That is the big thing I learned today at the 6 hour boot camp my surgeon runs at Signature Medical in Brockton MA.

From past experiences I know my Mom n law who had a gastric bypass drank..that ended badly for a lot of reason..and my Brother in law also has a gastric bypass does drinks booze and coffee does fine . A friend who is sleeved and 2 yrs post op has an occasional drink of caffinated coffee and cocktails..like daquris's not burbon...

and she's doing good.

For me..teling me I ABSOLUTLY can not do something has always been like red to a bull. It is my WHOLE issues with weight loss really... It is the only absolutes the progam has post op aside from keeping your appointments.

But I am having a hard time wraping my head around it.

I have already given up diet coke. Is keeping my one cup of coffee a day and an occasinal glass of wine to much to hope for?

The brightside I learned today was there is NO pre op liquid diet.

My surgeon only said to wait a month after surgery for alcohol. None during the pre-op diet phase either so about 6 weeks overall.

I'm about a week short of five months now and down 61 pounds. I figured I'd go item by item below.

Coffee - I just graduated law school and am studying for the bar exam. I cannot go without coffee at the moment. That being said, I can't drink a full cup at one sitting. I make myself coffee in a teacup and that's about as much as my stomach can handle in terms of capacity. If you need the caffeine like I do, you'll find that it's absorbed into your bloodstream much quicker than before because of the size of your stomach. It's actually a pretty nifty upside. That being said, it'll probably take you about two months to be able to drink it again post-op because it's an acidic drink and your stomach will still be healing. Don't worry though. Caffeine isn't an issue in the long term.

Soda/Carbonated drinks - Big NO. Not only will the carbonation agitate your stomach, but it will stretch your pouch (whether sleeve or bypass) and undo the operation as a result overtime. Not worth it. On the plus side, when I've dared to take a sip because I gave into stupid temptation, I've found soda is way too sweet for me now. So it might not be as big of a challenge.

Don't worry, though. Diet iced tea and lemonade is your friend!

Alcohol - I only recently tried alcohol for the first time since my surgery because white sangria was being served at my graduation party. I was a little over four months post-op then. I only drank about half of a standard wine glass. One of the major concerns concerning alcohol (aside from its high sugar content) is that alcohol (like caffeine) is absorbed into your blood stream far quicker after the procedure. Mixed drinks with something to temper the alcohol with is preferable. Light beer is also okay. Stay away from straight up liquor. Some have found red wine to agitate the stomach more than anything else. Go easy and work yourself up to the wine with mixed drinks/coolers first to gauge your body's reaction and give it some time. As an occasional wine drinker, it shouldn't be a problem.

Hope this all helps, @@Michelle Tarver!

As for cream in coffee, I use Mini Moos (Half & Half) when I'm at work, which are 10 calories each. And I use Silk soy milk when I'm at home, which is 28 calories for 2 oz. and has 2 grams of Protein. So, on a week day I get about 68 calories from "cream" in my coffee and 2 grams of protein. On weekends I get 84 calories and 6 grams of protein.

I use Truvia in my coffee at home and work. If I'm out somewhere and don't have Truvia as an option, I use Splenda.

The calories in alcohol are NOT trivial, so I am pretty careful about that. I rarely drink. Maybe once or twice a month?

My experience with alcohol post-sleeve is that I get "drunk" feeling VERY quickly, but then I also sober up very quickly (don't worry, I never drive if I've had ANY alcohol at all). It's like my body just processes the alcohol much faster than it did pre-op. I was on vacation in Gatlinburg, TN back in April (7 months post-op) and moonshine is a big thing there. They have a whole bunch of competing moonshine places on the main drag that offer free samples in tiny little shot glasses, about 1/4 the size of a normal shot glass. They are literally the size of a thimble. I drank 4-5 of those and I was SOOOOOOO drunk. Granted, moonshine is pretty high proof, but still, I basically had the equivalent of ONE shot and I was wasted. But probably 20 minutes later, I felt completely normal and sober.

