I know they said no caffeine and I understand no more sodas but I am wondering about ice tea. I am having trouble finding something to drink that does not gag me. I used to love Water, it tastes awful now.

I have been drinking all flavors of Crystal Lite but that is starting to not taste any good. I am so thirsty all the time. So I am wondering about Tea.

Then I am also am wondering about Pasta. I see some eating Mac n cheese, etc. So i was just wondering when it is okay to eat pasta.

I just need some input.

Thanks.

Hi! Look how amazingly well you're doing. You must be thrilled with all the changes. our surgery was days apart.

I haven't been liking Crystal Light these days except the strawberry Lemonade which seems to taste good right now. I do drink a lot of herbal tea. Look for flavors that appeal to you. I like Celestial Seasonings Peach Tea these days. I also like decaf Earl Grey and Decaf Constant Comment. I drink a lot of tea at work.

Pasta I can't comment on. My program says to stay away from it because of the high carb content. I know if I had it, I'd just want more. I figure i'll have plenty of time for it when I get to goal weight.

Peach Tea, which wasn't my favorite flavor before surgery, is now one of my best friends. I have used both the Crystal Lite and "regular" decaf tea. Drinking it warm has been a comfort food.

I drink coffee every morning, so I don't know why you couldn't have iced tea. Being dehydrated is worse than having a little caffeine, in my opinion. I've had a little pasta without any issues. It's not my first choice though, as it's really taking up valuable space in our tummies that could be better filled by protein. Before surgery pasta was my favorite meal choice, and I could eat a ton of it. But now if I have a few bites it just seems like wasted calories. I don't worry about it making me want more of it since I can't eat much of it anyway! Try the mac and cheese, you'll enjoy it and your sleeve won't let you over-do it, yay!

Herbal, fruit (both naturally caffeine-free), and decaf teas are okay. I had the same problem with water at the beginning, but around a month or a little over post-op, I kind of weaned myself off the crystal light and started drinking plain water again. Some day my sleeve still doesn't want plain water, but it's okay most days now for me. Just keep trying it, it gets better! :biggrin0:

You might try Powerade Zero also, in comes in several different

flavors and my Surgeon recommended it for us to drink for the

electrolytes and some Vitamins without carbs or calories. I mix

my Protein powder in it and it helps me get the liquids and protein

down. Just a thought.

Good luck on you journey.

Gary

One other thought about Water.... I don't seem to be able to get it down (mental issue) at room temp, but I notice that if it's ice cold and I get into it more. There's something about the "crispness" when it's very cold that I seem to enjoy.

Isn't it strange that so many of us have difficulty with plain water post-op. That said, I love my Britta for keeping me in filtered water!

I also can recommend Sobe Lean beverages. I know they have green tea flavors but I particularly like the Mango Flavor. I see that my local market has them for $1 each this week so I'm going to go get some!

At almost 7 months out, I still have trouble with water and I get my water in a 2 gallon dispenser from a place that filters and alkalizes it. I can drink it as a warm tea. I found a Vanilla-Caramel tea by Biglow and it is soooo delicious. I add one packet of stevia or sun crystals. It is caffeinated and so I don't drink it at night. Some mornings I drink caffinated coffee but usually I stick to decaff.

I also love the Citrus Punch flavor of Vitamin Water- they make Vitamin Water 0 now meaning 0 calories, carbs, etc. I don't like that one so I cut each of the regular 20oz bottles with my water and add back the sweetness with one packet of Stevia or Sun Crystals. I am able to easily drink at least 3 20oz bottles a day.

I tried making green iced tea in the beginning and it was just not as great as hot green tea to me. So I gradually switched to regular iced tea and just kept it kinda weak. I sweeten with agave, but most people here recommend Stevia. I drink tea a lot.

I never had the Water aversion issue, thankfully. Mine was apple juice which made me nauseated. I really don't like juice unless it is fresh squeezed. I guess that is good though - extra calories.

I order hot green tea a lot at restaurants.

Pasta is nothing but carbohydrates -- HIGH carbohydrates -- and simple ones at that. It'll spike your insulin levels and make you feel hungry, and help you greatly in not losing weight. Just remember that when you're making choices!

Now, that said, and so I don't sound preachy, I have had a teeny amount of spaghetti noodles with sauce and meatballs twice, and while I did feel more hungry sooner afterwards, it didn't seem to slow me down either time... I assume because we're still so calorie-restricted overall. And I have to admit, I enjoyed the heck out of it both times. :biggrin2:

I avoided Pasta during the losing stage because of carb counts, but I probably broke down and eat a few bites of mac-n-cheese a couple times a month just for a change in my menu. I don't suffer from the "carbs causes carb cravings" and now pasta is a slider food for me. That means that I have to seriously make the better choice by eating my Protein first. BUT, occasionally I just want some mac-n-cheese, so I eat it with some Ranch style Beans mixed in. I eat it and then I make up the lack of protein in my next meal. Also, rice and potatoes are both slider foods. When I was in the losing stage, I figured a couple bites (like 1-2Tbsp) of pasta isn't going to hurt my weight loss, and it really never slowed down my numbers on the scale.

Try the decaf teas, I brewed Lipton decaf tea at home and added Splenda to help with my Fluid intake. I'd make 1/2 gallon every other day and that helped me get in my fluids every day.

Hi, I had the sleeve on Jan 20th and I still do not get all I need to drink in. I am taking in about 30 to 40 oz max. I try to get in 8 OZ of protein a day. I eat no pasta or rice, Bread .I take a few bites and fill up too fast because it expands and it makes me very sick. I can drink tea but not too sweet I mix 1/2 and 1/2 if I drink tea at all. I have not drank any soda as well.

I will be 3 weeks out this Wednesday and am DIEING for some coffee! My nutritionist said no more caffeine because it could set me up for ulcers in my staple line. I am allowed 2 cups per day of decaf tea or coffee after the 4th week. Anyone else supposed to stay away from caffeine due to ulcers? Thanks!

I was never told to avoid tea - and thank goodnesss, because I'm a tea-aholic!! My favorite is Constant Comment, which I drink hot first thing in the morning with my Vitamins, etc.

Regular tea at lunch time is the norm for me, but I've been trying to stick with Water after that. I also keep a bottle of water on the bedside table and drink from it if I wake up at night.

I've only had a few bites of Pasta since surgery. I preferred to eat the meat I had fixed with it instead. I tried a small bite of a roll at dinner the other night and felt like I'd eaten a rock. So I'm just going to stay away from bread - as others have said these are just empty calories for us. I'd much rather fill my sleeve with Protein or veggies.