I am curious, In my book of do's and don'ts it states that I can never have carbonated drinks again. I have a couple of coworkers that had gastric bybass and they have since started drinking diet carbonated drinks. Have any sleevers done this post op? Is this really a forever thing? I miss my diet mt dew and/or diet dr pepper more thank anything. Please give me some kind of hope that it can be in the far future at least....

I believe that carbonation can be painful at first while you are healing. There are many who say they drink carbonated drinks after surgery (altough our doctors say not to). One thing you can do is to mix Diet Dp (or whatever you like) with vanilla Protein mix to make a float. The blender will take the carbonation out. I used to do that when I first had my lapband and it was really good. I'm sure other sleevers will chime in! I also love my Diet Dp, so I totally understand!

I didn't drink soda until I was closer to 6 months out. When I first tested the soda waters, it was uncomfortable. I didn't have patience to let it get flat because let's be honest, flat soda tastes horrible. I've been drinking regular soda typically non-caffeinated for about a year now without any negative effects. If I take a big drink, I'll burp and it's not a dainty little lady like burp, but my sleeve capacity has not changed. I stick with cream soda, orange soda, and Sprite or gingerale.

My surgeon's belief is that soda is wasted calories, but he does not believe there is any scientific evidence that it'll stretch the sleeve. liquids go in, hit the pyloric valve and empty into the intestines. Soda is a liquid just like Water. It's not like it's sitting in our stomachs brewing for hours on end, expanding etc etc. At 18 months out, I can eat the same amounts of food that I did 10 months ago. I'm not advocating going against doctor's orders, just giving you my experience.

I am 4 months out and didn't start drinking diet soda until about 3 weeks ago. I now enjoy a caffeine free DP about once or twice a week with no issues. I have also tried Diet Sunkist. I love to put my soda in the freezer just long enough to make a ICEE.

Deb

Watch those RNYers with their stretchy pouches and see how long it takes them to start putting the weight back on.

I have a diet soda a couple of times a week, but i have to pour it in a glass and stir it up good to get the carbonation out, otherwise it's just not at all comfortable or enjoyable. Still tastes dang good though, even flat!

I have diet pop a few times a week. Doesn't bother me at all.

I was instructed to never drink carbonated stuff. I'm sure taken in moderation they would be fine, but I am all or nothing when it comes to diet coke. If I started drinking it, that would be all I ever drank. I've given it up for over 6 months now so why go back to the addiction.

So, I would say if you can consume in moderation, go for it. But I can't do the moderation thing.

I couldn't stand the taste of diet or carbonated (especially my old fave diet coke) anything post op until very recently. I still can't stand Diet Coke for some reason but that's ok cuz it really is crap and I don't miss it at all. I drink diet sprite or Fresca every now and then and use it to make a diet Mojito also! woo! My doc (Aceves) never said never to anything. I was never "addicted" to sodas, however, and I wholeheartedly agree with CurrySusan; if it's a problem and you've kicked it for surgery and your new lifestyle - don't go back.

Best!

C

My favorite is my Coke Zero slush from Sonic! No CO2, but taste great!

I kicked the diet soda problem about a month before surgery, so I haven't had a diet soda in 3 months...and you know what? I truly do not miss it one bit!!! I am so much better off without it.

That being said if you can enjoy it in moderation, then maybe go for it. My NUT said that nothing about this surgery is forever a no-no. Temporarily, while healing, yes, there are tons of restrictions, but she said if you have to have soda post-op then drink it flat.

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Very helpful!

With all the liquid we need to get in, I can't get in what I suppose to of the 'good stuff' - I couldn't not possibly justify drinking diet or reg coke etc. I was never a soda girl, but after all we've been through to get to where we are - I've adopted as many healthy habits as possible, sodas are not something I want to do....and they are high in sodium on top of everything else, aren't they? I won't say that I won't EVER have a sip for the rest of my life, but they are not something that I will drink or sip on often. Of course I probably didn't drink a six pack a year pre-op!

As far as the RNY patients....whoever said sit back and watch how quickly they re-gain.....I agree. An RNY patient is not someone I'd patten myself after at all. I know close to a dozen, all but one have gained a noticeable amount of weight back usually starting 3 - 5 yrs out.

I'm not concerned about soda....I miss my vodka and tonic!!!!

Regadless of your surgeon's rules, I doubt any of us sleevers could ever chug back soda the way we could preop. Our stomachs just won't take those kinds of hits anymore. So, I personally feel that the volume of soda you can drink postop will be greatly reduced compared to preop. Does that make it a good choice? No, but it doesn't mean that soda is the end of the road either - especially if you stick to the diet kind.

I started experimenting with flat soda and small sips at about 4 months out. It wasn't ever uncomfortable in a painful way, just weird feeling at first - kind of like solid food was at first. Now, at 6 months out, I can drink it at full fizz but not a lot of it and not very fast. A 20 oz bottle lasts for days or more. I usually lose interest before I finish that much. I pretty much drink diet pepsi and diet dr pepper. If I'm out somewhere, I might get a small regular soda but I rarely finish the whole thing.

I haven't noticed any changes in my stomach capacity and it doesn't cause me any pain. When I talked to the nurse about this, she said that sodas were not recommended of course, but that some sleevers have no problems with them. I'm lucky that I don't crave them the way I used to. I view them like any other drink now, not as the lifeline I used to view them as before surgery. Overall, they don't taste quite the same as they did preop, but that's more of an issue with the regular sodas. I'm glad that I still have the option to drink a soda if I get the taste for it. My main goal with sodas is to be sure I reach more for the diet variety than the regular kind. Since the regular is generally too sweet tasting, this has been real easy to manage.

I drink regular soda and have for over a year without issue. I don't like diet soda so I have one here and there. I kicked the habit for about a week, and now only have one a couple times a week.

It hasn't changed my sleeve capacity at all.

I am curious, In my book of do's and don'ts it states that I can never have carbonated drinks again. I have a couple of coworkers that had gastric bybass and they have since started drinking diet carbonated drinks. Have any sleevers done this post op? Is this really a forever thing? I miss my diet mt dew and/or diet dr pepper more thank anything. Please give me some kind of hope that it can be in the far future at least....