What foods are OFF limits after Gastric Sleeve?

[JazzyJess20 32]

4 hours ago, Healthy_life2 said:

@JazzyJess20

Take things one food stage at a time.

When you get to maintenance phase, your dietician will give you a new plan. You will be surprised that many things are not off-limits.

Wow, you had surgery on 3/22 ? How are you doing?

3/23 I had surgery. The first 2-3 days absolutely sucked, but I'm getting stronger every day. It's been six days and the scale says I'm 14lbs down so....its a beautiful time to be alive lol Thank you for asking!

[Tim C 335]

18 hours ago, JazzyJess20 said:

Ooooh! Thank you for all of the replies!

It is scary as hell to think that I may never be able to drink Ginger Ale or Coca Cola again, but I know these sodas do nothing for my health. Or weight. They're just so good.

I used to be able to finish a 2 liter of soda in less than half a day. And that is horrible, I know. I hope that after a few weeks, I just completely lose my taste for it.

Now why is popcorn a deal breaker? Did the doctor ever explain why?

Leave Coke alone...It is a hard bad habit to quit. You are well on your way so just leave it alone like you are now.

[ShoppGirl 3,356]

19 hours ago, JazzyJess20 said:

Ooooh! Thank you for all of the replies!

It is scary as hell to think that I may never be able to drink Ginger Ale or Coca Cola again, but I know these sodas do nothing for my health. Or weight. They're just so good.

I used to be able to finish a 2 liter of soda in less than half a day. And that is horrible, I know. I hope that after a few weeks, I just completely lose my taste for it.

Now why is popcorn a deal breaker? Did the doctor ever explain why?

I used to drink a 12 pack of Coke Zero daily. I thought I would miss it soooo much but I quit three months before surgery in case I had trouble (switched to Crystal light) since surgery though I drink Water and don’t miss the crystal light or the soda one bit. I actually PREFER the water. The artificial sweeteners are too sweet so I bet if I tried a soda I wouldn’t even like it.

Edited March 29, 2021 by ShoppGirl

[JazzyJess20 32]

6 hours ago, ShoppGirl said:

I used to drink a 12 pack of Coke Zero daily. I thought I would miss it soooo much but I quit three months before surgery in case I had trouble (switched to Crystal light) since surgery though I drink Water and don’t miss the crystal light or the soda one bit. I actually PREFER the Water. The artificial sweeteners are too sweet so I bet if I tried a soda I wouldn’t even like it.

Luckily, I have never found the taste of diet soda to be worth the calories so I could never get into it. Also, I have seen over time that it has been determined that diet soda is worse (or just as bad) as the original.

But I'm going to try my hardest to just stay away from, giving myself "a treat" like once a year or something at dinner.

[ms.sss 14,665]

On 3/27/2021 at 4:51 PM, JazzyJess20 said:

I know I can easily ask my surgeon this question, but I am interested in seeing what some people have experienced as being forever off limits after surgery.

Have your doctors told you anything?

Beyond the 1 month mark, I was not given a list of "forbidden" foods. I was however given a list things to avoid "in excess": alcohol, coffee, high-fat, soda, sugar...all the regular stuff. Aside: I partake in all of that...well except the soda, but I do drink lots of carbonated Water, so its almost the same.

My surgeon was more a laid-back kind of guy in terms of food and lifestyle choices, like, 'do what you want but understand and accept any possible consequences' type of thing. But my nutritionist was more like a scoldly-mom-type, oscillating between her disappointment in some of my choices and a mom-pride in my progress.

[Tim C 335]

7 minutes ago, ms.sss said:

Beyond the 1 month mark, I was not given a list of "forbidden" foods. I was however given a list things to avoid "in excess": alcohol, coffee, high-fat, soda, sugar...all the regular stuff. Aside: I partake in all of that...well except the soda, but I do drink lots of carbonated Water, so its almost the same.

My surgeon was more a laid-back kind of guy in terms of food and lifestyle choices, like, 'do what you want but understand and accept any possible consequences' type of thing. But my nutritionist was more like a scoldly-mom-type, oscillating between her disappointment in some of my choices and a mom-pride in my progress.

What is the story with coffee...Caffeine? Whats up with caffeine?

[ms.sss 14,665]

7 minutes ago, Tim C said:

What is the story with coffee...Caffeine? Whats up with caffeine?

