One of the real pleasures of my former lifestyle was having a good glass of wine with a fine meal. I really miss that. But I keep putting off my first post-op glass of wine. Of the few treats I have allowed myself in the past few months, I have chosen to have Desserts rather than wine. Then the next day I regret my choice because the dessert turns out not to be so special and I can never eat a whole serving anyway.

I think I'm afraid to have the wine because I believe that alcohol interferes with weight loss even more than simple carbs. I guess I'll just wait until I reach my ultimate goal before I partake. But even then, I won't be able to drink it with my meal. Oh well, I'll trade that pleasure for my new healthier body anytime.

I'm only 4 months post op and I've enjoyed a good glass of wine on the special occasions. I haven't had any problems with losing weight while enjoying the finer things :-) but, for some reason, Franken-tummy doesn't handle wine as well as liquor. Must be the tannins. I was raised in a tasting room, so I'm still going to drink it, just in small amounts...May as well get the good stuff!

I am not much of a drinker, before surgery I would have a cocktail once every couple of months so this has not been a big deal for me. I was told by my surgical team and actually had to sign a contract that I would not use alcohol for minimum of 1 year post surgery. I was wondering if that was the norm for most surgeons?

I have seen quite a few folks mention they have had alcohol even weeks out of surgery and I have wondered about this topic.

I am a rule follower by nature so I will refrain for any least the year, but I am curious.

Yes, it is confusing. When I attended my first WLS seminar nearly a decade ago, I was told that we could never have alcohol again after surgery. This year they recommended waiting at least six months. There's a big difference between six months and forever! I guess the science is evolving.

i never realized how conservative/strict my team's guidelines were until reading others posts. I guess it's just a product of it being a major military base...Anywhooo...my team does not allow for any alcohol ever. It was made clear by the nutritionist, surgeon, psychologist, endocrinologist, and various nurses in my program. They all cited research studies that showed a link between alcoholism and Wls. Being a librarian...I tend to take research pretty seriously even though there are always outliers.

Ok, so the main reason alcohol isn't generally allowed is because of addiction. Like it or not, all of us has a food addiction. When we get rid of one addiction, there is a danger of developing another addiction, in this case alcohol. The second reason is alcohol is empty calories...there really is no nutritional value in alcohol.

There are health benefits that I won't deny...alcohol in moderation increases good cholesterol. It also allows certain people on our lives to continue to exist. Keeps us employed in awful jobs. But of course, I kid (sort of...The cholesterol part is true).

Just be smart, be aware of the calories in what you are drinking! But I am steadfast in my refusal to believe that alcohol calories are somehow super calories...that they defy math and cause weight gain. Time to learn moderation, kids. Have a glass of wine, balance, and enjoy the one life you have.

The reason I am more wary of alcohol calories than I am treat food calories is that I understand that alcohol is burned first. While you're burning off alcohol, you are not burning fat. This is true for sweets as well, but to a lesser degree. This is why I don't eat sweets (with rare, planned exceptions), even when they might fit in my calorie allotment. I definitely do better when my carbs are very low, but I know this may not be true for everybody.

Although I am aware of the statistics, I am not too concerned about becoming an alcoholic. My pre-surgery drinking habits were pretty lightweight. I saved alcohol for special occasions and drank very lightly when I did indulge. I expect this pattern to continue once I resume drinking.

Regarding food addiction, it's true that I overate, but I believe that was mostly due to my inability to experience fullness until I was over full. (Until my surgery, I rarely felt full.) But I was always a good, disciplined dieter. I just wouldn't stay on the diet for much more than a year and my weight always came back.