Alcohol loosening up the band?!

[SillyBandster 0]

Hey all, sorry, I haven't posted on here since I was pre-op. A little background...I had my surgery Jan 18th of this year, with a starting weight of 244 (I'm 5'6"). I'm currently at 160, and haven't had any major problems with my band (very few incidences of PBing, reflux, etc.). I'm trying to get the remaining twenty lbs off me as soon as possible, because I was a self-pay and my year of free doctor visits/fills expires on 1/18/11 (I'm not trying to REACH my goal weight by then, just trying to get as close to is as healthily possible). I've kept my band tight, but not tight enough to cause discomfort, with the exception of the past week. I had my last fill a week ago, and I was fine the first few days, and now it takes a little while for water/protein drinks to go down, and food is basically non-negotiable. I haven't thrown up, I'm very careful about that. I am definitely going in for a slight unfill tomorrow morning, but I've noticed that if I have a few drinks (I like gin and tonic) my band loosens up and I can eat food! Is this normal? Has anyone else experienced this? I know alcohol is a diuretic, but so is caffeine and caffeine TIGHTENS my band!! Hope someone else has experienced this and give me some insight as to why this happens. Also, just to clarify, I know I shouldn't be having alcohol since it leeches Vitamins from the system and is empty calories.

[HeatherinCA 10]

All I know is you aren't supposed to drink alcohol or caffine right? Caffine is because it makes you hungry... Alcohol I assume because you don't eat much and it's a of slider calories.

[EL Diva 1]

Hey all, sorry, I haven't posted on here since I was pre-op. A little background...I had my surgery Jan 18th of this year, with a starting weight of 244 (I'm 5'6"). I'm currently at 160, and haven't had any major problems with my band (very few incidences of PBing, reflux, etc.). I'm trying to get the remaining twenty lbs off me as soon as possible, because I was a self-pay and my year of free doctor visits/fills expires on 1/18/11 (I'm not trying to REACH my goal weight by then, just trying to get as close to is as healthily possible). I've kept my band tight, but not tight enough to cause discomfort, with the exception of the past week. I had my last fill a week ago, and I was fine the first few days, and now it takes a little while for water/protein drinks to go down, and food is basically non-negotiable. I haven't thrown up, I'm very careful about that. I am definitely going in for a slight unfill tomorrow morning, but I've noticed that if I have a few drinks (I like gin and tonic) my band loosens up and I can eat food! Is this normal? Has anyone else experienced this? I know alcohol is a diuretic, but so is caffeine and caffeine TIGHTENS my band!! Hope someone else has experienced this and give me some insight as to why this happens. Also, just to clarify, I know I shouldn't be having alcohol since it leeches Vitamins from the system and is empty calories.

Hi!

I hope you don't mind me asking a question. Prior to the band I enjoyed having a few cocktails with vodka, lime & club soda being a preference. I have been scared to try club soda in anything because I was warned off any carbonation (alcohol too,but hey, I'm not perfect!LOL) so my question is... Does the tonic bother you at all? I heard it could cause discomfort. I've been drinking Water and a piece of lime with my vodka but would love a little soda!

And Yes, to the alcohol naysayers, I, too, know the disadvantages of drinking alcohol

Cheers!

[Jennifer Hathaway 12]

I drink vodka cranberry juice, I had to give up the diet coke because of no carbonation rule. Alcohol is okay in moderation. I usually save some calories during the day if I know I am going out for drinks. But I make sure to eat about an hour before because drinking alcohol makes me hungry and I know I can't eat anything because I would end up eating junk. And I am only 6 pounds away from goal.

[AlienBandit 10]

My band is actually the opposite with alcohol. I never used to really have a problem while drinking but recently whenever I drink my band closes up for days! I mean not a little but a whole lot. Sometimes even drinking tea after a night of a few drinks is hard.

Just like our bands and fills are different so is our tolerance for dinner foods, drinks etc.

I am actually going for another unfill in a few days because my band is getting tighter over time and it is becoming unbearable to even have a sip of wine at dinner every once and a while.

[Keia 4]

I drink vodka cranberry juice, I had to give up the diet coke because of no carbonation rule. Alcohol is okay in moderation. I usually save some calories during the day if I know I am going out for drinks. But I make sure to eat about an hour before because drinking alcohol makes me hungry and I know I can't eat anything because I would end up eating junk. And I am only 6 pounds away from goal.

You mentioned that you're only 6 pounds from goal. That's great! I just had my pre-op Monday and the doctor said that banders only loose 40 - 50% of their excess body weight. I thought that was pretty discouraging, but I'm glad to see that you're close to your goal. Congratulations!