Some reasons I was given/read:

• it may irritate the lining of your stomach
• its a diuretic and may lead to dehydration
• caffeine may cause issues with your liver, which is already taxed during rapid weight loss (although there have been some studies that indicate caffeine actually helps in improving liver function...?)
• ...and may lead to a host of other ailments: anxiety, insomnia, high blood pressure, rapid heart rate...etc.

BUT...its delicious. 😂

Edited March 30, 2021 by ms.sss

[lizonaplane 1,605]

I was a chain-diet-soda drinker until I started preparing for surgery. It was the thing I was most afraid of stopping, but I've had two sodas in the past two months and I really didn't even like them. I drink a ton of Water now. But I'm still having a hard time not drinking with meals and sipping it slowly. That bothers me more than giving up soda, honestly.

I have completely changed my eating habits to prepare for surgery - more Protein, much less sugar. I never was big on Pasta, rice, potatoes (except french fries!!), etc. I just have a hard time getting myself to eat enough meat, so mostly right now I'm eating dairy, veggies, and fruit with Beans, and some meat and fish.

My surgery program won't really tell me anything about what they don't allow after surgery. They just want me to learn the basics of nutrition, which is dumb, because, hello, I've read nutrition textbooks, I know what's healthy, I just can't stick to it! I've lost and regained hundreds of pounds!

[2Bsmaller18 435]

On 3/28/2021 at 2:42 PM, JazzyJess20 said:

Ooooh! Thank you for all of the replies!

It is scary as hell to think that I may never be able to drink Ginger Ale or Coca Cola again, but I know these sodas do nothing for my health. Or weight. They're just so good.

I used to be able to finish a 2 liter of soda in less than half a day. And that is horrible, I know. I hope that after a few weeks, I just completely lose my taste for it.

Now why is popcorn a deal breaker? Did the doctor ever explain why?

I was told no popcorn for the first 9 months just because the kernels could get stuck. If I tolerated nuts then it would be fine. I tried 2-3 pieces without issue and a few months later had maybe a half cup without issue.

[2Bsmaller18 435]

If I eat rice it's because it is stuck to my Protein when I am cooking family meals so I may accidentally eat 10-20 grains once in awhile without issue. If I eat more a 1/4 cup of Pasta I feel bad so I avoid it.

Edited March 30, 2021 by 2Bsmaller18

[Tim C 335]

2 hours ago, ms.sss said:

Some reasons I was given/read:

• it may irritate the lining of your stomach
• its a diuretic and may lead to dehydration
• caffeine may cause issues with your liver, which is already taxed during rapid weight loss (although there have been some studies that indicate caffeine actually helps in improving liver function...?)
• ...and may lead to a host of other ailments: anxiety, insomnia, high blood pressure, rapid heart rate...etc.

BUT...its delicious. 😂

LOL...Yes!

[amyseattle 19]

On 03/28/2021 at 12:23, MiraMar said:

Where do some of these NEVER restrictions come from? It seems like if there were evidence that a food was very harmful to a VSG pouch, there would be widespread agreement that it was always off-limits.

Do some surgeons have anecdotal bad experiences with certain foods like popcorn? Or is this all based on theoretical harms (surgeons imagining bad things that could in theory happen with certain foods)?

I personally think the world is our oyster with food, but you have to accept that every new food you try is an experiment. I’m just taking it day to day. I am not eating sugar or carb dense foods but how can I say I never will again? We are responsible for our choices!

[Lahela 82]

On 3/27/2021 at 10:07 PM, Jaelzion said:

I was given only two "never agains": popcorn and carbonated drinks. It varies from surgeon to surgeon. I've seen people on here say they were told no coffee ever again, and I was served coffee in the hospital with my Breakfast, LOL.

Why no popcorn?

[lizonaplane 1,605]

16 hours ago, ms.sss said:

Some reasons I was given/read:

• it may irritate the lining of your stomach
• its a diuretic and may lead to dehydration
• caffeine may cause issues with your liver, which is already taxed during rapid weight loss (although there have been some studies that indicate caffeine actually helps in improving liver function...?)
• ...and may lead to a host of other ailments: anxiety, insomnia, high blood pressure, rapid heart rate...etc.

BUT...its delicious. 😂

I initially gave up coffee (I only drink iced) when I changed my diet in preparation for surgery, but then I realized most people still drink coffee except for maybe a month before/after surgery. So, after almost two months without iced coffee, I went back to it, but in a slightly smaller amount. It's so heavenly. I have to use milk (I use skim Fairlife Protein milk now) and a good bit of Splenda, but I LOVE me some iced coffee.

[JazzyJess20 32]

So what is the issue with Arizona Green Tea? The sugar?