Afrikanaaa

@@Afrikanaaa,
Great question! I am really surprised your surgeon didn’t seem to know why or was surprised, though! I believe the alcoholism he’s talking about is a type of replacement addiction – it’s an addiction to replace the addiction to food.
The new addiction could be alcohol, drugs, or smoking. Or it could be something less obvious and possibly a lot healthier, like an addiction to exercise.
Another thing to be aware of with alcohol is that you’re far more sensitive to it with the sleeve. A little goes a long way, and fast. Drink less than you used to, and never on an empty stomach.
Good luck!

Greek yogurt has been my saving grace in the purée stage

I didn't know this was a fear of mine until I read this thread. Can't even imagine.
But my surgeon made it clear going in that the surgery is just a tool and that we all have to train ourselves to adapt to the good habits that we keep to during our early stages in order to keep the weight off forever.

My surgery was yesterday in Burbank with Dr. Quilici! So glad to be going home today.

My sleep is pretty crappy now too. I'm not sleeping until like 3am and getting less than 4 hours each night. Then I crash for an hour at lunch (during work) to be able to keep going.
It's terrible but I'm afraid of sleep medications.

Thank you everyone for your responses! I'm not going to give it too much worry and I'll just focus on becoming even more addicted to my healthy sleeve lifestyle ????

After surgery my blood pressure was elevated but my heart rate was really high (155/82, HR 108). We found it was because I was dehydrated because it went away as soon as they gave me fluids via IV. Ive been home for 3 1/2 weeks now, and I check it everyday. My blood pressure hangs around 107/72 with a HR of 68. But above all else, I've gotta make sure I get my 48oz of Water in.
Pre-surgery I was on Lostartan 100mg once a day for a little under a year. But I haven't taken anything since surgery.

I walk 30+ minutes at least 5x a week, yoga once a week and weight train 3-4x a week.
I'm 3 1/2 weeks out and 36#s down since pre-op.

I walk 30+ minutes at least 5x a week, yoga once a week and weight train 3-4x a week.
I'm 3 1/2 weeks out and 36#s down since pre-op.

Heres mine, the before I was actually about 345. the after Im 217 (my goal was 220 I met that a week ago)
   

A lot of people are food addicts to cope with some kind of trauma. When the food is taken away, they turn to other things.
I don't think the correlation is just WLS and new addictions. It is underlying issues that are not resolved and the absence of food.

I must say that I drank to excess before surgery and always figured I was alcoholic; for the pre-surgery diet I just quit and really had no difficulties doing so; since then I had 2 drinks (before surgery) after work on the last day before our Christmas shutdown, and nothing since surgery. Again, it seems way too easy...always thought I would suffer more
The Dr. said my liver looked good except that it was very fatty...no cirrhosis thank God and good genetics!
I guess now thinking about adding 500+ calories daily of sugar back to my diet and most likely arresting my weight loss...after going thru what I have in the last few months seems a bit silly, so any thoughts of drinking are quickly vanquished by the urge to continue to drop weight every week.

I am an alcoholic -- I have been sober for 15 years. I can see the transfer addiction issue because while I was doing the pre-op classes, I saw a clear connection between changing my life after weight loss surgery and the change I went through when I got sober. The stress management techniques and some of the other things they taught at pre-op class were very similar to the techniques I learned from my AA sponsor.

I know, @@CowgirlJane ... man, I dearly wish I could drink like an Englishman and not hurt my liver, my livelihood or my newly slim waistline.

Yaaay!

There is a difference between having a glass of wine with dinner to compliment the meal and downing a whole bottle of 2 buck chuck from Trader Joes just so you can fall asleep at night.
While I think mild alcoholism is a dumb term. The bar for what makes you an alcoholic from a medical standpoint is too low, too black and white and too linear.
I would say the thing to be watch for especially if you are young, and even more if you are single is that once you start socializing and dating, it is easy for calories to creep in. This happened to me at the tail end of last year. Started dating, going out more and it was hard to track and estimate calories from restaurants without nutritional value. It is too easy to start enjoyying your weight loss and pick up bad habits you didn't have before.

So a woman who has more than 7, 5 oz servings of wine in a given week is an alcoholic? As someone who lives in "wine country" I guess there are alot of them here.
I have known alcoholics - their consumption impacted their lives in a negative way.
I am not defending drinking, as it really is just empty calories, just saying that I am not sure comparing it to a yes/no condition like pregnancy is quite accurate.
I don't consider someone that has dessert every day as part of an overall decent diet is a food addict either - again empty calories so I don't think we should do it, but it isn't a clinical addiction.

For health reaaons, 1 drink a day is considered max for healthy for women. It's pretty easy to go over that if you often have a glass of wine with dinner (i think a serving is 5 oz). I don't think I'd call a woman who has 8 drinks a week an alcoholic, but have more than is healthy.
I think the reason is your body handles alcohol differently post sleeve.
I have gone through times when I was having more than my 7, but like now I haven't had ANY in around a month for health reasons (recovering from surgery)
I have a girlfriend who is not a wls patient, going through a difficult divorce and she definitely drinks 2x the amount that is recommended for women. Not sure I'd call her an alcoholic, but it's more than is healthy.
Anyway, empty calories, doesn't help you build lean mass, lots of reasons to limit jt.

I'm curious - just what is a "mild alcoholic"?
True alcoholism is an emotional and physical dependence on alcohol and there isn't anything "mild" about it.

@@Afrikanaaa

i was going to say the exact above phrase
@@Daisee68 beat me to it
she is such a smarty pants!!!
(i taught her everything she knows) LOL
since you (or anyone) no longer has the vice of overeating
it's possible you might turn to some other bad habit (like alcohol)
smoking, shopping etc in excess
or.............coming to BP too often!!
i was never much of a drinker
now i drink all the time
Water of course
drinking to your health
good luck
kathy

It can be a transfer addiction for many people. Your Dr just wanted you to be aware of it.

I had an occasional drink before and still only have an occasional one now...now change there

I quit drinking before surgery long before, in an effort to lose weight on my own. I still have no interest. When I go out I drink Water with lime and tip very well.
I only know one person personally that had WLS. They never drank before surgery. They were a homebody and felt unattractive. Fast forward to them being down 100lbs. They feel better, more confident, going out several times a week. Lots of drinking. I think that is how some people become alcoholics.
Other people who have not done the emotional work, need alcohol as a replacement coping drug because they dont have food.

Many folks don't know the definition of "social drinking." For women it's one serving of alcohol a day for no more than 7 drinks a week. (BTW, 12 ounces of wine is at least two servings.)
For men it's 2 drinks a day for no more than 14 drinks a week.
More than that and you're no longer a social drinker.

I am nearly 8 months out. I was nearly paranoid about drinking and decided to have a glass of wine at six months. Not sure what I thought would happen...spontaneously combust maybe. All went fine. I don't know about anyone else, but I can't hold enough alcohol to get tipsy, much less get drunk or become an alcoholic. I now enjoy a glass of wine about three evenings a week. I make sure to choose a wine low in calories and I measure out 1/2 cup before I drink. I like having my wine back. I now know I can enjoy my old pastime of visiting wineries.