Simply put at the three-month mark, my nutritionist was just fine with caffeine. but not before, they want to make sure you aren't having issues with acids. But i start off my days now with a medium black iced coffee and use the coffee mate sugar-free Italian sweet cream, its like sugar and cream in one, without the sugar or milk fats. Also i sometimes use energy shots an hour before a workout on some days to help power me through my workout.

I have had no side effects from any of that. but best to wait for awhile.

As to alcohol. there are several reasons not to imbibe. Or at least not often.

1. extremely high in calories. Even skinny girl drinks are loaded with sugar and calories. If you drink once or twice a week, you will not lose anywhere near what you could have without drinking, plain and simple. You have to make the decision is it worth the empty calories and the like, for a drink.

2. Alcohol, like any liquid, passes very fast into your intestines and as a result, can hit your blood stream a lot faster and in higher concentrations than prior to surgery. The common nomenclature is that it is about 7 times more potent to a bariatric surgery patient.

3. Bariatric surgery patients have a much higher risk of alcoholism. Whether it is through addiction transference. i.e. food to alcohol, or through depression tendencies, and stress, or through the increased effects of alcohol in the blood ( see above), no one is sure, but the numbers do not lie.

I hope this helps.

So I have an event next week, it'll be right around my one month surgiversary. I asked my surgeon, since there will be alcohol there, if I would be able to have something noncarbonated. He told me six weeks originally, but I wasn't sure if that included the pre-op diet time. He replied and said at one month out, I should be fine as long as it's in moderation, obviously. I was so worried about it and he was totally calm about the whole thing. I've had nothing but the best aftercare from my surgeon, so I trust him and I'm planning on having a drink or two next week.

Obviously, everybody needs to listen to their own surgeon, but clearly there is a lot of variation in post-op rules.

Beer will not be fun though

Beer will not be fun though

Yeah, stay clear of anything with carbonation/bubbles. Just like with soda. I did drink one Smirnoff Ice which is mildly carbonated, but I opened it and let it sit for a long time before drinking it. Still... don't recommend any carbonation at all to be on the safe side.

I drink two cups of coffee daily and alcoholic beverages (mainly white wine, bloody Mary's, straight liquor or low calorie mixers) several times a month. 6.5 months out and have lost 104 pounds. I make sure to include the calories/carbs in my daily totals. Oh...and my surgeon warned me also of the possibility of alcohol being more "potent" after surgery. SO NOT TRUE FOR ME. I just like the taste. ????

Dealing with the "you can't have" is just part of the process as you prepare your mind. I cited those 2 things specifically for several years as the reason I would never have WLS, but I have finally come to terms with it. As you can see from above, all drs are different and as a general rule it probably just isn't the best choices you can make. I don't drink coffee but had to give up a bad Diet Dr Pepper habit. I think maybe someday I will likely try a soda, but so far, I haven't missed it as much as I thought I would. I am more scared of the pain carbonation would cause me than anything right now. 3 months from now may be a different story, but my therapist keeps reminding me to stay in the present and don't worry about 3 months away for now.

Re the alcohol, I do plan to have an occasional drink eventually; however, I do have 2 friends who ended up as alcoholics following surgery -1 of them still drinking even after a revision. The risk of transferring addiction to alcohol is very very real, so I think for most this has to be approached very carefully.

Don't let these 2 things scare you off. Once you get there, these 2 items will likely be the least of your concerns.

Can anyone cite a well documented and controlled scientific study with enough samples that has very high confidence and a small error that is supported by medical societies (AMA, ASMBS) or even published in JAMA, that substantiate the statement that drinking sugar free carbonated beverages in moderation (when it is safe to) at a reasonable rate will stretch a VSG stomach?

Thanks.

Granted Water is a better choice for a liquid than all of the additives and artificial sweeteners in diet soda, some diet sodas can be acidic and they could also contain caffeine, both of these can lead to an irritated stomach.

I keep reading conflicting reports regarding this topic. I like to base decisions upon research not conjecture.

