Hi everyone-I am new to this board and was sleeved 10/7. so far so good. surgery went well and although i get tired easily, i am feeling good. my trouble is i cant stand the taste/aftertaste of artificial sweetener. i never ate it before surgery-i was a full sugar cola drinker. i have tried diet jello, diet icepops & a few different flavored protein powders & to me, they are awful. i cannot do crystal light either. even the dannon light & fit has an awful taste to me. i have no trouble w/the unflavored protein powder & i like the shakes from costco. i went over this with my NUT prior to surgery & she said i would get used to it-but i cant. at the full stage almost every suggestion she gave me involves an artificial sweetened product. any help/advice ?

The only one I could tolerate is Splenda. Anything with aspartame made me want to vomit, and I felt like I had licked the inside of a garbage disposal. It was disgusting so I understand how you feel.

I trudged through it with the sugar free popsicles, skipped sf Jello, and didn't have issues with the sf pudding and custards. If I could find anything sweetened with splenda I purchased that instead. I made my own Water with melon slices (cantaloupe and watermelon) set up in the fridge overnight with splenda to sweeten it.

It does get better, and I switched over to savory flavored stuff like broths and made unsweetened tea with a lemon squeeze.

There is a new sweetner (not artificial) called Truvia -- it's made from the stevia plant (here in Paraguay!) -- you might want to give that a try. I really like it and there doesn't seem to be an aftertaste.

Also, I've found that my taste for "sweet" has significantly diminished -- so whereas I would usually use 2 packets of Splenda before surgery, now I can only use 1 packet of sweetner -- a lot of things are unbearably sweet now. That may also be a problem too.

Hope that helps!

I just drink regular things like apple/grape/cranberry juice. I drink Vit water or just plain water. I eat full sugar juice pops and jello. At this stage where I'm on liquids I'm barely getting in 400-600 cals as it is so I'm not worried about the sugar. Once I get onto mushies and reg food I'll just drink water or unsweetened tea. The taste of artificial sweetners post op seriously made me gag and I don't think they are good for you either.

Ditto to djackson post. I survived beautifully while consuming sugar in moderation. I also bought great chickens, very naturally grown ones and boiled them to shreds to get a very rich broth. You can boil chick, take off bone, and then continue cooking those bones a while longer. Add big chunks of celery and onion and some garlic. Strain and drink like hot tea...sip sip sip...

I like a lil sweet to my drink, but if I buy sweet tea at rest I dilute w unsweetened tea.

People on both sides of this issue. But it is not a race. Do what makes sense to you. Hydration is important

Stivia from GNC is the only one I like. It's in 0 calorie SOBE and is good. Try SF Jello with SF Cool Whip. SF Cool Whip tastes just like all the other Cool Whips. Only the Extra Creamy tastes different for some reason. You may just have to develop a taste for it like people say you develop a taste for beer. This is not a diet, it is a new way of life! We cannot fall back into bad habits, our way of thinking has got to totally change.....think positive. Good luck.

I too don't like the taste of artificial sweetners. Splenda in certain things for me is tolerable. You have to taste the different things to see if you can tolerate them or not. There are however options out there. Xylitol is one and pure Stevia (if you have ever tasted a Stevia plant leaf, it is extremely sweet.. Some Stevia brands have a bitter after taste....so you may have to try a few different brands) "Truvia" is not pure it is a mixture of Stevia and another chemical. Another one is "Agave" which is made from the same catus plant as tequila but is suppose to be good on the glycymic index at keeping blod sugar levels even. Also like others have said your calorie intake in fairly low right now so a little honey/sugar in moderation can't be a very bad thing (but if sugar is an addiction for you you might have to rethink your strategy.) Key word is "moderation" and "little."

K'Bear