For me so far, the hardest part of this journey is not being able to drink. I did a 2 week pre op diet where alcohol was not allowed and am 3 weeks out now. So it's been almost 2 months since I last drank. I never considered myself a big drinker but could always handle a lot ( probably due to my weight). I'm 25 and have a lot of friends who still go to bars on weekends. I am starting to feel I'm losing touch with my social life because I'm not able to do those things yet. How long did everyone wait before trying a drink? Did you get sick?

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Pregnant women don't drink.

Smart women who are trying to get pregnant don't drink.

Recovering alcoholics don't drink.

Some people are just teetotalers due to their beliefs.

People who are on some antibiotics, anti-anxiotics, anti-depressants and other medications don't drink.

If you don't drink, you're likely not going to be the only person in the restaurant who's not drinking.

LOL! I too was one of those girls.. and I am going to miss my wine! I committed to giving it up after having this conversation with my surgeon. He explained, which I already knew, that wine has carbs and sugars that will make you fat. Liquor, on the other hand, will not ever may you fat on its own. The body converts alcohol to ketones, which are either burned off as energy or eliminated. He told me that he doesn't tell people not to drink, because he understands that it's just what some people do. His advice to me was to choose top shelf liquors because they are made from superior grains, and mix them with zero calorie mixers. He also said that if I do decide that I want a glass of Chardonnay once in a while, buy a nice bottle of it and savor it, rather than knocking back a big bottle of Barefoot. All perfectly agreeable alternatives as far as I'm concerned. I'm only seven days out...so it will be a while before I have any adult beverages, but when I do, I am considering a nice fresh watermelon martini!

I try to picture classic women of Hollywood and how they eat and sip and remember that "hey that's attractive and I wasn't when I could out drink guys" haha that seems to help me! Let me know how you start to feel because I am in the same boat!

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I appreciate that you're looking to change your lifestyle. And that's a good thing.

But your doctor's comments that alcoholic spirits are less fattening than wine are some of the weirdest I've ever heard.

Yes, “savoring” a small amount of wine vs. guzzling a whole bottle is a good idea – fewer calories.

And yes, good wine is a better choice than cheap wine -- but not for nutritional reasons.

But the idea that the minimal number of carbs / sugars in a 5-ounce pour of chardonnay will make you fat again is simply not true. Skim milk has more sugars and carb grams than chardonnay. You can check these facts on any online nutritional database.

Some surgeons’ nutritional education seems astonishingly lacking.

P.S. Also check out recipes for watermelon martinis. They contain not only sugar found in watermelon juice, but sugar from ingredients like granulated (white) sugar and (in some recipes) sugary liqueurs.

That was only part of the conversation that we had. I am fully aware of the nutritional values of everything that I consumek, and I assure you that my surgeon is not lacking in education or knowledge.

In reference to the watermelon martini, my recipe involves muddled fresh watermelon and cucumber, vodka, a little Water and some Splenda, shaken with crushed ice.

This has been the hardest for me too! I'm not 25, but let's face it, drinks and dinner are most people's "thing". That's what we do in rural America anyway. I haven't told everyone I know that I had WLS so I feel isolated not being able to do either. Now that I'm moving into the phase where I can at least eat, I'm hopeful I can start to socialize again.

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I'm glad I'm not alone in this. This surgery was an entire lifestyle change and I'm not wrong to in some ways feel left out or out of the loop. Its a big adjustment.

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