I simply cannot understand going under the knife, having 85% of your stomach removed and a few months (or less) later, asking....."How long before I can have a soda?" That's simple, never. Or at least you never should. At the seminar I attended prior to surgery, I knew cokes were the ONLY thing he said NO to, no as in not in six weeks, six months or six years. I know there are some that cross that line, but why? I quit smoking fifteen years ago, a bad habit, an addiction, just like soft drinks are for some people. I have never wondered or considered going back. I did not stop smoking, just to start back up again a few months later. I was not a 'coke' person before, so the thought of NEVER drinking a coke again, that was not a deal breaker. I maybe had six cokes a year, and I had 'rules'.....crushed ice and out of a fountain. I can't believe anybody can think it's a good idea to consider this, I went into starting this new life knowing that I'd have to make lifestyle changes, changes that I can make because it is much, much easier to resist when I need to or want to, but my new life has a new look, besides wearing size 4's and 6's....the new me weighs every morning, religiously. When at home, I weigh and measure my food. I log my food on line. I make it a point, when I'm measuring a half cup of cottage cheese, I don't quite fill it to the top of the measuring cup. Almost but not quite, I under eat my sleeve, meaning I stop before it is filled, it is way more comfortable this way. I hate that 'Thanksgiving' full feeling. I am not deprived, I eat anything I want to eat, but there are things I CHOOSE not to eat, at least not often. Seriously, when it doubt, err on the side of caution, it's a slippery slope we are walking on. Failure is NOT foreign to any of us. It's easy to get in the gutter and not nearly as easy to climb back out. Ok, 'nuff said. I'll quit preaching!

I was never a big soda fan to begin with although I drank it some. After surgery, I was told it was okay to drink if you shake the fizz out. Who wants flat cola? YUCK! I went caffeine free before surgery as I was told to do and I am almost two years out now and still dont drink caffeine. Occasionally I will have a few sips of sprite if its the only thing to drink but its a rare occurrence. I just dont care for the fizz and there is usually lemonade or some non fizzy caffeine free choice. Its a personal preference.

I dont understand people who get this surgery and set out to figure out when they can go back to their old ways. Why bother? All this talk about when can I have this and when can I have that. If you wanted to keep your old lifestyle then why not just stay fat and unhealthy? Why go through all the trouble of surgery just to trick the sleeve, eat bad stuff and gain the weight right back? Seems like a stupid choice to me. I eat a variety of foods but I try to keep in mind to eat my protein first. I feel better when I do. I have been in maintenance now for almost a year. You have to embrace the surgery and use it as the tool it is.. to help you to get healthy and eat right not see how fast you can return to your old ways. Its not a miracle magic potion. Its a lifestyle CHANGE. That means you dont eat the same way you always did... or you will get what you always got... FAT. just sayin'

Well you are just the poster child for success!!!!!! Good for you.

I personally have had to deal with temptation. I have succumbed once and ya know what I got back on the wagon. This surgery is not easy and it even harder then I thought. It's a daily struggle. All the coaching in the world could not have prepared me for my daily battle with food. However I am getting stronger everyday.

I do understand all points of view and it is not my place to judge ot to call people stupid. I was not raised that way.

To each their own?!

I wasn't raised that way either, but I've always been a rebel, even at age 53 - some times the BS flag needs to be thrown down.

I think some stupid is fixable. It's just that some learn the hard way.

Pop and or carbonation has no good value whatsoever. It's addictive, full of additives and other nasty crap and robs the body and skin of valuable sources it needs. That alone made me a non pop drinker years and years ago.

My university professor was the inventor of one of the popular sugar substitutes and.. Having first hand conversations in his class THERE'S NO WAY I'VE EVER USED SUGAR SUSTITUTE. It's slow death in a packet

I still have a root beer now and then. I love the flavor. It's diet and my Nut said to stir the carbonation out of it. I've given up so many other things I've enjoyed but if I can continue to enjoy root beer this way I will.

I've "given up" nothing. Prior to reaching goal, I treated this like the most serious, important diet EVER.....but I've been maintaining for 2.5 yrs now and I think I eat like a naturally thin person. There are things I choose not to eat, or to indulge in once in a blue moon, but to me, NOTHING but cokes are off limits. I will eat a few, and I mean a FEW French fries or chips.....every few months, maybe.....a piece of cake, ONE small piece, occasionally. I do not ever feel deprived and I never feel like I'm on a diet since I reached goal. Life is good.

It's not necessarily the poster's fault, though...not every surgeon is as thorough about what to expect. If you're self-pay, you probably didn't even have an orientation. Granted you should do your own research, but some people prefer to get direction right from their doc (which could be severely lacking!)

I agree with you totally. I was sitting in the waiting room at my doctors last month and this patient was like do you cheat? Then another patient asked me the same thing...come on tell me you cheat. I said no I don't cheat. If I cheat it defeats the whole purpose. These two patients couldn't believe I was ever "fat" as they put it. The nurse got so annoyed and said "actually she has lost over 100+ pounds in 6 months. It makes me so sad that people want to find a way to "cheat". Cheating got me to 271 pounds and now I'm under 140 in 7 months. I don't want to cheat...I don't think it's worth it anymore. I didn't have major surgery to alter my insides to cheat with soda.

