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To chew gum, or not...post op?



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Just wondering if anyone chews gum, post op? I sleeved on 9/29 and used to chew gum all the time. I thought i read somewhere to not chew gum due to it putting extra air in your pouch. I have chewed gum a couple times and seem to of been fine. Thoughts?

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In my nutrition classes, gum was considered a no-no post-op for fear of swallowing and getting stuck. I have not tried it, but I mistakenly swallowed a piece last week before surgery, so I am not going to do it.

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@@wrights79 That's so funny you should ask because I'm chewing it now! I just bought a 3-pk of cinnamon. It can cause my stomach to growl but not always. Sometime I will have to burp. Doesn't stop me. I've never swallowed my gum.

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Chewing my gum now too. Actually, I chew gum almost everyday.

I was told to wait a few months post op -I think 3.

Like Elode, there have been times it's made me burp or experience some annoying stomach sounds. But I like my sugar free trident.

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I was sleeved 9/2 and sugar free trident ROCKS MY SOCKS!!! I love it!

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I also chew gum all the time. I chew sugar free mint gum. It actually settles my stomach. I love it!

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Awesome, thanks for the feedback. Im with @@Amberina, if its mint gum, it settles my stomach too :)

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It is generally considered a no-no after wls. Don't swallow it and you will be fine. As for rule breaking, I am 2 1/2 years out from my sleeve, and there isn't a rule I haven't broken at one time or another. I say the fist 2-3 months follow the rules like your life depends on it. After that, you have to adjust things to fit your lifestyle. You will find out what works for you and what doesn't. (Like what you can tolerate, what you can't) After the initial healing period is concerned, being strict is going to influence your weight loss. The more you follow the rules the more you will lose. It's important to build good habits, because it IS definitely possible to regain later. The first year is when you will have a huge amount of success with your weight loss. As time goes on, you settle into your new normal, and if you allow bad habits to come back, you will regain. So, will gum kill you after wls? No, but you can have some serious issues if it's too soon after. Just remember that breaking the rules can be a slippery slope. Make sure you decides before hand where you are drawing the lines with yourself, so you can continue to have success.

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@@wrights79 - I guess it depends if you can walk and chew gum at the same time you probably are OK ;-). I didn't for the first two months just because I was really working on drinking Water and when I have gum in my mouth I don't feel thirsty.

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

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        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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