Since a few people started the topic of drinking alcohol after getting banded, I have a few quick general questions I thought a few people might have answers for. I just turned 30 and am looking into getting banded.

* What are the rules regarding drinking alcohol after being banded? How soon after surgery can you drink? Is there a limit to which kinds of alcohol you can drink and/or how much you can drink?

* Does alcohol affect you differently after you've been banded?

* Are most people able to drink alcohol with the band?

* Are there certain types of alcoholic beverages that give people with the band trouble?

* After you gotten through the harder post surgery period (say, about 3 months after your surgery) can you drink the same amount of alcohol with the same frequency as you did before the surgery?

* Are there any dangers with drinking alcohol after the surgery?

Thanks so much!

Drinking alcohol on a regular basis is one of the reasons listed as who should not get the band. Not that you said you did.

Cheri

I don't drink alcohol, much. But he couple times I have had a drink, it goes to my head quicker. I have lost 100 lbs, so size makes a difference. But 1 drink, gives me a buzz. I had a Bud light on tap watching football yesterday, just one was all that I could drink. So, my answer is "yes" it affects you differently. I have been banded for 1 year. Karen(kll724)

I agree with the above post I am 100lbs down and the alcohol affects me quicker then it used to I can not drink beer due to the carbonation, but I can drink mixed alcohol. The biggest thing you want to remember is that alcohol is high in calories and so if you drink it often it will not help your weight loss. I can drink about the same amount as far as oz but I can not slam shots as this makes me sick. Life is not over after the band its just beginning....

I went out on the weekend and had 2 glasses of white wine, but i kept adding ice to it. I had my surgery 5 weeks ago. I felt fine.

I am only 3 weeks post banding, and i had 2 glasses of wine the other night. It took me 2 hours to drink it, but everyone is right, you feel it a lot sooner, and maybe that has also something to do with the diet we are on, basically full fluids and some pureed foods.

One of my fav low calorie drinks is vodka and any flavor of Crystal Light

Alcohol definitely affects me more quickly than before but not to the point where I can't drink. I'm in college and enjoy drinking with my friends and do not see myself abstaining from drinking in the near future. My advice would be mix your own drinks and just don't put as much alcohol in them.

A bunch of my friends have questioned why I all of sudden didn't/ couldn't drink beer anymore and that was an awkward one.

Since carbonation is really bad for the band I've been experimenting with many different liquor options. As was mentioned above vodka with just about any crystal light is awesome! Almost no calories at all.

You can still drink alcohol. I choose not to - too many calories. Most of the time I am too full. I have issues with beer due to the carbonation - makes me feel bloated and uncomfortable, I get the same feeling with sodas.

Drinking alcohol on a regular basis is one of the reasons listed as who should not get the band. Not that you said you did.

Cheri

That depends on what you mean by "regular." One glass of wine every Sunday with dinner isn't a problem. Needing to drink every single day probably is!

Doctors have different rules about alcohol--some say never again, some say in moderation. My doctor is OK with it, as long as I am careful about the obvious effects of alcohol consumption, as well as the empty calories it contains. I usually have between one and three drinks a week--some weeks more, some less, some none at all. I don't find that it affects me any differently, but since banding I've been careful to not get drunk (want to prevent the stomach effects of a hangover), only slightly buzzed once in a great while. :blushing: The only problem I've ever had with any drinks since surgery are frozen drinks; once in a while it seems a frozen drink will make my band clamp shut! I also stay away from shots; they make me queasy, though I don't think that's really a band thing, plus they can contribute quickly to the previously mentioned hangover stomach issues.

This subject does come up frequently, and it usually provokes some pretty strong opinions on all sides.

I'll state the same things I have stated on this subject before:

If you are really serious about losing weight, you need to consider giving up the booze. It is NOT conducive to good health OR weight loss, regardless of what some small studies say about the occasional glass of wine.

Don't get me wrong; I always enjoyed a good blast of hootch, but NOTHING could make me feel as good as I do as a thin person.

Sure, you could have a drink occasionally; you could also have a Snickers on occasion. Or a Hot Fudge Sundae. But WHY would you want to, after everything you have been through with your weight?

