For soda/diet soda drinkers..

[Dale P. 14]

I'll start by saying save me the bible thumping crap about soda! I started drinking Diet Mt. Dew again recently as I'm three months post-op. I've found that getting a fountain drink and putting in lots of ice and then letting it sit for a while helps with de-carbonating it. Is there still carbonation? Yes, but it doesn't make me feel as bloated as drinking straight from a can does. I also didn't gain weight and get a huge belly as warnings have said elsewhere...I'm at 61 pounds lost since surgery and 85 since starting my program so I think I'm doing just fine. The same people who say listen to your body are the first to cast stones, but I'll say to those who have sacrificed so much, a soda won't kill you!

[JRT Mom 919]

My surgeon said carbonated drinks were ok two months after surgery. He doesn't feel that there is a danger to the pouch/sleeve as long as it's well healed. I don't like a whole lot of bubbles, but I pour it into a glass and then stir it until most of the carbonation comes out, then it goes down without a whole lot of burping going on. I also often add sugar free lemonade to help dilute out some of the bubbles.

Dale P, have you tried the new Mountain Dew Zero? It's waaaay better than the original diet Mt Dew.

[FluffyChix 17,409]

Hmmm, so it kinda sounds like you're daring us to knock the battery off your shoulder? What are you? Like a 5'2" actor peddling batteries?

LOL. Do you boo. Let's re-meet in 5 years and see where we are!

[Dale P. 14]

21 minutes ago, FluffyChix said:

Hmmm, so it kinda sounds like you're daring us to knock the battery off your shoulder? What are you? Like a 5'2" actor peddling batteries?

LOL. Do you boo. Let's re-meet in 5 years and see where we are!

No, I'm actually a 5'11" teacher and runner who's making it work! I just hate to see people get ganged up on, esp. newbies that don't know any better. So you're saying in 5 years out I'll have failed? LoL! Nah, I'm taking full advantage of this second shot at life by being active and treat myself once in a while. Everything else is being followed pretty much...

[Dale P. 14]

32 minutes ago, JRT Mom said:

My surgeon said carbonated drinks were ok two months after surgery. He doesn't feel that there is a danger to the pouch/sleeve as long as it's well healed. I don't like a whole lot of bubbles, but I pour it into a glass and then stir it until most of the carbonation comes out, then it goes down without a whole lot of burping going on. I also often add sugar free lemonade to help dilute out some of the bubbles.

Dale P, have you tried the new Mountain Dew Zero? It's waaaay better than the original diet Mt Dew.

I haven't tried the MD Zero yet, but I've had a few friends recommend it! I'll have to give it a try. Thanks for the response!

[AZhiker 2,251]

No judgement here - just facts. Soda of any kind is implicated in fatty liver disease. Been there, done that. Not going back.

[CammyC 291]

Did you have a question about sodas or just needed to get this off your chest?? I think there’s a rant and rave section for that.

Ive seen other Bariatric forums where people gang up on others. I have not seen that happen at all in this site. I’ve only been provided with amazing support here. I’m 16 days post-op and will not be trying carbonation of any kind as my surgeon has warned me it is not good for my new tummy. I wish you best of luck on your journey.

[NovaLuna 709]

To each their own. My surgeons office told all of us that after a year we could go back to drinking soda if we want, but it would stretch our new stomach over time. And gaining weight back is a distinct possibility if that happens. Soda was actually the easiest thing for me to give up since when I was diagnosed with EOS that was one of the things that raised my choking issues so I stopped drinking it for two years. Then had only been drinking it again for a few months when I started the weight loss process and I gave it up with no issue. But, not everyone is me and I realize that. If soda makes you happy then good for you. However, keep this in mind. I work with tons of people who have had weight loss surgery and the ones who've put back on weight all have one thing in common.... they drink soda.

[JRT Mom 919]

1 minute ago, NovaLuna said:

However, keep this in mind. I work with tons of people who have had weight loss surgery and the ones who've put back on weight all have one thing in common.... they drink soda.

Do you mean diet soda, or the regular version?

[NovaLuna 709]

Just now, JRT Mom said:

Do you mean diet soda, or the regular version?

Both. As an example: One of my co-workers drinks regular. She was originally 390-ish pounds before gastric bypass and got down to 210. She started drinking regular soda and now she's in the 280's. She's four years out. The other co-worker said she started at 230-ish pounds and her lowest weight was 120-ish pounds. She had gastric bypass. She drinks diet now and is in the 170's. She's nine years out. However, despite the weight re-gain they both seem happy with their current weight so... I guess it's fine.