[AlienBandit 10]

You mentioned that you're only 6 pounds from goal. That's great! I just had my pre-op Monday and the doctor said that banders only loose 40 - 50% of their excess body weight. I thought that was pretty discouraging, but I'm glad to see that you're close to your goal. Congratulations!

Doctors don't want people to set ridiculous goals. I think that is mostly a western thing. My doc out of habit of having mostly Korean patients said I could get to 60kg if I wanted. I think that is way too low and I said I wanted to be 63-64 kg ( about 140 lbs) at 5'6 that is a good weight. I am having enough trouble getting to 63 kg never mind 60.

Try to set a goal that you will be comfortable at not only what your doctor says. Just like the bmi charts are not always best to follow you might not want to completely listen to your doctor about what goal weight you will be in the end.

Many people lose weight and reach their doctors goal weight and then lose some more. As long as your losing in a healthy way and your doctor approves losing more then 50% of your excess weight is ok. I started at 210 ( not my highest weight though) and want to weigh 140 I can't imagine stopping at 175 lbs! That would have been so disappointing!

[Londoner1 0]

The same thing happens to me. If I know I will be at a restaurant with friends, I will make sure I order a glass of wine or a pint of beer to ensure I can avoid getting "stuck" or full after 3 bites.

If I actually get drunk, which rarely ever happens, it's as if my band is completely loose and I can eat anything and in large quantities. In contrast if I am stressed or didn't get enough sleep, my band will be extremely tight where I will need to stick to Soups or soft foods like stew or mashed potatoes until I am rested again and feel better.

I just go to it. It allows me to avoid awkward social situations since I know which days are tight or not. If I can't avoid a social gathering around food on a bad day, I just have 3 drinks and I'm good to go (without having to excuse myself numerous times) and I am able to eat modest to moderate amounts without people getting suspicious about why I am not eating enough .

The band isn't perfect, and I'm surprised by those who have a better handle of this than me because I'm very detail oriented in my life and I can't seem to have a "sweet spot" where what I describe above doesn't happen.

My advice is to buy a vitamix blender so you can have healthy smoothies on bad days when you are too tight, and not spend a lot of time being hard on yourself for not being able to "find" a sweet spot or make it work perfectly.

I lost over 100 lbs 7 years ago and have gained and lost 20 of the years. You need to be careful about the kinds of food you eat and making good choices because the band only takes you so far. The band will get you out of over eating, but if you aren't providing yourself with adequate nutrition (vs low amount of empty calories) you will not be able to reach your goals. It will get you out of obesity, the rest is up to you about staying healthy and fit.

Hey all, sorry, I haven't posted on here since I was pre-op. A little background...I had my surgery Jan 18th of this year, with a starting weight of 244 (I'm 5'6"). I'm currently at 160, and haven't had any major problems with my band (very few incidences of PBing, reflux, etc.). I'm trying to get the remaining twenty lbs off me as soon as possible, because I was a self-pay and my year of free doctor visits/fills expires on 1/18/11 (I'm not trying to REACH my goal weight by then, just trying to get as close to is as healthily possible). I've kept my band tight, but not tight enough to cause discomfort, with the exception of the past week. I had my last fill a week ago, and I was fine the first few days, and now it takes a little while for water/protein drinks to go down, and food is basically non-negotiable. I haven't thrown up, I'm very careful about that. I am definitely going in for a slight unfill tomorrow morning, but I've noticed that if I have a few drinks (I like gin and tonic) my band loosens up and I can eat food! Is this normal? Has anyone else experienced this? I know alcohol is a diuretic, but so is caffeine and caffeine TIGHTENS my band!! Hope someone else has experienced this and give me some insight as to why this happens. Also, just to clarify, I know I shouldn't be having alcohol since it leeches Vitamins from the system and is empty calories. http://www.bariatricpal.com/public/style_emoticons/#EMO_DIR#/smile.gif

[Londoner1 0]

You will also struggle with fiberous foods (which are ALL healthy foods) and it will be much easier to eat junk like chocolate, ice cream and alcohol. You need to find your work arounds on bad days to be able to eat your lean Proteins and fibers and not give into junk or not eat on bad days.

[u10021 1]

i noticed this too, i think the reason is that you are usually sipping the liquid continuously over a period of time, so it is slowly lubricating the lap band opening, this would happen if you sipped any cold liquid. hot liquids like hot coffee won't have the same effect, but iced coffee will. i think the heat makes the band expand ( making it tighter) cold makes it contract( making it looser). hope that answers your question. i have had the band for 10+ years