Question:
Drinking

I am close to 4 months out and have been dabbling with alcohol. I drank before surgery at least once a week. I stopped drinking for 13 weeks after my sugery. Since Thanksgiving I have been drinking again. I have lost 75 pounds. As of today I have had one Unjury Protein shake with skim milk, a banana, 4oz. of cottage cheese and a bottle of wine. It seems that it takes longer for me to get buzzed or (drunk). I thought that I would have the (buzzed) or (drunk) effect alot sooner then after a bottle of wine. Has anyone else felt the same?    — HopefulinNJ (posted on December 21, 2007)


December 21, 2007
My doctor recommends not drinking at all, but at the very least waiting until you are at least six months out. Your body is going through a huge adjustment and you need to take care of it during that adjustment. That said, if you drink please remember that you are drinking on an empty stomach. I know this doesn't really answer your question, but I hope it does help you some.
   — VickiStevens

December 21, 2007
I'm a little concerned that your daily intake is a protein shake, a banana, cottage cheese, and a bottle of wine. A bottle of wine has a very high calorie count but provides you with very little nutrients and absolutely no protein. I'm not sure what type of surgery you had, but some surgeries allow alcohol to get into your blood stream faster. But if you were a drinker before surgery, you most likely have a tolerance and aren't going to be effected as quickly or as severely as someone who was not a drinker before surgery. Please be careful.
   — mrsidknee

December 21, 2007
be very careful and consult your surgeon. The alcohol hammers the liver, and most MOs have liver troubles cirrosis from fat, and we can get completely addicted to alcohol, and get a DUI on as little as ONE DRINK, you might not know it but still fail a blood test for driving. This happened to a member of our support group, she told her experience,
   — bob-haller

December 21, 2007
LaVonn, I beg you to put all alcohol away, it will be a downfall for you in the end. First, it goes to your liver quicker, and 2nd, it can cause ulcers and problems for you in the end. You choose, but the consequences can be too high to recover from in the end. I urge you, no alcohol. Take care. Patricia P.
   — Patricia P

December 21, 2007
Drinking that amount of alcohol at one time will probably end up causing more health problems--especially since surgery.
   — Dave Chambers

December 21, 2007
I will be more blunt than the others have--a bottle of wine in one day, WLS or not, is excessive. You need to see a counselor and figure out why you need to drink that much. Alcohol in that quanity and with that small amount of food/protein a day is a good way to kill yourself, especially after WLS. Julia
   — Julia W.

December 22, 2007
Sorry, Julia, You are not being BLUNT! I agree with you 100%! Drinking is a "trade-off" for FOOD! You NEED to seek counseling! PLEASE do so! If it's not alcohol it will be something else! I am only saying this because I am a "FOOD ADDICT"! AND I am STRUGGLING DAILY!!!!! I refuse to drink, or start smoking, but SHOPPING seems to be my "pacifier"! PLEASE! PLEASE!! Seek Help! Increase your protien and CONGRATS on the 75 lbs! That's FANTASTIC!!!!
   — Toni Todd

December 22, 2007
I am currently 7 months post-op and have drank twice both times it seemed to take more alcohol to feel buzzed but Then again I drink seldom. If you are drinking that much you need to reach inside yourself and find out why. Best of luck.
   — Alvernlaw

December 22, 2007
Most RNYers report a little gets them buzed fast, since the stomach no longer pre digests the booze, it goes straight to the intestine and blood stream. Drinking that much will hurt your weight loss a LOT, and since most regain over time you need to maximise the early easy fast loss phase.
   — bob-haller

December 22, 2007
please get some help,,,take it from me,,do not drink any alcohol !!!! you will gain weight,, besides put your health at risk,,, you are only 4 months out,,,you shouldnt be drinking at all.... are you exercising?,, taking your vitamins? i dont understand why people have this surgery,,if they are not going to take their health seriously. there is no quick cure to losing weight,,you have to work for it and change your life. good luck to you,,i am sorry for being so harsh, but it is for your own well being.
   — karen fryman

December 22, 2007
Dear LaVonne, I congratulate you on your courage to have surgery and to have lost 75 pounds in such a short amount of time. As of drinking, did you know that because of the surgery, drinking, if it hasn't already done this, will take a toll on your liver? If your liver doesn't work, a liver transplant will happen, and you will have to be on medication, which will ultimately cause you to gain weight, since swelling of some things, such as the face, will occur. I know this because I've had my share of consuming alcohol, and whether or not you feel the "buzz", it is destroying your body. This is tough love, so please forgive me when I ask, why did you go through all of this for a healthier body if you may be destroying it with the alcohol? Drinking is not on any post-op diet program. I've been out of surgery since 2001, and if it wasn't for the drinking, as one of my possible addictions besides alcohol, I probably would have gotten to my desired weight, which I should have done by now. Please stop hurting your body. This is a support system, and we are here for you. I am, and I am committed to this for life. Please keep contacting me if you want to. I have a lot of wisdom to share with you. - Pam
   — Pam Fottrell

December 22, 2007
Dear LaVonne, I congratulate you on your courage to have surgery and to have lost 75 pounds in such a short amount of time. As of drinking, did you know that because of the surgery, drinking, if it hasn't already done this, will take a toll on your liver? If your liver doesn't work, a liver transplant will happen, and you will have to be on medication, which will ultimately cause you to gain weight, since swelling of some things, such as the face, will occur. I know this because I've had my share of consuming alcohol, and whether or not you feel the "buzz", it is destroying your body. This is tough love, so please forgive me when I ask, why did you go through all of this for a healthier body if you may be destroying it with the alcohol? Drinking is not on any post-op diet program. I've been out of surgery since 2001, and if it wasn't for the drinking, as one of my possible addictions besides alcohol, I probably would have gotten to my desired weight, which I should have done by now. Please stop hurting your body. This is a support system, and we are here for you. I am, and I am committed to this for life. Please keep contacting me if you want to. I have a lot of wisdom to share with you. - Pam
   — Pam Fottrell

December 23, 2007
Good Morning.... Hey! Congratulations on losing so much weight! How close to your goal are you? Seems this discussion has degenerated to the "Dangers of Drinking" conversation. I had a bottle of wine a few weeks ago... it was all of 3 glasses over the course of 6 hours.... Hardly enough to do serious damage. Although, I am 3 years out and still at at my goal weight. That being said, anything, food, drink, snacks, sugar etc need to be moderate and balanced, especially since we don't digest food/liquid the same as we once did. Secondly, we still think like a 'fat' person in that a bottle won't effect us because there is more weight/mass to distribute the effects. Now that you have lost so much weight, the alcohol will effect you differently. At this point, try and concentrate on getting as much protien in you as possible, because soon you will probably hit your natural platau... then you can reintroduce and get comfortable with having a cocktail now and agian. This isn't a forum for intervention. If you have a drinking problem I urge you to take steps to resolve it so that it doesn't interfer with your goals. Otherwise keep fighting the food fight, and again, congratulations on your loss. Harry King
   — Harry King




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