NewLA

Hi, congratulations! And I live in the DC area. Im almost 11 months out, so I'm here to support you in anyway I can

This thread is causing me to rubberneck. Just when I am ready to look away, something new catches me.
On my doctor's plan alcohol after a month is permitted if it isn't carbonated and if the patient wasn't a heavy drinker before. The plan says nothing about Cheezits or Catholicism, however.
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I agree with @@LipstickLady, but I did have my first drink 6 weeks post opt and gradually returned to social drinking by month 3. At this point I was 10 pounds from my goal. It took two months to hit my goal along with social drinking and it probably would have been one with no alcohol. I researched medical advice and found ZERO consistency. In Europe most surgeons have no limits while others say never.
I did drink extra Water and take an extra antacid when I drank. I stuck to low calorie drinks and logged them along with everything else I ate that night. I also started with weak V-8 bloody Mary's or bourbon and water.
I think it's a personal choice, but proceed with due caution, particularly if you still have a lot of weight to lose.

Thanks to everyone (Well, some)! I'm only asking because I want to know what other people have done. I understand that everyone's plan is different, but I don't understand why. If your plan says alcohol after 4 weeks, why does mine say no alcohol for the rest of my life? There has to be a reason your plan says 4 weeks. So I think it's okay to veer to someone else's plan for a second.
Cheers to that. I'm having wine at the wedding tonight.
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I think you nailed it...I don't come here to seek validation in any way, so this kind of stuff really annoys me. Most of my validation is internal, and then from my circle of people. And then from my rescue dogs!

@@LowBMISleever "My comment was for the OP, but I don't take anything I said back. If it offends you that alcoholic beverages are empty calories that cause weight gain, then there's not a lot I can say. It's factual information. On a side note, I rescue dogs and your name implies you do too. I support that :)"
You were complaining about the entire conversation and it not being 'supportive' to you. I know alcoholic beverages are empty calories and that's not something that's 'offensive' to me...I'm just not a huge believer in demonizing something that is allowed on our plans (most everyone here is allowed alcohol at some point) and something that I know is going to become a part of my long-term life. I don't like being nannied by strangers, and it seems I particularly dislike it when that stranger is calling people out for being non-supportive of HER dislike of alcohol use in a thread titled 'alcohol'. That's all.
And yes, I'm a big rescue supporter and I'm glad you are, too. I've got two awful little rescues running around right now, barking their fool heads off and making my heart feel full <3 All of us have something in common at the end of all of our differences, don't we? Peace

To be fair, I lost the bulk of my weight mostly avoiding alcohol (maybe 1 or 2 times a month after the first month) but now, when, I can't stomach the idea of eating any more food, I find that a couple of glasses of wine is a good way to get me close to maintenance. My labs are still stellar and my body composition is still improving, but if that changes maybe I'll re-evaluate. I follow mostly a Mediterranean style diet and I don't think you can disassociate wine (yes, even every day) from the well documented health and weight benefits of the diet.

@@suzzzzz I think that's an important point - not everyone has the same triggers. I didn't get fat by drinking alcohol. I don't plan to give it up completely. Now if we are talking bread and pasta...that's another story. ????

My doc said 6 weeks and to take it easy because the alcohol may affect you faster then before surgery. He doesnt forbid anything and says you have to have a life. I have followed his plan and it is working well.
Had a glass of wine the other night and it took me a very long time to drink it because I didn't want to get drunk. Well, it didn't really have an impact. And it didn't burn.
I know what my triggers are and I am avoiding them, but enjoying a glass of wine is something I will do on occasion.

Perhaps a list of topics that are permissible to you would be helpful. I'm sick of all the scolding and hand-slapping that goes on on this site. Adults speaking with adults, and you can always choose to STAY OUT of a topic you don't like. Just my .02.

I don't think anyone here said this is okay for YOU. We're sharing our personal experiences. MY PROGRAM and MY DOCTOR allow reintroduction of alcohol at 4 weeks. I'm very gingerly dipping my toes in. I'm not 'cheating' MY PROGRAM.
If we sat down and compared programs side-by-side, I'd find things you're allowed that I'm not, but I'm not having a hissy fit about the fact that you're going to eat or drink those things. I'm 51 damned years old (my son always says 'you're a grown-ass woman'!) and if I, with the support and 'permission' of my surgical team, want to have a couple ounces of wine, I will. YOU clearly should not. We are not the same person. We do not have the same program. We do not have the same restrictions, guidelines, requirements, doctors... Do you get that?
You're very, very insulting when you compare a rational, adult conversation about how to manage an APPROVED real-life situation to moronic behavior like mainlining pop-rocks and coke.
Everyone here is an adult, and I don't think it's outside of the bounds of decency to expect to be treated like the adults we are.

