Diet coke

[Cape Crooner 589]

Coke zero still contains aspertame, and a whole host of chemical additives. Do not be decieved about the dangers of those chemicals in your body. Would you drink a glass of  Water if I put just 1% of battery acid in it ?Just a thought. Also much congratulations on your weight loss! That is great! I know that took hard work! [emoji4]

Diet Coke is no different than any  food group that's less than healthy. A little now and then wouldn't hurt, but anything approaching addictive consumption should be taken as a red flag and be quickly curtailed.

As mentioned, I probably had one 20 ounce Diet Coke a day pre WLS. I was not addicted, just preferred it over ice Water with  lunch.

I was fairly addicted to nuts (after decades of low carb dieting).

I have zero concern about drinking 8-16 ounces of Diet Coke a week, but I am very cautious when it comes to nuts.

After WLS each of us happily discover things that once caused us to overeat are no longer a threat. We also discover new risks that never concerned us in the past.

I do agree that carbonation is a mild form of acid, but I think labeling it as toxic is not backed up by any real science.

I know plenty of very old people (over 90) who drink it many times a day and have not had cancer or any stomach problems - but these people were never obese.

I do question the whole science behind zero calorie anything - and I know that post WLS, we can still drink thousands of calories a day.

That's what concerns me...

[VSjrs 43]

Do not drink carbonation! It makes you feel so uncomfortable. For me even if I let it get flat then drink it, it still hurts. Try sugar free lemonade, juice, coffee. The soda will also slow down your weight loss process.

[Walter.Sobchak 978]

Do not drink carbonation! It makes you feel so uncomfortable. For me even if I let it get flat then drink it, it still hurts. Try sugar free lemonade, juice, coffee. The soda will also slow down your weight loss process.

I have cut way back, and am working towards cutting it out all together.
My surgery won't be until August, so I have time to make those adjustments.
I know I need to get away from it, just in general but definitely before I get sleeved.

[ericaseymore 23]

I started with diet then zero finally winged myself off completely surgery march 20

[Sullie06 1,013]

I have not gone back to drinking soda and I was a daily Coke Zero drinker but I was told that if I can tolerate carbonation then I can drink it, it will not stretch the stomach. My NUT told me that Seltzer Water was okay to drink if I could drink it without gas/pain issues. I haven't tried to drink any though, I just have no desire.

[LittleLizzieLilliput 919]

16 hours ago, Walter.Sobchak said:

Sadly, I am addicted to diet coke as well.
I cut it out for two weeks, and then I drank one and I am addicted again.
I haven't been sleeved yet, but I am hoping I can give it up.

You won't have a choice at first. Your stomach will be a tender healing mess. I'd guess you could try at 12 weeks. But it's better to kick this habit. Cause the thing is Soda tends to be a gateway to fatty carbs...

[dyemond11 43]

My surgeon told me soda stretches your stomach. So ultimately those of you who still consume theses sodas diet or not, your stretching your sleeve.


Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

[Cape Crooner 589]

My surgeon told me soda stretches your stomach. So ultimately those of you who still consume theses sodas diet or not, your stretching your sleeve.


Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Interesting, I have researched this extensively and it's simply no true. The sleeve procedure removed the stretchy part of your stomach.

There is absolutely no medical research that suggests a post vsg stomach can be stretched by a few bubbles. In fact, if you overeat (which is how our original stomach got stretched in the first place), it still won't stretch, you'll just throw up!

[blizair09 3,250]

I drank 6-8 cans of Diet Coke every day pre-op up until 3 days before my surgery in September. I haven't had once since the surgery. I do miss them -- a lot -- but I've gotten used to life without them now, so I am not going to bring them back. (And I was so addicted that it is kind of nice to have put that behind me...)

[vsg_queendiet 73]

My favorite wine cooler is carbonated. I've try to take even a small sip and it comes right back up. I've seen alot of people wait till it goes flat and then drink it. But just decide not to even worry about it. Have you try green tea? That's what I drink alot of now instead of soda.


HW: 420 (January 2016)
CW: 273 (March 2017)

Instagram: vsg_queendiet

[biginjapan 647]

I used to drink Diet Coke/Coke Zero a lot - at least 16oz a day, but often twice or three times that amount. I had that habit for about 20 years. I gave it up cold turkey 3.5 years ago and I haven't missed it since (this was long before I ever decided to have bariatric surgery). Yes, I did have some cravings in the first couple weeks afterwards, but I was able to overcome them, unfortunately with other sweet things, like chocolate. I've heard from people that giving up soda also curbed their sweet cravings, but that wasn't the case for me. In fact, my sweet cravings went into overdrive. But eventually I was able to deal with that too.

Based on what I've read, here are the reasons why any kind of carbonated drinks are not recommended, at least for the first six months (or ever):

• while it does not stretch your stomach, it probably feels like it does, and can be very uncomfortable for you
• you should be trying to keep the acidity of your stomach down, not increasing it
• empty calories - do not be fooled by the "sugar-free" label. Yes, you may not be consuming calories, but the rest of your body (your pancreas in particular) still thinks you are and will secrete more insulin to deal with the anticipated sugar rush. Of course, there is no sugar, but what happens over time is that you end up becoming more and more insulin-resistant and/or pre-diabetic/diabetic (if you aren't already).
• if your stomach is full from carbonation you won't have room for the food you really need
• soda, for many people, often accompanies other foods they shouldn't be eating, like pizza or burgers or fried food or chips or...You may have trained your body for years with those kinds of associations. It may be a slippery slope to start drinking soda again and not want a bite or nibble of something to accompany it.
• most people who admit to drinking soda weekly or somewhat regularly again have lost most of their weight and/or are in maintenance. That's a much different situation than being within 6 months of major abdominal surgery.

