In my pre-op life I was trying to cut down on artificial sweeteners and just avoid sugary drinks by drinking water, tea, etc. Now I feel inundated with 'sugar free' and I don't like the taste and I don't really want to add artificial sweeteners back into my life. I'm still in clear fluids so I've been doing watered down juice, Gatorade, tea but I want to have regular Popsicles and jello (within normal limits- like 1-2 servings total daily.) any thoughts or anyone else not using 'sugar free'?

It is definately do-able, but you will have to look for it. I have been told (but so far do not do) that once you train yourself off refined sugar AND sweetener you will no longer miss it. So far it is true with refined sugar. the taste is so alien to me now. Bleh. It also hurts my tummy.

There are natural sweetener options out there, as well as just focusing on getting your protien from unpowdered sources. I wish I had opted for this route sometimes.

I am at work right now but if you are interested maybe we could do some research and experiment and see what options are out there. It would be some really helpful informaton to have on here!

My Dr/Nut told me that we could not have regular sugar anything. I was told it had to be sugar free or nothing. Please check with your Nut/Dr. I understand how the taste is, but there are a few sugar free items that don't use splenda and some of the other popular sweeteners.

Check sites like Netrition and Amazon for some alternatives. The key is to try not to consume any sugar if possible.

I see them on Thursday. I hope to be able to get all the protein I need from food and go back to just unsweetened drinks. Thanks for the feedback!

I have lived a diabetic life for years now. I guess I am just use to the flavor. I told myself this is what it tastes like and after a while it kicked in. And I am not diabetic. Mind over matter sometimes. Just adapted the life after getting gestational diabetes while pregnant. It went away but I was so used to the diet I just kept on.

I don't eat anything with artificial sweeteners ever due to my personal preference of not wanting to put those chemicals in my body. However, I am not a diabetic. My NUT also told me I could not eat anything with sugar because I would not loose as much weight. I have had no problems with my weight loss so far and I eat things with regular sugar several times a week. I am really careful with the quantity of food with sugar and I only have a few bites of whatever it is.

I use organic agave. Has the same flavor as sugar. Look it up!

My NUT does not allow for sugar or artificial sweeteners. So that has meant no sf ice cream, sweeteners for anything. I'm 8 weeks out and I can honestly say, I don't miss sweets. I was/am a sugar addict too so to even think I wouldn't miss sweets is amazing to me. The explanation that I was given is that if I eat the artificial sweeteners my body will crave sweet and that is something they want me to refrain from ever eating again. My NUT is also very against putting those chemicals in the body, which I have to say in reading different articles of health issues, I tend to agree with now. I am doing everything they say to the letter, so no sugar in any form for me. It is just one more step to my new lifestyle.

I thought I heard somewhere that calorie free sweeteners still raise glycemic levels and your body treats it like a regular sugar except for adding fat. Anyone have any facts on that?