Hi everyone, I'm new the forums. I've updated my profile so you know my story. I'm been reading lots and lots on here as I've been looking for information and experiences from both the Optifast diet and WLS.

I'm currenlty on the medically supervised weight loss program at Kaiser. Today marks two weeks. As I started this journey, I also wanted to know more about WLS because I thought I would rather eat real food than Optifast for 12 weeks. Well, after the introductory seminar I felt a bit defeated in my Quest as it seems to be more restrictive than I thought. I was hoping to ask my follow up questions here to help me better understand what happens after WLS, what can you eat/drink after WLS, etc so that I can make an informed decision on whether or not to proceed with the WLS orientation. I did receive a referral from my doctor.

After WLS:

Can you no longer have a glass of wine with a meal? They told us you can no longer consume liquids with your meal. How do you all handle this and how has it worked out?

Only 3 meals a day can be eaten, no Snacks or small meals in-between. What do you do in social events, parties, picnics?

You need to strictly monitor caloric intake and weigh and measure your food. Is there a standard typical caloric intake per meal and per day recommended?

You need to avoid foods high in fat and sugar.

Restrict alcohol.

Restrict carbonated drinks.

Any guidance, learnings and knowledge sharing from your experiences would be greatly appreciated.

~R

No coffee because it acts like a diuretic.

No drinking a half hour before a meal and no drinking a half hour after a meal. This way you keep the food in your stomach longer and it won't get flushed out.

No alcohol because you don't feel it like before and it enters your blood stream faster. You might not feel drunk but your blood level will say differently.

No carbonation because it stretches the stomach.

You must follow the food plan that your surgeon and nutritionist give you or you won't be successful.

Protein is first always to eat and always have all your water.

You must measure everything.

No sugars or fats because you will get sick and have dumping. Well my nutritionist says it should have no more then 10g of sugar per serving or you get sick from it.

We all go to social functions you just have to plan ahead on what you will eat. I personally go out to eat and go to people's homes, I even went to a convention and brought food with me just in case there wasn't anything for me to eat. It worked out great. I ate their food and mine.

Those are the basic general rules to follow.

Your surgeon and nutritionist will come up with what is best for you for your plan.

I was a very big soda and seltzer drinker and gave that. I also was a big drinker with meals and got use to not doing that.

WLS is a big commitment and there are adjustments but it can be done and you can have a very full life also a much healthier life.

Good luck with your decision.

I'm so glad I did it.

Edited July 14, 201412 yr by Chelly

I think that you want to restrict your alcohol intake mainly because of the caloric value. It's best to get your calories from actual food and avoid drinking them.

Even so, many people still enjoy the occassional drink and seem to do just fine. This will be after an initial healing period.

Thank you both so much. This is very helpful.

~R

You will find every surgeon and nutrition ist are different, which sometimes feels crazy.

But the thing is, if you do your research and then trust your surgeon, you need to really trust them and believe that their way is the way to go.

Personally I don't drink with meals because I don't have enough room for food then.

I sometimes take a sip just to wet my whistle but no real drinks.

Three meals a day is ideal but for me, I wouldn't be able to get in all my Protein that way.

I track everything that I eat and drink and know how many grams of protein and how many calories I eat every single day.

My nutritionist said to just track protein and if you reach that goal you won't have room for other things. I personally avoid sugar, fried food, high carb food and I haven't had a soda since weeks before surgery.

My surgeon is ok with coffee. Its the only way I can get through the day sometimes!

I can't say I miss any food. I have had a tiny bite like once a week of something "bad", just to taste it. And I'm fine. I don't feel like eating a ton of it or feel like I'm missing out.

I waste a lot of food going out to eat and take a it of left overs home.

Alcohol is high in calories and can hurt your stomach, lower your inhibitions so you eat poorly, and it hits you a lot faster. It can also lead to a transfer of addiction from food to drinking. So surgeons really don't want us to drink.