I'm about 2 weeks banded now and had a drink for the first time the other night. A beer was a bit too filling so a friend made me a fruity drink with tequila and the low sugar V8 tropical fruit juice and some triple sec.

Let me tell you after 2 drinks I was FLYING! I'm talking a 12 beer buzz flying.

I was never a big drinker to begin with, but I'm going to save a lot of money on booze. :cry_smile:

Any ideas why a band makes you so much more susceptible to alcohol?

I was told I could not have alcohol for the first year. Was anyone else told this? Can we have it in moderation? I'm really not a big drinker. I can go months without having a drink so I wasn't too upset about not having any alcohol for the first year. However, holidays are coming up in the next few months. Can I have a drink or two?

My surgeon told me that I could never have a drink again, period. I've read enough about banding to know that while this may be his opinion it is not the generally held opinion (even the Lap Band web site says that an occasional drink is no problem). I have pretty much accepted that beer is a thing of the past, which was a big hurdle for me because I'm a home brewer, but with the carbonation it wouldn't be good for the band. But wine or liquour in moderation I don't anticipate being a problem. However, I'm now 3 weeks out and haven't had anything and don't know when I will have a drink again. The big thing for me that I'm worried about is the calories in alcohol.

Every doctor is different, no doubt. I suspect the same doctor might also have different programs for different patients as well. Mine told me that there is no food or beverage that I can't consume because of it's chemical makeup, only a few that might be hard due to consistency, like soft bread for example. Other than that he just said to pay attention because some substances have a lot of calories and are easy to eat a lot of, like ice cream.

I also noticed that some doctors install the band slightly differently. I watched several youtube videos of lapband installs and it seems most doctors put like 1 stitch over the band to keep in place, where mine sewed pretty much all the way around to really lock it into place. No idea if it's related, but all the more reason to follow your doctors advice.

On this site, I have noticed that surgeons reccomendations vary widely. Personally, my surgeon said no alcohol for at least 1 month. I waited almost 2. Since then, I have had wine and harder alcohol (no mixers) and the occasional beer. Beer is tougher for me, because the carbonation. I go regularly (monthly) to my doctor/nutritionist and let them know what I'm eating/drinking. They say its fine as long as it doesn't bother me and they remind me to be mindfull of the calories. Bottom line - listen to your doctor !

Edited September 24, 200817 yr by mediummike

Something I've recently discovered that may be of interest for any of you who, like me, love margaritas. You can order surgar free, zero calorie drink mixers at www.bajabob.com. They are made with Splenda, so they're probably pretty good. 1 jigger of tequila=70-80 calories, so you got an 80 calorie margarita. Not bad.:rolleyes2:

hey guys

quick question. i go to dr aceves oct 16 for my surgury. in his pre op diet he simply told me to go on a low carb diet 7 days before the procedure. this seems so easy compared to the pre op (liquid diets etc.)diet nightmare stories i read about on these forums. could it be that since my bmi is only 34 it is not as demanding. please advise

I'm not sure what your question is, but each doc is different. Mine was just liquids only the day before. Others have to do liquids for a long time or lose 10% on their own first.

Just follow his instructions, safest thing.

hey guys

quick question. i go to dr aceves oct 16 for my surgury. in his pre op diet he simply told me to go on a low carb diet 7 days before the procedure. this seems so easy compared to the pre op (liquid diets etc.)diet nightmare stories i read about on these forums. could it be that since my bmi is only 34 it is not as demanding. please advise

Sorry fellas, I wandered into the Men's Room and got sidetracked trying to find my way out. I thought I'd stay for a second and answer this question.

I was also told to do a 7 day low carb diet as my pre-op diet. I am a 38 BMI and am getting banded by Dr. Kirshenbaum in Denver, CO. Had I been above a 40 BMI, I'd have been told to do a 14 day low carb diet.

The reason for the pre-op diet is simply to shrink the liver. During the lap band procedure, the liver is pinned up and out of the way, so that the surgeon can get to your stomach easily to attach the band. If you do not do some sort of drastic diet in the days before surgery, then there's a chance your liver will be fatty, and a fatty liver could slip and slide around and not stay pinned out of the way, causing the surgery to be a lot more difficult to do.

There's a woman who posts on here with the screenname RestlessMonkey who actually cheated on her pre-op diet (without realizing the consequences) and woke up from the anesthesia on the day of her surgery to find out she didn't have a band because her liver was too fatty and the doctor didn't feel comfortable performing the surgery.

So anyways, this long diatribe is basically just telling you that pre-op diets differ from doctor to doctor. Some do low carb, some do all liquid, but ultimately they are all effective in shrinking your liver prior to surgery. Personally, I'm happy I got a low carb pre-op diet, because that means bacon and eggs for a week straight. :confused:

Hope this helps...

Bloody Mary.:crying:

Just saying.

No carbonantion, lots to play with while drinking it so it doesn't go down super fast, you get the tomato juice benefit. (I know i'm justifing, but it makes me feel better about the calories:tongue2:).

I really miss a good beer! I was at a Giants football game last week and the guy in front of me came back with a perfect looking glass of Bass Ale. Anyway I am doing as I’m told and not having any carbonation so when I do decide to have a cocktail I go with Bacardi Clear Rum and Crystal Light Fruit Punch. There are Zero Carbs in the clear rum (of course there are a lot of calories) and the Crystal Light is low calorie. I know it is a massive self justification but it doesn’t taste too bad and it is pretty light too.

mine said never beer

Beer was the hardest part of this whole thing for me. I REALLY miss beer. But not as much as I miss the 62 pounds I've lost so far.

The Phillies are going to the World Series, and I'm going to have to watch them without a single beer. Not easy. But worth it.

Tonight's a bit of a celebration. First time since surgery I've had any alcohol. One glass (five ounces) of cabernet. 100 calories, more or less. Tastes good.

Besides the calorie problem with alcohol is the affect it can have on those with acid reflux problems. A year after surgery and down almost sixty pounds I started drinking Tequila and Crystal light lemonade more frequently. About the the same time I started having more problems with reflux. Finally I remembered pre-surgery advice from a doctor that alcohol relaxes the sphincter (sp?) and contributes to acid reflux. I quit drinking - no more reflux problems. And now the weight is starting to drop again - who'd a thunk it.