[biginjapan 647]

4 hours ago, CammyC said:

Did you have a question about sodas or just needed to get this off your chest?? I think there’s a rant and rave section for that.

Ive seen other Bariatric forums where people gang up on others. I have not seen that happen at all in this site. I’ve only been provided with amazing support here. I’m 16 days post-op and will not be trying carbonation of any kind as my surgeon has warned me it is not good for my new tummy. I wish you best of luck on your journey.

I first started here back in 2016 and let me tell you, although there were a ton of supportive people (especially veterans who were 3-5 years out and had years of experience to draw from, which I find really lacking now), there were also a lot of flame wars and ganging up on people. Whole threads would get shut down, people got banned, and a lot of people left en masse to try out other forums (but I still like this one the best). So the current group of active people here are great, no real shaming for going off-plan, or hurt snowflakes who couldn't take constructive criticism/help for what it was. At least, I haven't seen that since I've been back. It's almost like this is a new place. The little bit of tension that does exist is a pale shadow of what was here before!

As for soda (or any carbonated drink), I think in the end it's up to each person to decide if it's worth it for them. I used to be addicted to Diet Coke/Coke Zero, drank at least a litre a day, until one day it just made my gastro-intestinal issues so bad I decided to stop cold turkey (this was years before my sleeve surgery). I never went back. I would occasionally have a Sprite or ginger ale but I wasn't addicted to those so it never got me back to drinking Coke. After my sleeve surgery, about 6 months out, I was with some colleagues at a restaurant and my only choice of drinks (besides Water and alcohol) was soda, so I tried a very small ginger ale. I was in so much pain after a couple of sips, not only could I not finish the drink, I couldn't finish the meal. The few other times I've tried anything carbonated over the years has been the same - my stomach just can't handle it. The other thing I would worry about when re-introducing it (or any other "problematic" food/drink) is that it can be an enabler to other foods we shouldn't be eating. While I drank Diet Coke on it's own, I also liked it with pizza, or Doritos, or chips, or pretzels, or... you get the idea. I've learned from my failure with my sleeve that that's what I have to be the most concerned about - not that having something once in a while will throw me off track, but that it will encourage me to try other off-limit foods once in a while, until it becomes a regular habit once again.

Edited March 20, 2020 by biginjapan

[AggiG 176]

I was told not to drink soda of any kind which is okay by me. I haven't had a soda in a very long time and my goal is to never drink it again.

[FluffyChix 17,409]

14 hours ago, Dale P. said:

No, I'm actually a 5'11" teacher and runner who's making it work! I just hate to see people get ganged up on, esp. newbies that don't know any better. So you're saying in 5 years out I'll have failed? LoL! Nah, I'm taking full advantage of this second shot at life by being active and treat myself once in a while. Everything else is being followed pretty much...

LOL, so I think it's likely you are an inflammatory person set on trolling here by causing drama. You have less than 10 posts and the first time I see you, you are posting a post set for drama. LOL. I could care less that you had an opportunity to live a new life with a spanking new second chance and yet, you're cherry picking the rules our surgeons give us that are based on best practices from the ASMBS for our tools. And you're essentially giving your second chance the great big old middle finger salute.

Way to work it, dude! Waves up. Enjoy!

Edited March 20, 2020 by FluffyChix

[S@ssen@ch 745]

For me, soda is a slippery slope. It's not about whether I CAN drink it, but whether I should.

I gave up soda after I was banded years ago. After I had the band out, I started indulging again. Not a lot, but enough. I cannot tolerate a lot of artificial sweeteners and soda has a lot of empty calories. So, I gave it up again when I started the sleeve process. Aside from a small sip of low carbonation rootbeer about a year or so ago, I just don't. I don't miss it and don't plan on going back to it.

[FluffyChix 17,409]

5 minutes ago, S@ssen@ch said:

For me, soda is a slippery slope. It's not about whether I CAN drink it, but whether I should.

I gave up soda after I was banded years ago. After I had the band out, I started indulging again. Not a lot, but enough. I cannot tolerate a lot of artificial sweeteners and soda has a lot of empty calories. So, I gave it up again when I started the sleeve process. Aside from a small sip of low carbonation rootbeer about a year or so ago, I just don't. I don't miss it and don't plan on going back to it.

Great post. BTW, you look AMAZEBALLS!!! Double BTW, thank you for putting yourself on the line in service to us, especially during these trying times!!!