I was sleeved on July 15th. Doing great but missing coffee! Has anyone had decaf so soon after surgery? My dr doesn't really recommend it. I follow everything my dr says to do but I am pretty desperate!

I went to decaf after a few weeks. Now I drink half caf a few times/week, and one cup of real coffee/week. I am afraid of coffee as an irritant. I don't believe I will ever go back to my old caffeine habit.

Thanks! I know caffeine also stimulates hunger so I'm ok with decaf.

I had to be caffeine free prior to surgery - OMG, I tried to quit cold turkey and couldn't do it!

After surgery, I drank decaf for the first 8 weeks at my doctor's orders. Drinking coffee after surgery was a pain because it would take so long to drink an 8 ounce cup...like an hour. I didn't enjoy it, it was like a chore to drink it and it was decaf, making it even worse!

At 3 months I introduced caffeine back in with no issues...I started slowly. I'm back to 2 cups of regular a day. I did a pinky shake with the doc promising I wouldn't go back to my old habit of 6-8 cups of regular per day.

Be mindful of what you're putting in your coffee - you can add lots of stuff that has a lot of calories and no nutritional value!

Thanks! Its tough when I wake up in the morning. That's when I really want it... After I eat breakfast I dont crave it as much. I only put milk in my coffee but would have to adjust to fat free milk. I might give it a try. Even if it takes long to drink. ..just a few sips would bring me joy!!! Lol! Funny how that's what I'm missing the most

First off, I am pretty much an advocate of always following your surgeon's rules. That said -- the hospital staff brought me a nice big mug of steaming decaf the day after surgery and told me to drink it. I had no problems with it. It was definitely on my surgeon's plan!

And btw, regarding caffeine - there are mixed opinions out there on whether it stimulates the appetite or reduces it. The Mayo Clinic says evidence shows caffeine may reduce your desire to eat:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/weight-loss/expert-answers/caffeine/faq-20058459

But they also say there is no good evidence that it helps with weight loss long term.

I decaffeinated myself before surgery. Afterwards, I only drank decaf herbal tea. Warm chamomile tea was very soothing on my tummy and now I have a cup of Sleepytime Tea every night....and I never drank tea before surgery. As for coffee, I tried it a couple times about 2 months out, but it was too harsh. Even decaf coffee is acidic. I tried again at 4 months and had no problems. I never bothered to go back to caffein. I have a big travel mug size of decaf every morning.

Just remember, your sleeve is still healing. I basically treated my stomach as if I had an ulcer and didn't consume anything that would irritate it or impede healing, coffee included. The fear of a leak or complication kept me on the straight and narrow.

Thanks for all the great advice! I will let you know if I try it and how it goes!

Hi all. As far as caffeine goes - the reason we are not supposed to have it has nothing to do with suppressing or promoting appetite,Because caffeine blocks the absorption of water, for every oz of a caffeinated beverage you consume, you have to have an equal amount of non caffeinated fluids. This of course would complicate getting in your proper amount of hydration and nutrition when you are first starting out with the sleeve. Decaf should be fine, just make sure you are drinking it luke warm.

@@GummyTummy the idea that coffee will dehydrate you is a myth:

http://www.webmd.com/balance/caffeine-myths-and-facts?page=2

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/caffeinated-drinks/faq-20057965

http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/12187618/reload=0;jsessionid=4JJ2WCAlb24kzKm0E3ce.4

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11022872