In the end however, it's up to you.

To the OP: I noticed that your profile says that you are pre-op. Like so many other habits (coffee, smoking, alcohol, etc) this is one addiction that you should probably get a hold of before surgery. The more you can deal with these things beforehand, the better.

Edited March 11, 2017 by biginjapan

[SalZ 16]

Thank you so much for all the replies.. after hearing all your stories, I decided I don't miss it as much as I thought I did... completely not worth it!
Thanks for all the support!

[K1V990 29]

I am am posting this in hopes of helping everyone who has a diet soda addiction. I know its hard to break any addiction as I myself am working through a sugar addiction. I have broken the soda and fast food addiction over the last few years so believe me I inow the addiction is real. But you can do it if you arm yourself with some information about the foods and drinks we consume that are truly harmful for us. Knowledge is power and I want all of you to feel powerful and strong as you embark into a new food lifestyle. [emoji4]
First, if you have Netflix, look up these movies and watch them over and over. "HUNGRY FOR CHANGE" & " FOOD MATTERS" . They will also lead you to other movies about food that can change how you view the foods you eat. I truly believe that actually knowing what you are eating makes it easier NOT to put it in your mouth in the first place.
Diet sodas are a cocktail of chemicals that destroy your body all the while wanting you to believe they are safe and healthy to drink. You can actually CLEAN YOUR TOILET with coke products. Try it then think about putting it in your body.
Fast food is not real food. Go buy a mcdonalds burger, your favorite and place it on your counter and wait for it to spoil. It wont. It will not break down because it is not real food. Would you really want to eat something that isnt real food? These small thought process changes really do help you change your perceptions of food. And if we can change our perception ,we can change our life. That is a fact in every aspect of life.
We have all embarked upon a journey of serious body modification (surgical intervention) to make a real change in our lives. To bring health and wellness and true changes to ourselves. Our bodies are becoming temples. Bring your spirit into this journey as well. Learn about the nasty, foul, and disgusting items out there that are not real food. See them for the demons they are and do not allow them into the temple you are building.
I wish all of you success and I look forward to seeing you all someday on the losers bench. [emoji4]

That was a pretty scientifically illiterate post. Literally everything is made of chemicals, and literally all food is *real* food. Sure, some aren't as healthy as others, but you can't go calling the ones that are unhealthy "fake". That's not how science, food, or life works. [emoji4]

[Berry78 4,259]

I think the presumption is McDonalds puts a lot of preservatives or other chemicals in the food, and the "proof" is what happens by leaving it out. Now I am not privy to the recipes used by that restaurant chain, so couldn't say whether there is anything unusual in their ingredient list. And simply leaving it out doesn't prove anything either. (Bacteria and fungi don't tend to grow on dessicated substrates).

But, it is important we each EVALUATE our food choices, and then eat the choices that are right for us. A lot of times our choices aren't actually actively chosen. We eat what is easy, quick, tastes good, or habit, without really thinking about it.

The problem (for me) with McDonalds hamburgers is this: I am trying to evaluate whether I should include this food in my diet. I do not know what is in it. Therefore I truly have no way of knowing whether that food should fit into my diet. Conclusion: I should not eat it, or it should be consumed rarely.

Pretty much every processed food has this delimma. Many ingredients in prepackaged foods were created in labs. How is the average person to know whether the added chemicals are good, bad, or indifferent?

I'm not here to say whether Diet Coke is the right choice for the individual bariatric patient. I'm here to point out that many times we don't know what we don't know... and as long as consuming an unknown is acceptable, then so be it.

The unknowns are rampant. We just have to choose the right ones for us. Something as simple as carbonation and stretching... I don't KNOW... but the right choice for me, at this time, with my current information, will be to avoid carbonated beverages.

[orionburn 1,023]

6 minutes ago, Berry78 said:

I think the presumption is McDonalds puts a lot of preservatives or other chemicals in the food, and the "proof" is what happens by leaving it out. Now I am not privy to the recipes used by that restaurant chain, so couldn't say whether there is anything unusual in their ingredient list. And simply leaving it out doesn't prove anything either. (Bacteria and fungi don't tend to grow on dessicated substrates).

I recall an article I read last year where an office (I believe it was a chiropractic office) had set out a plain McD's hamburger on their counter and it had been there for over a year. Didn't look appealing, but it didn't look rotten either. The point was to prove how many preservatives went into it.

I had a major Diet Mt Dew love prior to surgery and I do miss my daily fountain pop. Since I cut it out right before surgery I can't say what impact it has had on me physically. I merely attribute that my it plays a part in my feeling much better since surgery. I don't plan on going back to it. To an extent that makes me feel sad, but then that's how I felt when I quit smoking 6 years ago. My life will go on without it and I'll be better off for it.