I simply cannot understand going under the knife, having 85% of your stomach removed and a few months (or less) later, asking....."How long before I can have a soda?"

Don't forget the "how soon can I have alcohol" crowd!

I asked preop and was told six weeks before soda could be tried. Instructions in my packet also said no soda for six weeks... There are many doctors who do not prohibit soda. Because YOUR seminar so clearly stated that you can never ever ever have soda again, I think it is quite presumptive of you to assume that this is the case for everyone.

I think it is quite narrow minded to say that people who don't follow YOUR doctors instructions or the information that YOU received in YOUR seminar are stupid. We simply didn't have the same doctor that you did.

BTW, I don't "cheat" I log my calories, I exercise AND I enjoy an occasional soda because it's allowed on my plan and it's something I enjoy. No it's not the healthiest thing, but I enjoy it in moderation (maybe once in a week or two) I also enjoy an occasional sugar free jello.. I don't think it's a healthy option either since they use aspartame, but it's sure tasty when I'm craving something sweet!

I have never in my life cared for soda. EXCEPT when I'm pregnant and I find myself craving one after being sleeved. I guess I want what I can't have.

Anyway, that's all I have to contribute to this thread.

I asked preop and was told six weeks before soda could be tried. Instructions in my packet also said no soda for six weeks... There are many doctors who do not prohibit soda. Because YOUR seminar so clearly stated that you can never ever ever have soda again' date=' I think it is quite presumptive of you to assume that this is the case for everyone.

I think it is quite narrow minded to say that people who don't follow YOUR doctors instructions or the information that YOU received in YOUR seminar are stupid. We simply didn't have the same doctor that you did.

BTW, I don't "cheat" I log my calories, I exercise AND I enjoy an occasional soda because it's allowed on my plan and it's something I enjoy. No it's not the healthiest thing, but I enjoy it in moderation (maybe once in a week or two) I also enjoy an occasional sugar free jello.. I don't think it's a healthy option either since they use aspartame, but it's sure tasty when I'm craving something sweet![/quote']

Well said.

I don't drink pop (its called pop ya know?!?!) because I "quit" pop when I quit smoking 7 years ago. But that's me.

I say, use good judgement. Use moderation. If you cannot handle moderation then pass on pop.

I don't understand the people who have had surgery but can't wait to go back to their old ways. My surgeon and nut gave me explicit instructions in terms of a huge folder of what to do and what not to do. I have even consulted them about my upcoming trip abroad. I have not cheated and have followed things to the letter of the law. I did ask my surgeon about having a glass of wine and champagne during my 25th anniversary dinner, and he approves. I even sent the menu to my nut for her approval and buy-in. After that night, I'll be back on the straight and narrow. However my wife has magnanimously agreed to drink the balance of my wine and champagne and to eat/finish my dinner courses. She said she wouldn't want me to waste my calories. What a women?

I have never in my life cared for soda. EXCEPT when I'm pregnant and I find myself craving one after being sleeved. I guess I want what I can't have.

Anyway, that's all I have to contribute to this thread.

Are you pregnant? (sorry, couldn't resist)

I don't think people really think about the reality that you need to also need to make a lifestyle change.. We are a nation of fast food instant gratification people.

We go in get a quick surgery ( oh and then we are surprised it hurts) and come out and expect it to magically work!

"What the f**k I only lost 30 pounds this month!"

"This surgery is a scam" "I could of done this myself"

We want it NOW! NOW! NOW!

With little or no work! Welcome to the new human race...

We are fat for the most part we ate crap...

Now we want to still eat crap but in moderation 0_o

For me, (and strictly for me), I jettisoned soda. Don't need it, there's nothing redeeming about soda (diet or regular). There's way better and more beneficial ways to get refreshed and re-hydrated. Beyond just soda, I think people miss a pretty important yet simple point.....We are all fat There is no normal in our world. We call it addictions or disorders or what ever. But if we climbed up spread eagle on an cold operating table and let a group of strangers cut out our perfectly functional stomach, in order to chase the holy grail of slimness, shouldn't we do our part to make the commitment to become as healthy as possible? My philosophy is simple...get healthy. If I had been a smoker, I would have stopped, If I was a heavy drinker, I would have stopped. I WAS a habitual drug user and I stopped. I am FAT, so I stopped doing the things that made me FAT. Will one soda hurt, probably not, would one donut hurt? probably not, would a pint of cherry garcia hurt?....who knows. It all starts to pile up after a while. If that soda is the only way that you will be happy in life, by all means have that soda. But ask yourself....."self, is this soda the real key to my happiness?" Probably not.........It's really corny, but in the end it really is true...nothing tastes as good as healthy feels....

I said NOTHING was off limits except coke, you know, in Texas, all soft drinks are cokes. I'd like to change that, just because Dr. Davidson said 'NO', that does not make it 'off limits'. It is off limits to me because I CHOOSE not to. Just because I can, doesn't mean I should. Make sense? He doesn't follow me around, he isn't the 'coke police'. For the record, I was a self pay patient, to the tune of almost 13K. I learned 'everything you need to know, but are afraid to ask' at the seminar, which is required.