It's the little decisions that we make on a moment to moment basis that impacts our health so dramatically. A shot of booze here, some cheez whiz there,....it all adds up. And you don't NEED a drink to be happy or have fun....if you DO,....well,,,,there are perhaps some other issues that you might want to address.

There are certain things you need to eat to live....alchohol is one of those things you do NOT need. And it can hurt you in a number of ways.

Also, consider the very real idea that after you have had one or two drinks, your will-power does tend to diminish, if not vanish entirely. This could lead to more drinks, and then the snacking that can often accompany a buzz.

Sure, you can drink. Sure, you can have that piece of pizza, that slice of cake.

But will that move you ANY closer to your goal? Nope. Will it keep you away from your goal? A little, tiny bit, yes. And will it continue to expose you to the foods that made you fat to begin with? Sure will.

A couple of you have said your Drs have said that it is OK to have a drink.. Some have said their doctors advised against consuming alcohol. You will find Drs that say both.

But….I would challenge you to ask any Dr if it would be better that you did NOT have a drink/Pizza/whatever. I can guarantee you that probably %100 would say that it would be better if you didn't.

You always have a choice. And you should always strive to make the HEALTHY choice.

S.

Thank you Dr. Spartan.

I found this thread so helpful. I'll be honest I was a bit nervous at first when I started reading about people not being able to drink after WLS. I am definitely not an alcoholic, but I am a college student and I enjoy the odd party to relax after midterms or on spring break I am glad to see that most people can still handle some drinks. For all you crystal light and vodka people, Ocean Spray makes a great line of calorie free cranberry juices and cocktails and with vodka they are amazing! FYI My surgery is in 3 weeks and I am stoked!!!

I used to drink redbull and vodka, wine or beer or gin and tonics. After surgery, I waited a month or so before I even had a drink. I find that because us banders eat less, you get drunk quicker. If I go out to eat and then drink... I can drink the same normal amount as I would. Now if I don't eat, I get bombed lol. It's worse when your drunk and then eat because like any drunk person, you loose self control. I now drink vodka and crystal light lemonade (or any sugar free calorie free mix) or sweet tea vodka w lemon or wine. I had my first beer today actually. I was at a country fest and wanted to try the craft brews. Other then that, it's basically staying away from the carbonated beverages (which I really don't understand why? They say it expands your band.)

Coming up on 4 years, I drink alcohol as I did before the band...even Beer (but you have to know what you're doing and how to do it)

I don't worry about calories, stopped counting them a few weeks after surgery but that's another story.

Only side effect I need to be careful about is I have to have my Bloody Mary's on the mild side....I learned to give up ALL things hot and spicy due to reflux....also anything straight and harsh is not good....I stay with mixed drinks and beer.

This has always been a hot topic on this forum......let's face it everyone here should be focused on loosing weight. And drinking may not fit into their plan.....but then everyone has a slightly different approach to WLS....

You need to do what works for you...too many people are worried about giving up things from their past...the very things that made them fat in the first place.

Hi,

I got the lap band when I was 20 and I am now 28. I always struggled with this.

My doctor always said never to drink carbonated beverages but I can drink beer and champagne.

Back in my early twenties I was able to drink a ton of fruity drinks and have no problem. Now all I seem to drink is wine and champagne drinks- mimosa and bellinis. I have a hard time drinking anything that has acid in it. It gives me really bad heartburn.

Also, make sure you eat at least an hour before you start drinking. Being that it takes a long time to digust your food you don't want to be throwing it up because you didn't wait long enough.

My big thing now is that I always make sure that if I am going out to dinner to have my one glass of wine before the meal. This way I am able to have the one drink and I don't have to wait the 30-45 to start drinking again after dinner.

This is a huge adjustment and a learning experience.

Good luck!

Lets do the math on this. (The calorie count is rough)

Beer in general has 150 Calories per serving.

Light Beer Calories 100

Extra Light beer has 64

Hard Liquor has 60

Wine has 120

IPA Beer has about 250 Calories

Sweet Drinks such as Mikes Hard Lemonade etc about 250 Calories

If you have about 10 IPA Beers per week that is a potential extra pound of weight loss you could have had but the reality you gained it as you didn't loose it because of the alcohol.

Can you drink alcohol? It is not recommended. you will loose weight much faster if you don't.