do people that love to cook / grill and enjoy the presentation of food still feel that passion ? do you enjoy a fine red wine and just a smaller taste of the master piece smoked pork roast or does the desire to be around food and foody people go away - i have had a band for little over 5 years and no results but getting stuck and frustrated , i am scheduled to get band removed and be sleeved in next 8 weeks - will it really be the change i wanted with the band ? will there be a respect for fine foods with just a ability to not over indulge ? so many questions i know but i too want to say " it was the best thing i ever did for myself ! i enjoy reading the female posts and am happy for them because weight surely effects them different and they are judged harder then over weight men - but i would sure love to hear from or visit with the guys that love to cook and their relationship with the sleeve...thank you ......mike

Howdy @@oldmikeYou raise some great questions.Before my surgery I was a big fan of grilling & chilling.I'm not far enough along with my weight loss surgery allowable diet to see.Still in the liquids stage.I'm thinking that I'll still really enjoy it and just buy smaller cuts like OKCPirate is doing.Right now I'd eat the hind leg off a hobby horse to get away from these damn shakes.Who knows.......I may do some burgers for my family tomorrow.

One of my first meals when I was allowed Turkey, chicken, Pork and Fish, was a Turkey Burger on the grill. No bun, with melted American cheese, sautéed peppers and onions with a couple pickle slices and some garlic mayo. I ate about 1/3 of a small patty. It was the most amazing thing I had in my mouth in over a month. The second best was the chicken cheddar garlic sausage with peppers and onions. Won't be too much longer @@Dub!

Hells Yes. !!!!!!

That all sounds great.

I'm ready to make my son's favorite burger recipe.

The patties alone will be fine by me.

I'm also ready for some grilled chicken breasts.....diced up with a small bit of my vinegar sauce on it.

Hell, right about now I'll be happy with an omlette.

@@DubLet us know how that hobby horse goes down! LOL! Your posts literally keep me in tears! Laughing of course.I am not a male nor am I a sleeve but thought I would add my two cents.I don't know if this is all bypass folks or just me. I love to cook and love to grill. My relationship with food has definately changed but mostly for the good.I have noticed that I don't tolerate smoke flavor much anymore. In fact it can actually make me sick pretty quickly. I think it could be an aversion but I definately know that it has happened post surgery.I figure like most things, this will resolve over time but for now bacon is about the only smoky flavor I can tolerate and I certainly cannot do double smoke. I am 13 months post op and have yet to try any alcohol. The most I have done is take a tiny sip of my sons bourbon. Then again, I did not drink frequently pre surgery, maybe once every 6 weeks or so.

????????????????????

I have some good news for you. After a month of blended food, a piece of baked fish will taste like a bone-in rib eye!

I am 5 weeks out and just got okayed for some solid food. I bought a container of Lloyds pulled chicken BBQ and it tastes heavenly. I know it's nothing compared to the real thing, but it's still Great.

I am also looking forward to some wine in the not too distant future. When I do, my plan is to eat before I drink and go slow with Water on the side. I think the key to wine (or any alcohol) is:

1. Pick your poison wisely. Red Wine is probably the best choice. I lost a lot of weight on Sugar Busters and red wine was the only permitted alcohol.

2. Count the calories in booze. An ounce of distilled alcohol is around 60 calories - the same as one of those Jello SF puddings. Find a very low cal mixer (or water) to mix with and then count your drinks and calories.

3. My #1 source of extra calories pre-opt was the food I would eat while drinking. I think I started drinking thinking I wouldn't eat so my brain was already compromised before I set foot in the kitchen.

During my pre pre/opt diet I discovered Jolly Time 100 calorie pop corn. I plan to have that and a couple of other safe Snacks planned before I start imbibing.

One last thing, there appears to be no consensus on when to start drinking. Talking to doctors, there seem to be two issue that we have to watch out for.

From a medical perspective, it boils down to ulcer avoidance. Booze, coffee, tomatoes, citrus, all can overload your sleeves ability to resist ulcers. My plan is to avoid all of these when I do have some wine.

The other is weight gain. But I think my plan (listed above) will help me avoid it.

Good luck...

Edited November 5, 201510 yr by Cape Crooner

(snip)

One last thing, there appears to be no consensus on when to start drinking. Talking to doctors, there seem to be two issue that we have to watch out for.

From a medical perspective, it boils down to ulcer avoidance. Booze, coffee, tomatoes, citrus, all can overload your sleeves ability to resist ulcers. My plan is to avoid all of these when I do have some wine.

The other is weight gain. But I think my plan (listed above) will help me avoid it.

Good luck...

Actually, there are also two other concerns re alcohol and WLS patients:

3. Rapid intoxication - due to the reduction (after WLS) of enzymes that metabolize alcohol

Here's a short piece written for a lay audience on this topic: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/74384.php

4. Risk of transfer addiction (from food to alcohol) -- low odds (probably around 3-4% for those who don't already suffer from alcohol abuse or addiction issues), but a possibility nonetheless. The deal about transfer addictions is that when we are stopped from using Substance X that we've abused in the past to reduce our stress or anxiety we may transfer our addiction to Substance / Activity Y and/or Z. Doesn't mean that we will, but that we may.

I'm a bander and a female but it's the cook part of me that can't resist posting on this thread. I LOVE to cook and that has not stopped since getting weight loss surgery. I can't do a straight-up burger, however. That's a thing of the past. For grilling I need tenderloin or a filet mignon and it needs to be cooked perfectly. Dense Protein is what works well for me. We use only grass-fed organic now. For burger, I cook it down in a hot skillet with garlic and spices for chili. Trick is to cook the meat and then cover over with a good quality organic stock and let it simmer for a very long time. Delicious, and soft -- not gristly, which does not work for my band. So that's my two cents! Good luck on your upcoming surgery. You're going to do great. And PS, one of my favorite NSVs (non-scale victories) is being able to tie my apron double around my waist. OMG, I just love that. And a glass of wine. Like some others, the red kicks off reflux for me now so I have to have cheese with it -- and I drink mostly Savignon Blancs now or tequila.

