction to something else, like alcohol, drugs, shopping, gambling, etc. What was a casual habit of a glass of wine with dinner occasionally can easily turn into full blown alcoholism. Liver health - starting as morbidly obese, or worse, our livers are not usually in very good shape to begin with (hence the "liver shrinking" pre-op diets that are often prescribed) and the liver is further stressed from its role in metabolizing all that fat that we are rapidly losing. It doesn't need any more stress from ingesting a known liver toxin like alcohol (not a judgemental thing, just our physiology at work). My surgeon is also a biliopancreatic (livers and pancreas) transplant surgeon, so he is in the no alcohol as long as we are losing weight camp (and ideally forever) and indeed we sign a contract to that effect - he doesn't want any of his bariatric patients coming back onto his transplant table! Those are the issues in play, and some aspects bother different surgeons to different degrees, so they have different policies. Check with what your surgeon's policy is, and decide for yourself - we are all adults here.

It's different for the bypass people. When I first tried coke zero with whiskey it hit hard and fast. Luckily I tried it at home as advised, lol. I rarely drink alcohol, it was never my drug of choice, and that makes me extra sensitive on top. Interestingly enough I didn't notice a lot of change with weight. I used to get bombed on a relatively small amount of alcohol at my highest weight, too.

Depends. I can remember being advised not having alcoholic beverages for about 4 months or so and that we should try with caution because one can get drunk really quick. For me, it can hit like a hammer, depending on the beverage. However, this is only the "technical site of it" so to say. That one can have alcohol after some weeks or months doesn't mean that one should drink alcohol regularly (WLS or not).

It could leave you intoxication and have problems so thats why I don't do any carbination alcohol or coffee Sent from my octopus using BariatricPal mobile app

Upon further research, looks like I went into hypoglycemia. Which is dangerous. I know now I need to not consume much alcohol as can come on without warning. Since we never have much in our stomachs not much to absorb alcohol and the alcohol blocks liver from producing glucose hence why it can be so sudden with a decent amount of alcohol and not much food to absorb.

I still haven't seen any evidence or proof that I have stalked or harassed anyone. I have said Put up, or Shut Up and all you and the other two can come up with is Explain Yourself! So I ask again. Explain myself for WHAT? For posting on the board? My challenge STILL stands. Find and quote any post or PM that I have written in which I have attacked people with such hatred and cruelty as you have. Find it. Quote it. Post it. THEN ask me to explain why I said what I said. Just because Lisa, Dody, and 3Loves SAY its so, that doesn't make it so. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- And here's a reminder for you Dody... Formal & FINAL WARNING! After recent events exhibited by some LBT members the Moderators (with Alex, owner) permission have decided to post this Formal and FINAL WARNING that personal attacks, inappropriate behavior, name calling, excessive cursing, disregard for the Rules & Guidelines, and like postings whether in a Private Message or in a Thread WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. With the next incident the member WILL BE BANNED without warning or notification. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Is it really necessary to start trying to degrade my marriage simply because you can't come up with one legitimate thing against me? Have you grown weary of calling me a degenerate, an alcoholic, and a drug addict? Now you must stoop so low as to make these kinds of hateful statements? Go on Dody. Show us all why you hate me so much. Pull up things your genius daughter copied and pasted with such brilliance and SHOW US what I ever did to you to make you respond with such venom and cruelty. We are ALL waiting. PUT UP OR SHUT UP

Torose, I am not sure if I am doing anything "special" or different. I try to eat my Protein (60g) , then vegetable, then starch. I also try to drink 64 ounces of Water, very little juice and I don't drink soda. I try to work out everyday but realistically, I average 3-4 days per week on the elipitical, for 25 minutes. I don't eat more than 1 cup of food per meal. I eat 3-4 meals per day and I eat fruits. I don't drink alcohol, also. I attend a monthly support meeting, visit my dietician and doctor, for follow-up visits and tests. Also, I try to track my food and exercise on www.MyFitnessPal.com.

I had to sign a contract with my surgeon stating that alcohol is strictly prohibited. Forever. Not for 6 months, or 1 year. Same with pop/ soda. They say you can stir the carbonation out of diet soda months out if you really want soda, but that's about the extent of bending the rules.. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using BariatricPal

My brother has gastric bypass surgery 2 1/2 years ago he can eat anything just smaller portions. If he tries to eat alot he starts throwing up. He can even drink alcohol with no problems.