My program allows alcohol at 1 month...I've sipped a couple of beers and had a couple of glasses of wine, didn't spontaneously combust and wasn't all that interested in finishing either drink. I also didn't 'feel' the alcohol more than I used to, in fact it seems to have less affect on me. Honestly, I put them in the same category as fruit juice and other sugary beverages...I have to give up virtually every other carb I'd put in my mouth that day for that one drink, and it's seldom worth it.
That said, my life is loaded with social events where social drinking is the norm. I expect at some point I'll be a little less restrictive with alcohol but for the time being, I want to tear through this honeymoon period losing as much weight as possible so I'm strongly limiting myself.

At my 1 week visit my surgery team told me I would be cleared for alcohol at 2 weeks post op. We discussed it at length- the different drink options, what kind of drinks I usually order. I pretty much exclusively stick to tequila and soda Water and they were fine with that- but stressed that I avoid stuff that's very caloric and sugary like margaritas, flavored alcohols etc.
I was surprised by their approach but I trust my surgeon. And I appreciate that he trusts me to make my own good decisions.
Since that talk, I had about a half of a Bloody Mary at 3 weeks post op, and a half a tequila and soda on 2 occasions. I'm 5 weeks out now. Each time I made sure I was getting all my Protein and upped the Water intake for the day. The drinks hit me more than they have in the past, hence why I haven't finished any of them.

Omg. I'm so happy. He said I was a perfect candidate for gastric bypass. I have to do 4 months of dietician appointments and then he will set up surgery day. I'm so happy I'm crying.
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Also call the insurance company and ask them for it in writing. Each Aetna plan is different based on the company's requirememt. My agency had a 3 month plan, were as someone in my support group who had Aetna was 6 months.
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I am dying from the last 2.5 week stall I'm in. No measurement changes either and I was sleeved 7/5
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You do realize that when you post on here you are essentially asking for thoughts and feedback, right?
If you don't want thoughts and feedback, then post the picture on Pinterest.
NO ONE was even remotely trying to be offensive or insensitive to you. At all.
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I don't think anyone meant any harm, they were just letting you know about their experiences and what they took.
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@jenjenp I think a lot of it depends on whether your self pay or using insurance and what their requirements are. I had my first visit on 05/27/16. During my first visit I weighed in, did bloodwork, met with a nutritionist and then met with psych. Then I met with a "medical" doctor, and we went over everything and decided my best bet was to meet with the surgeon.
I met with the surgeon on 06/13 and we scheduled my surgery that day for 09/14. They submitted to my insurance and I had an approval within a week or so. I have a few appointments in between for an upper GI, more bloodwork, and a clearance from pulmonary and cardiology. I have one last appointment with the surgeon on 9/6 and then I jump on the loser's bench.
From what I have learned and seen, every doctor and every person seems to have a journey that is a little bit different! Best of luck !

The hunger you're feeling may actually be acid. Did your surgeon order a PPI for you to take? Pantoprazole, oneprazole, or any other similarly named drug?

I didn't find mine greasy all. It was really tasty. I don't even like marina sauce that much and I Highly enjoyed this soft, high Protein meal. And it was filling
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It is very rare to get pregnant on Depo unless they did not get it at the right intervals (or got pregnant before it would be effective). I don't know about impacting weight loss (I don't think it will have a big impact) but have you considered an IUD instead? The thing about Depo is - it's in your system for 90 days whether you have issues or not (you can't stop it or remove it like other forms of bc).

Wow! My doctor's office told me that with Aetna weight gain is a huge deal. Even half a pound would get you denied. I was recently told that the time frame is a huge deal too. I was told I had to schedule appts 31-35 days apart, including weekends. If you go out of those date ranges, they will require you to do the 6 months instead of 3.
On another forum, I saw where a lady gained and Aetna didn't deny or approve her, they just made her do an extra 2 months and she had to lose weight, not gain or maintain.
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Im finding out every dietitian has different plans... everyone is saying bread is a nono for them but i was allowed it after 4 weeks and my weight has still been dropping pretty good. Im glad i dont have the strict diet everyone else has. I hit it stall for 2 weeks (because i wasnt eating) soon as i upped my calories and Protein my weight started dropping. I just follow my book to the T and does everything it says.
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First 2 weeks post op I had lost 16 pounds...then stall. Was so happy to see that I lost 1.8 pounds at my 3 week post op mark today....
Wanna talk about joy.. that 2-3 week stall is real
I'm cruising on this journey.. (even though I wanna speed).
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