So I am 6 days post opp, doing well. Most of the gas pain has subsided from my shoulder area. I have been on liquids and full liquids, so my DH bought me a small/baby sized shaved ice today. I decided to go ahead and eat it! Boy was it yummy and my tummy tolerated it just fine? Seems like a good way to get more liquids down? So why not sugar? Was this bad? Why is everything on the list sugar free? Not that it would be smart to OVER indulge on sugar like Koolaid but whats the reasoning?

It's just because they're trying to get you in the habit of cutting out the sugar, as far as I can tell. It's a "healthy eating" thing and not a "healing stomach" thing.

For right now, 6 days post op, I'm sure it's ok but going forward food or drinks with sugar are just empty calories. Those calories just take away from calories that will provide much needed nutrition for you.

Mindy is exactly right. Sugar drinks add empty calories into your daily intake which do not translate well to weight loss. I am 3 months post opt and have found sugar free hawaiin punch (fruit punch and grape) at the dollar store along with sugar free wylers (peach ice tea, 1/2 lemonade 1/2 tea, fruit punch, cool raspberry, lemonade, etc). They taste terrific and only have 5 calories. The best part is that they come in an 8 pack, all you do is add them to 16oz bottle of Water and shake. Kool aid also makes some very tasty sugar free assorted flavor drinks but I have only been able to find them in the powder that you mix with a quart of water. I use it and keep it in the refridgerator or make popsicles out of them.

Good Luck

Mindy

I am surprised because I was told to LIMIT sugar free food.

1 - if it is not sugar - it is chemical (in most case) substitute

2 - that sugar-free candies, pops...etc can give you gas.

I never had sugar in my coffee or tea, never had soda... the only thing I changed after band is substitute juices for Water.

And a LITTLE 'yummy in your tummy' - will not hurt :-)

It's the no liquid calories thing. A little won't hurt, but for some people a little here and a little there, and before they know it, they're taking in large amounts of liquid calories.

Some people get gas from the sugar substitutes, some do not. It's a personal choice whether or not to use them. I mainly drink Water all day long, but I truly enjoy my s/f chocolate Torani or DaVinci syrup in my coffee every morning. YMMV.

For me personally, I find the more sugar I eat the more I want. "Just one cookie" can turn into two or three or more if my willpower is down that day. I try to avoid it as much as possible for that reason, but every once in a while doesn't hurt.

I agree that sugar will make me crave things. I always choose sugar free, but it has nothing to do with my stomach, weightloss, or the band.

The reason I choose sugar free is that I look at teeth all day long and at tooth decay. Sugar is not anyone's friend when it comes to that

If I didn't have teeth I might not always choose sugar-free ... who knows.

So I am 6 days post opp, doing well. Most of the gas pain has subsided from my shoulder area. I have been on liquids and full liquids, so my DH bought me a small/baby sized shaved ice today. I decided to go ahead and eat it! Boy was it yummy and my tummy tolerated it just fine? Seems like a good way to get more liquids down? So why not sugar? Was this bad? Why is everything on the list sugar free? Not that it would be smart to OVER indulge on sugar like Koolaid but whats the reasoning?

sugar has empty calories thats why...we dont need them we have enough trouble getting the calories that we need

Sugar really isn't good for anyone. Back in the day, the only sweet food humans had was fruit. Now, we have so many processed food options and most of them contain sugar, even ones that you wouldn't expect. So some doctors will assume you'll still want sweets and they'll suggest sugar free alternatives, while other doctors will say to avoid sweets, period. I know my post-op directions included sugar free pudding and jell-o, but now that I'm on real food, they advise to stay away from sugar OR sweets unless it's a small amount to sweeten a hot drink, or it's an occasional treat.

So it's not that you've done something wrong by having a sno-cone It just that if you ate mostly sugary foods, you likely wouldn't lose weight- same as any diet you've ever been on. I hope it really hit the spot for you!

I thought it was just due to less calories!

p.s. Try Truvia or the other natural sweeteners made from the Stevia plant, they have 0 calories AND it is natural so no sucralose or other bad-for-you toxic ingredients.

It's too help you cut calories. Sugar is just empty calories with no nutritional value at all. A little here and there isn't bad though.

Sure, sugar maybe bad for you but so are all the artificial sweeteners in the "sugar-free" products. Aspertame is disgusting and probably dangerous, Saccharin is carcinogenic, Splenda rots away every intestinal bacteria there is and is closer to plastic in its make-up than to sugar. So...Stevia plant so far has been determined to be good as it's a natural sweetener, so is Agave and cane sugar.

The goal should be to limit your empty sugar calories - but just because something is "sugar free" does not make it calorie free -- read your labels!!! The sugar-free cup of Jello you're sliding is probably worse for you in the long run than say, home-made pudding made with organic milk and some sugar.

That's one of the reasons I really am skeptical of the post-op diet - which is very sweet even if "sugar free."

The reason we've all here is because we trusted the labels of "sugar-free" and "fat-free" for way too long. LABELS - READ THEM!! Calories - count them! Choose wisely!

My $0.02

The EPA has officially removed saccharin and its salts from their list of hazardous constituents and commercial chemical products. In a December 14, 2010 release, the EPA stated that saccharin is no longer considered a potential hazard to human health

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saccharin

sweet n low/ pink

See, I feel the same way. Isn't it better to have a little bit of sugar as opposed to filling your body with 'fake' chemical ridden foods? Most of the sweeteners actually cause the body to hold on to weight. I've read numerous articles about diet coke doing just that. It's confusing. I guess there's two schools of thought.

Mindy

I am surprised because I was told to LIMIT sugar free food.

1 - if it is not sugar - it is chemical (in most case) substitute

2 - that sugar-free candies, pops...etc can give you gas.

I never had sugar in my coffee or tea, never had soda... the only thing I changed after band is substitute juices for Water.

And a LITTLE 'yummy in your tummy' - will not hurt :-)

Diet Coke and all other diet pop/soda are high in sodium and that can cause all sorts of problems.