Drinking After Bariatric Surgery

This blog is written by Kimberly H, a bariatric patient who discusses being a mother, eating well, working out, and trying to lose weight after weight loss surgery. Aside from sharing her experience with WLS, she discusses motivation, self-love, and mental health.

We all know life after bariatric surgery is different. There are certain foods and drinks that we must stay away from to have a healthy life after weight loss surgery. Many surgeons will tell you one of those things to avoid is alcohol. I was always told to limit my alcohol, but my surgeon was fine with the occasional drink. It’s important to always discuss this with your surgeon and follow the guidelines that are best for your personal journey. As fun as alcohol can be, it has no nutritional value so it’s not really something you should be wasting your time and energy on, especially in the beginning. Getting deficient in vitamins and minerals is very serious after weight loss surgery, so it’s important to always follow your bariatric nutritional guidelines.

If you are one that has gotten the OK to have occasional alcohol, be careful. As bariatric patients, we have a high chance of becoming alcoholics. It makes sense. Drinking is easier for us so we can easily replace our food addiction with alcohol. It can be extremely dangerous so I advise you to wait awhile before you consume any alcohol. Give yourself time to take control of your new life and get used to the new way of living before you introduce alcohol back into your life.

I must also add that after weight loss surgery, my tolerance for alcohol is a lot different. I usually only need one drink or else I have had too much. I also learned the hard way that my old sweet martini favorites are not the best choice anymore. All the sugar that is found in those types of drinks will give you dumping syndrome. Let me just say, dumping syndrome while you are drunk is not fun.

I think it’s normal to have a balanced life and enjoy an occasional drink with friends. There’s nothing wrong with that. However, just remember that your stomach is smaller and the way you absorb alcohol is different, so you must be careful. Your drink of choice might need to change and the amount you drink will definitely need to change.

Talk to your surgeon to see when it’s safe to consume alcohol and ALWAYS drink responsibly.