I'm sure this has been asked before, but what is the real deal with drinking? Do you still drink alcohol?

Kate

Scheduled to be banded 8/17

No you can't have any of my wine!

Oh.. you didnt want my wine? Heh.. *blushes*

Seriously, I was losing 8-12 pounds a month until I added wine back into my "diet". I haven't eaten differently, just the wine, and this past month I only lost 2 pounds. You can drink, but alcohol is loaded with sugar calories. Beware liquid calories! Bah!!

(Come on.. y'all just -knew- I'd have to respond on this thread, didn't you?? LOL)

Kate,

Drinking should be cut back for the major reason alcohol is high in calories. Its tough when you see how much food you have to give up to compensate for the alcohol.

My Dr's don't want us to drink because of this but they leave it up to each patient. I cannot drink beer anymore as I have trouble with the carbination. Same with soda pops. I do have an occassional Rum and diet coke as long as I can use caffine free diet coke. If it is poured out of a bottle I stir the carbination out of it and then add the rum. If I'm at a bar the fountain drinks they use for mixing are less carbinated so that works fine.

Hope that helps you.

Thanks guys so much! This has been a concern for me. I work in advertising and, as I'm sure you all know, advertising folk are partiers. Most of my friends are from the industry and our gatherings are generally at a bar. I know I will not be able to drink as much as I have been, but would like to be able to have a cocktail during work functions and with friends.

Thanks so much for your responses.

Kate

LOL @ P'Nut! You're a hoot!

you guys know i had to jump in on this one. i am in the entertainment industry and drinking 5 days a week is not difficult! but i second what everyone else has been saying, the alcohol won't damage your band (unless you get trashed and start vomiting) but it will def slow down your weightloss. i'm currently doing a 3-week alcohol fast to try to drop some pounds. i have a work event on thursday, we'll see how that goes without alcohol!

Drinking ads empty calories, and there are some studies that show that it retards your weight loss.

Some folks handle their alchol just fine after banding, other people find that they have a greatly diminished capacity for the stuff. Where it might have taken 3 or 4 drinks to get you buzzed before surgery, you might find that ONE is plenty. This might because you have lost weight, the booze sits in your pouch, or you just aren't used to drinking.

I don't know of any formal stuidies, but becareful drinking after banding. You definatley do NOT want to be puking for any reason!

I admit it. As a single/childless gal, I like to go to Happy Hour with pals.

Before surgery I told my doctor I liked a glass of wine with dinner (or an occasional margarita) and he thought it was fine as long as I was mindful of the calories/carbs.

It's important to remember that after banding, we eat less, weigh less and will generally feel a "buzz" much quicker than we did before surgery. So moderation is key.

Last month, I went to Vegas which is a nonstop eat and drink fest. :hungry: And although I didn't do much in the way of buffets this trip, I didn't miss a drink.

And a drink didn't miss me. In fact, it's hard to not drink in Vegas - they practically push those drinks in your hand. (Not to mention the $1.50 margarita coupons they kept giving us! *hiccup* )

So basically I drank wayyyy more than usual. (Hey it's Vegas, we weren't driving,and we did tons and tons of walking, which helped.) Anyway, because I seemed to spend more time at the casinos & shops than at the dining table - I still lost an outstanding 8 lbs over those few days. And I had a ball. :clap2:

Good Luck

I'm sure this has been asked before, but what is the real deal with drinking? Do you still drink alcohol?

Kate

Scheduled to be banded 8/17

Congratulations on the 8lbs down while on vaca...that's awesome. This makes me feel so much better. I was so worried that my days of drinking were OVER. Although it will be different and it will hurt on the scales, it's nice to know that I can go out and have a drink if I want to.

Thanks guys!

Kate

Scheduled to be banded 8/17 ... can't wait!

NewSho

I too was in Vegas recently and you didn't see me post anything about drinking. WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS STAYS IN VEGAS....lol And since it does there can't be any calories because they should stay in Vegas too

I was curious about that as well but since Im a newbie, I didn't want to sound like a lush, LOL!:guess

My girlfriends and I are planning a group trip in the spring of next year to either Vegas or Paris (depending on our finances, LOL) and you know there will be some drinking going on. I wouldn't want to be left out.

Carbs and protein have 4 calories per gram, alcohol has 7, fat has 9. Alcohol is also an appetite stimulant. If you want to drink, I would suggest budgeting those calories into your daily menu.

I've found that wine will put on pounds quicker than a mixed drink like whiskey and water. I miss my wine, but know if I do have it....well, I am not going to lose weight. Hope that helps, Susan

NewSho

I too was in Vegas recently and you didn't see me post anything about drinking. WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS STAYS IN VEGAS....lol And since it does there can't be any calories because they should stay in Vegas too

• Right, of course! How could I forget the famous Vegas motto?
  
• And you know what else is funny? SusanP is exactly right.

When I was drinking glasses of white wine a few months ago, I was NOT losing weight.

Then, I switched to cranberry and vodka (HEY it counts as a FRUIT ). OK, in fact it's actually more Vodka with (some) Cranberry. I lost more though I drank a bit more. (I can usually only tolerate 1 glass of wine, but can handle 2 Cranberry Vodkas. Go figure! )

But I drank those all over Vegas.

My Breakfast drink ( this is really awful but they bring you alcohol even at breakfast in Vegas ) was either a Mimosa (champ+ OJ - again for fruit ) or a strawberry dacquiri (another excellent source of fruit - errr, every bit counts, right? :nervous )

I even had the strawberry dacquiris with whipped cream. (Cuz I wasn't getting my normal dairy requirement.) Still lost almost 2-3# a day, more than twice what I would ever lose in my best week at home.

I definitely don't drink that much under normal circumstances, but it's nice to know that I can Celebrate a special occasion and still lose.

Oh, and by the way - the following week I went to central Ohio on my next vacation. It was a convention, and we spent so much time walking around a stunningly large university campus, around a cavernous convention center and even did marches and walking rallies.

There was no alcohol the whole trip. (We were so excited when we were flying home and I saw the airport bar, LOL )

I ate less than normal, walked a WHOLE bunch more than I even did in Vegas.

Lost? 1-2 measly pounds.

So the bottom line?

For my body: Staying busy +having a nice drink or two (*hiccup*) meant more loss than eating right and walking like a fiend. (And no, I didn't build muscle, apparently :phanvan ).

Life is funny! The Band is funny, and sometimes we just gotta laugh at it all.

I had to respond to this thread; im a 44 y/o woman. most of my entire adult life i have been a size 16. <except for a short stint as a size 12>.

i liked my body. i liked me. all was well. UNTIL ABOUT THE AGE OF 42ish. i made new friends. sat at thier kitchen table every friday and/or saturday night. eating good food and drinking ALOT. i figured i was with friends, i wasnt driving and all was well. before i knew it, i was pushing a size 18. my body started to melt. droopy fat where before there was just firm fat <any such thing? lol> i was uncomfortable. i hated it. i had gained 20lbs. that taught me that alcohol did its worst. im 30lbs down, banded 3/23. my 'drinking' days are over. i do have an occasional drink, but if i do i chase it with a glass of water. geez.

I quit drinking all together, not only because of the calories but because alcohol could distort you better judgement......once under the influence it isn't hard to make bad food choices.....that only adds insult to injury!

I have my purse packed with raspberry flavoured crystal light, the single packs. When I'm in a social situation I ask for Water with lime in a red wine glass and then I douse it with the crystal light......I feeling like I'm playing the part but without the extra calories or buzz on.

Carol