I don't have a penis, but I love red wine.

And great barbeque.

And steak tartare.

I had beef chili and Beans for lunch today.

However ...

When I was losing weight I didn't eat / drink a lot of this stuff. I didn't drink wine until I was almost six months out. And, of course, it was a good red.

These days, my wine drinking isn't every night, and it's typically 4 ounces. On weekends with friends, I may (or may not) wind up drinking more than 4 ounces. Or drinking single-malt scotch, but I really do sip, sip, sip the spirits, so I wind up not drinking all that much scotch.

I still go to wine tastings. (Went to one last weekend.) I still prowl the aisles of my favorite wine merchants stores, looking for big cabs, zesty zins, and complicated pinots.

Oh, did I mention dark chocolate? I don't need to -- you know what I mean.

Again, remember that I've lost 95 pounds and am maintaining at 140 pounds while eating / drinking 1,700 calories a day. FTR, I'm not a gym rat, but I do walk a lot. And in a month I'll be 70 years old. Make that a HAWT 70 years old.

Lucky me.

P.S. If you really want feedback only from guys, there's a men's room here, where the women rarely post. (When they do post there, it's probably because they're posting from the mobile BP app, which doesn't make it clear which forum a thread was started in.) Anyway, you can take your question to the guys there and get your penis fix.

Good to know! I am 1 month out and had gastric bypass. I am a lover of good red wines (and the occasional great chardonnay!) and missing out on these passions has been one of my biggest worries and one of the things I've mourned the most... For me, drinking wine is not about getting drunk on it... it is the ritual of it all. Uncorking a good bottle, pouring into a good glass, and sipping my way through the evening was thoroughly relaxing for me. I miss that ritual (miss the buzz a little too, to be honest, lol). I hope I can have healthy relationship with wine again in my future, one that does not sabotage my success and health. Nice to know that there are others out there that have achieved this themselves!

that was all good stuff - thanks for putting it out there - hope all folks do good

I am a recent sleever, day 8 post op and I am also a big BBQer. My latest thing lately is using my electric smoker. It makes the most delicious foods. I'm in the same boat as you are, was wondering how my life will be after my post surgery diet is complete. I plan on returning to smoking soon, my family loves my smoked Mac and cheese and I've already had a request for my smoked turkey for thanksgiving, even though I won't get to eat any of it.

I am a recent sleever, day 8 post op and I am also a big BBQer. My latest thing lately is using my electric smoker. It makes the most delicious foods. I'm in the same boat as you are, was wondering how my life will be after my post surgery diet is complete. I plan on returning to smoking soon, my family loves my smoked Mac and cheese and I've already had a request for my smoked turkey for thanksgiving, even though I won't get to eat any of it.

I have grown tired of the charcoal smoker and am looking into a new electric model instead. I must say, the best food I have had since surgery is a piece of smoked salmon. You can put that in anything and it tastes like heaven. I learned the other day that we are only supposed to be eating around 3 egg yolks a week, to keep Cholesterol down. Well, I love eggs, so I have come up with a recipe for deviled eggs that replaces the yolks with smoked salmon. Cannot wait to try it!

@@dlappjr ... I loved your recipe a few days ago -- of smoked salmon, eggs and gruyere. Will try that this weekend.

@@dlappjr ... I loved your recipe a few days ago -- of smoked salmon, eggs and gruyere. Will try that this weekend.

Thanks, good luck. It is the most amazing thing for Breakfast.

I am a recent sleever, day 8 post op and I am also a big BBQer. My latest thing lately is using my electric smoker. It makes the most delicious foods. I'm in the same boat as you are, was wondering how my life will be after my post surgery diet is complete. I plan on returning to smoking soon, my family loves my smoked Mac and cheese and I've already had a request for my smoked turkey for thanksgiving, even though I won't get to eat any of it.

I have grown tired of the charcoal smoker and am looking into a new electric model instead. I must say, the best food I have had since surgery is a piece of smoked salmon. You can put that in anything and it tastes like heaven. I learned the other day that we are only supposed to be eating around 3 egg yolks a week, to keep Cholesterol down. Well, I love eggs, so I have come up with a recipe for deviled eggs that replaces the yolks with smoked salmon. Cannot wait to try it!

I was eyeing salmon just an hour ago at the grocery store. Looking forward to smoking some in a few weeks when I get off liquids. I have a masterbuilt electric smoker, that thing is absolutely awesome. Makes the best meals and it's alot less work than the old smokers you have to babysit all day long.

oldmike,

Good questions. It’s always good to ask about everything that’s worrying you before you go in for surgery!

I’ve always loved a good barbecue, including the food and the occasion, although I’m not (and never was) as crazy about it as some people. With the band, I can have pretty much everything I want, but I make sure to keep it in moderation, especially if I drink a little because that makes me less able to monitor portions.

As you know, the sleeve’s a different animal. It messes with your alcohol metabolism so your blood alcohol shoots up faster with less alcohol than it used to. The lap-band doesn’t affect absorption, so you haven’t yet experienced that change in absorption and increased sensitivity.

You should still be able to have meat and fish and all the other likely things you’d barbecue, it’ll just take a while to get there since you’ll have to get through your liquid and pureed and semi-soft diets before you can have meat off the grill.

That said, as some of the members have said, you’ll probably eventually be able to enjoy your meat and red wine again, just less of it.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes!