Alcohol for Bariatric Vets

[JupiterinVirgo 846]

I've never really been a huge drinker, and before surgery it was not uncommon for me to go many months without a drink.

I had my surgery Nov., 2015 and am living an entirely different lifestyle in a new country where drinking alcohol is the one common denominator at every social event.

Because I suffer from social anxiety, this appeals to me because it calms me down and makes me more outgoing and friendly. That is, if I wasn't drinking I would stay home.

My question is how does this effect weight loss and maintaining weight?

[Pescador 1,374]

I would be way more concerned after 4-5 glasses of social wine of blacking out somewhere. Very low Alcohol tolerance following the sleeve, and you can get drunk way fast. Beware. Your food addiction can become another addiction.

[heycrystal2052 430]

They usually say, those who had a food addiction will transfer to something else. Thankfully, I'm not one of those people, I wouldn't know what I'd do. I agree w/ that person above, be very careful when it comes to drinking. I may have a martini once a month, if that. I've never been a huge fan of drinking and could really care less, if I never had a drink again. My Dr. said, don't deprive yourself, but be wise when choosing to drink. Don't feel as though you need to "conform", to what you think people want you to be.

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

My alcohol tolerance is still the same, very very very high. I have never been drunk or anything close post-op. It takes a ton of alcohol for me to get drunk and I am not interested in drinking that many calories. Recently I was drinking with a guy and he was like are you even buzzed? LOL

I take a lot of Iron because of my anemia (had it before surgery) and I always have issues with Constipation. So drinking alcohol always results in a net weight loss for me, due to increased bowel movements.

Still I don't drink often and I make up or save up the calories. I also go out a lot without drinking. Everyone else will drink and I drink Water, this is probably 90% of my social events.

You really need to learn to handle being around people without drinking. If you have to drink to kick it, then you need to stop going out. It is really a recipe for disaster.

[Pescador 1,374]

I have two times had a glass of wine at dinner, went home and had a rum drink and was so intoxicated it was awful. Both times it hit me like a ton of bricks. Just beware, especially single girls!

[clk 3,519]

Post surgery, as a military officer's wife we moved to a country where drinking was the norm. Expected. Not just wine - vodka. Former Soviets. As diplomats, I often faced situations where I couldn't turn down multiple toasts. For me, it was hell. I have a low tolerance for alcohol. I don't like being drunk. Alcohol was everywhere. There was no avoiding it. In time, it was the norm for me to constantly have at least a glass of wine in hand. Nearly two years of that. I think I was grateful to get pregnant at the end of our tour.

Weight wise, it didn't really affect me, but my loss was slow as I inched to goal. Alcohol is purely empty calories. And I didn't carry the drinking back with me. I do it in moderation now - never more than 2 glasses of wine or 1 beer, maybe every other week.

Transfer addiction is real. Alcoholism post food addiction is real. Be very mindful that you aren't filling a space that you used to fill with food. It can spin out of control, quickly.

If you ever feel you need to drink, you know you have a problem.

Be well.

Cheri

[summerset 5,261]

I'd also be careful with alcohol regarding possible ulcers.

[JupiterinVirgo 846]

Thank you all for your experiences. I'm not worried about overdoing it and blacking out or anything like that. I'm really just concerned about my waist line! As far as addiction goes, I'm not worried about that either because I have always been to some extent an addictive personality he and I have never had a goal to not be that. I've never had long-term problems with drinking or stopping drinking. I just don't want to gain weight.