I’m at the movies with my wife. I’m over not being able to have any popcorn but would kill for a Coke Zero. Of course, neither of us can remember if it’s alowed on my pre-op diet! ?

I was allowed to drink Coke Zero pre-op but not after.... Good luck Monday!

I have not had a Coke Zero in 5 days. I decided to quit drinking it or soda in general. I see my dietician for the first time on Oct 9th. Then I have to wait a month till the day before thanksgiving for the psych appointment. So I am cutting out things out of my diet one thing at a time. Candy and chips next. Starting that on Monday. Then in November I am cutting caffeine

It is a good call to cut it. Some surgeons tell you not to have fizzy drinks after the op (some say forever after the op). My surgeon says fizz is fine - but not soda. Even Coke Zero - because it keeps alive the craving for sweet.

For me, changing that sweet tooth was the hardest thing. It took a few weeks, but my tastes changed. Now I think Coke Zero is intolerably sweet and wonder how folks drink it! And it makes it easier to avoid sweets in general. Sometimes I have a mouthful - but the taste is a bit overpowering. And I love different stuff! Hummus, unsalted cashews, smoked mussels, sardines...

Now pretty much the only thing I drink is lightly carbonated water - if I want something fancy, I add a few raspberries, or strawberries, or lemon slices, or watermelon pieces. The fizz is fine in my tummy - and helps me drink because I still really don’t like the flavour of still water.

So - the sooner you can kick the sweetened sofas (artificial sweetener or otherwise) the quicker your new habits will grow...

Good luck with your op!

Kick the soda habit if you can. I struggle with it myself. I used to drink a 2L of diet Pepsi every day. I stopped cold turkey during the two-week pre-op diet (with one or two slip-ups). I had my surgery 9/5/2018 and at first, I had zero cravings, but they have come back (just not as bad). I am happy to say I have resisted, but it has been the hardest thing for me to sacrifice. I feel your pain, but resist if you can.

Good luck!

I had to attend an eight hour class at the Kaiser hospital in Bellevue, WA as a prerequisite to WLS. I don't know if it is just Seattle area or the weight loss community in general, but they were pretty adamant about steering clear of artificial sweeteners. They were really pushing all natural stuff. Of course they had their own line of products to offer too. ? < (these newly updated emojis suck)

I gave up Coke Zero on Thanksgiving day in 2010. I actually remember the day because of how addicted I was. 8 years out, I still miss it occasionally, but it gets easier after a while. My program is pretty tolerant, they are fine with carbs, fine with not being in Ketosis, and fine with artificial sweetners. They don't allow carbonated beverages because they say it (could) expand the pouch, but more because the carbination makes one feel awful afterwards. I can't say one way or another because when I've screwed up and grabbed a carbonated flavored water, as soon as I feel the bubbles in my mouth I spit it out.

Best advice, do what you're doing and don't drink it again. Try and find a replacement. For me it was Vitamin Water Zero, but if you can find something else it would be better. Vitamin Water zero is kind of hard to find.