I started my 3 month supervised diet about a week ago. I still drink a cup of coffee in the morning. The dietician and I discussed it. I know that once we have the band that carbonated beverages are a no-no and I've actually made great strides on that one. But nobody said anything about not having anything with caffeine. Did I miss something?

I believe that each surgeon's diet plan varies with respect to caffeinated beverages. Mine called for me to give up caffeine at the beginning of my pre-op clear liquid diet and to remain caffeine-free until at least six weeks post-op

I know the main reason for giving up the caffeine is becasue its an appetite stimulant...so during the pre-op diet that's the last thing you need! haha the caffeine wasn't too hard to give up, it was the diet coke! its been two weeks, and I still crave one....oh well I'm getting banded in three days so its totally worth it!

My surgeon is OK with 1-2 cups of coffee a day, but no more than that. That I can live with!

Edited May 17, 201016 yr by AnneGG

My nutritionist said it is because caffeine is a diuretic and can cause dehydration. A lesser reason for not ingesting any coffee at all, even decaf, was that it contains a lot of acid and could irritate the stomach during healing.

I know the main reason for giving up the caffeine is becasue its an appetite stimulant....

My surgeon doesn't allow caffeine for two weeks post-op. After that I am allowed to have it in moderation. Like Katy517 said, caffeine is a diuretic and my doc wants to make sure that I don't become dehydrated after surgery. He even gave me a schedule of how often I should be drinking water or some other clear liquid. I would have to add an additional cup of water for every cup of coffee I drink and based on the schedule he gave me, there isn't enough time in the day to fit in more liquids. He has me literally drinking a few ounces every 20 minutes.

I know the main reason for giving up the caffeine is becasue its an appetite stimulant

It's a stimulant drug, but actually an appetite suppressant.

The reason for limiting it is that it may be related to ulcer formation. coffee also contains other compounds that can be very irritating to the stomach.

The diuretic effects of caffeine have been found to have been HUGELY overestimated. If you drink 8 ounces of coffee, more than six of those ounces are available to the body for hydration; about two are lost to diuresis. For this reason, it is now known that caffeinated drinks CAN be counted toward our quota for liquids--as long as we take into account that a small part of what we take in is lost.

(There are plenty of other reasons to avoid caffeine; hydration is not one of them.)

Edited May 17, 201016 yr by BetsyB