I am only 3 weeks out and not drinking any soda at this time. But I have read conflicting thoughts on drinking soda. I'm wondering if it's possible that people who have the sleeve can drink soda, but with other bariatric surgeries you cannot. It seems that bypass, duodenal, and lap band, which are more involved surgeries which have stricter limitations on what you can eat and drink. I feel like these limitation get applied to sleeve patients as well, even when there's a little more flexibility with the sleeve. Then again, that could just be wishful thinking on my part because I really, really miss diet coke. Curious what others think. Thank you!

i drink diet soda very often a year out.. no issues...

there's no difference in surgeries. I know bypass people who drink soda.

some surgeons want you to give it up forever - and some are OK with it once you're a few months out as long as you can tolerate it (some people can, some can't). My surgeon is one of the former, but I've had it a few times. I didn't try it until I was about three years out, though. It does a number on my stomach, so I hardly ever drink it.

btw - at most clinics, the sleeve and bypass patients are on the exact same diet plan.

Mine said carbonation is OK but had me wait three months to make sure everything in my pouch was totally healed. I still drink it by pouring it into a glass and stirring it well to get a lot of the excess carbonation out. And then I purposefully burp after every swallow to let the gas out. I also mix soda with something non-carbonated like sugar free lemonade to also cut down on the fizz.

I'm nearly 2 years out and even sips of carbonated beverages are uncomfortable for me. I don't TRY to get used to drinking it though. I rid myself of my soda addiction preop and have no interest letting it back in my diet.

I think the issue is two-fold. First, many overweight people drink a lot of their calories, so a prohibition against carbonated beverages should cut their intake of those. Secondly, and this is more in line with your desire to drink the diet stuff, is that for some reason, carbonation doesn't feel good in a sleeve or a pouch. There's no reason I can't drink a soda, but I become a burp machine if I do and the feeling in my sleeve is usually uncomfortable. That said, once or twice a year I have a root beer. Mostly what I drink now is Crystal Light.

i notice i have far less burping after surgery then before..

Thank you all for the feedback. I think my biggest concern is the idea that it would stretch the new stomach and I would have weight gain. Is this the reason it is prohibited?

I didn't drink soda until like 6 months out and I'm with bypass

9 hours ago, Heather13 said:

Thank you all for the feedback. I think my biggest concern is the idea that it would stretch the new stomach and I would have weight gain. Is this the reason it is prohibited?

I think that's a myth. I don't think any surgeon would be for it the first few months while you're healing, because I suppose the gas or whatever could potentially harm your incisions.

It's supposedly hard to stretch the stomach unless you're chronically overstuffing it. If you're a bypass patient, though, the stoma can get overstretched - but I doubt by carbonation.

11 hours ago, Heather13 said:

Thank you all for the feedback. I think my biggest concern is the idea that it would stretch the new stomach and I would have weight gain. Is this the reason it is prohibited?

My surgeon who has been performing WLS for 20 years said he believes stretching the sleeve is a myth. He said people regain because of all day grazing or concentration of calories (like drinking them.)

The question here is not whether you CAN drink carbonated beverages, it's whether you SHOULD.

I am more than 2 years out and over that time, have had maybe 2 sips of soda-fountain rootbeer, which is a little flatter than the canned variety. I could and had no issue with it.

However, as someone stated above when re-introducing carbonated beverages into your diet you run the risk of drinking a lot of calories. Even if you drink the sugar-free variety, there are studies that have shown artificial sweeteners, including and especially sugar-free beverages lead to craving more sugar and carbohydrates.

I don't drink them and I don't miss them. It's about making good choices for YOU and considering what you put in your body as FUEL, not for pleasure or because you're bored.

@Heather13... and f you are talking about carbonated beverages in general, the reason my my doc gave to lay off them is because drinking them contribute to excess gas in your stomach, which is not your friend

...and NOT because of stretching your stomach. One would have to have their stomachs filled beyond capacity (with liquids OR solids) for extended periods of time to do that. And even then, it is highly, highly unlikely a sleeved stomach would stretch to pre-surgery size. Not even close. If under some crazy circumstances one was able to stretch their stomach close to even HALF thier original size (given a sleeved stomach is 20% of original size), that person would have waaaaay bigger problems to worry about than a bigger stomach.

With that said, i was drinking carbonated beverages around 2-3 months post op, and still do, almost every day. HOWEVER, i am drinking sparkling water (i.e., Perrier or similar, with no sugar nor flavourings) and NOT pop/ soda nor beer. Too many unnecessary calories for me, personally. I have hade diet coke a handful of times in the past year though (and only once i was done trying to lose weight)...but is is def the exception and not the rule.

Thank you for such a thorough answer. So helpful.

When I think about the fact that I have gone without Diet Coke for over a month now, it may be something I can continue to avoid. Or maybe a handful of times as you said.

I was told by my dietician that carbonated drinks will stretch the sleeve.