Edited June 20, 201511 yr by 4MRB4PHOTO

I was really shocked when my post op nurse offered me coffee as one of my liquid choices after surgery... I can have coffee if I want it. I usually have a really big cup every morning with my GENEPRO Protein powder in it to get me going As for alcohol, I've only had a couple of drinks since surgery 6 months ago. One thing is true... A little goes a long way! haha! My doctor just said to be careful with alcohol and drink in moderation. The only beverage I was told is definitely off limits is anything carbonated because it can stretch my sleeve.

Can anyone cite a well documented and controlled scientific study with enough samples that has very high confidence and a small error that is supported by medical societies (AMA, ASMBS) or even published in JAMA, that substantiate the statement that drinking sugar free carbonated beverages in moderation (when it is safe to) at a reasonable rate will stretch a VSG stomach?

Thanks.

Granted Water is a better choice for a liquid than all of the additives and artificial sweeteners in diet soda, some diet sodas can be acidic and they could also contain caffeine, both of these can lead to an irritated stomach.

I keep reading conflicting reports regarding this topic. I like to base decisions upon research not conjecture.

I don't think you need any study or anything about stretching the stomach drinking carbonation - it just doesn't make sense if you know anything about anatomy. I was told by my surgeon that it would be pretty uncomfortable and that is why he recommends against. What I can tell you is that drinking carbonated beverages with my band adjusted (tight) was uncomfortable and I didn't do it for that reason.

I was really shocked when my post op nurse offered me coffee as one of my liquid choices after surgery... I can have coffee if I want it. I usually have a really big cup every morning with my GENEPRO Protein powder in it to get me going As for alcohol, I've only had a couple of drinks since surgery 6 months ago. One thing is true... A little goes a long way! haha! My doctor just said to be careful with alcohol and drink in moderation. The only beverage I was told is definitely off limits is anything carbonated because it can stretch my sleeve.

How soon after surgery did you actually feel like drinking coffee? I was told I could drink it right after surgery too and am a big lover of coffee now so I could see it being a good morning option for me with Protein Powder as a "creamer". My nut said that many people feel like their taste has changed for coffee for at least a while after surgery though. What was your experience?

Can anyone cite a well documented and controlled scientific study with enough samples that has very high confidence and a small error that is supported by medical societies (AMA, ASMBS) or even published in JAMA, that substantiate the statement that drinking sugar free carbonated beverages in moderation (when it is safe to) at a reasonable rate will stretch a VSG stomach?

Thanks.

Granted Water is a better choice for a liquid than all of the additives and artificial sweeteners in diet soda, some diet sodas can be acidic and they could also contain caffeine, both of these can lead to an irritated stomach.

I keep reading conflicting reports regarding this topic. I like to base decisions upon research not conjecture.

I don't think you need any study or anything about stretching the stomach drinking carbonation - it just doesn't make sense if you know anything about anatomy. I was told by my surgeon that it would be pretty uncomfortable and that is why he recommends against. What I can tell you is that drinking carbonated beverages with my band adjusted (tight) was uncomfortable and I didn't do it for that reason.

I guess than the (lower esophageal sphincter? or whatever that valve is at the top of the stomach could hold back that much pressure without it coming out as, in less technical terms "a burp"?

Also, the portion of the stomach that remains for a VSG is less vulnerable to stretching.

Your surgeon said it could be uncomfortable, not that he knows from first hand knowledge it would stretch the stomach.

That is why I mentioned "... in moderation (when it is safe to) at a reasonable rate...".

In your medical experience, can you elaborate on "it just doesn't make sense if you know anything about anatomy. "?

My doctor and NUT said no caffeine, no alcohol -- forever. Period. Caffeine because the acidic content increases risk of a GI bleed, alcohol because it is something that we can become dependent on, since we don't have food anymore. I'm a recovering alcoholic, so the alcohol part didn't bother me. But I did not know if I could give up my 2 cups of coffee a day. But I did. I decided that doing this process the right way trumped coffee. I drink decaf now. Stopped drinking coffee a week after I was told I would need to and didn't even have withdrawals.