Hi there had my surgery on 4/25/2022 kind of regretting it. I wanted to ask the post OP people when were you able to realistically eat food without calculating how many cups and oz's ? Also when did you or were you able to have beer or coffee? I know they say no caffeine but that's definitely not going to happen. I just want to get a realistic stand point and when I try to research it I just see "I am not supposed to eat that".. duh I know but idc.

I had surgery on April 18th. I have had caffeine without issue. Tho they do say give it a few weeks. The reason is caffine causes dehydration. But yea you need to heal up. Trust me i had regrets too after surgery. Missing all my favorite foods. Realizing that food was a great joy in my life, Going out with friends, Going to get the newest thing to arrive at Taco Bell or Pizza hut lol. Eventually i hope to be able to eat some of the stuff again. Like say mcdonalds.. No i wont be able to eat a double quarter pounder anymore. But i hope a happy meal lol. Just have to learn to eat very slow. 30 minutes per meal minimum, wait to drink water a half hour after eating. As for beer. I would be waiting a while before that. but you can have alcohol again but it will be very different. You will end up getting drunk off of just a couple drinks. So you may not be able to enjoy a long night of drinking.

Hi PM2022,

What kind of surgery did you have? I had a sleeve 10 years ago. Yes, with a sleeve I am able to physically drink coffee. I love my coffee, but it sometimes make my GERD worse.

And , yes, I can drink beer too, but the carbonation is irritating to the stomach many times.

But here's the deal. I can eat and drink anything I want (smaller portions)... I have also proven to myself that I can regain 30 pounds indulging on calorie-rich food and alcohol. (That doesn't feel good, trust me.)

I would encourage you to hang tough Enjoy your new tummy and the restriction (even though it may be temperamental for awhile), follow the diet, log your foods , and enjoy the weight loss. "Nothing tastes as good as feeling thin feels." It will be worth the effort. Hang tough!

I was offered coffee at the hospital right after my surgery. My surgeon has no caffeine restriction neither did my previous surgeon. I have had coffee every day since with some unsweetened cashew, almond or oat milk splashed in it.

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Regrets are common with specially in the first few weeks when you’re on the restricted staged eating plan & so limited in what yo can eat & drink & when. In time you will be able to eat & drink a lot of your old favourites but likely not as frequently and not in the same portion sizes. Or you may eat healthier versions of them. You’ll also discover new favourites too. But that will be your choice & how it fits in with you being able to maintain your weight.

Caffeine is harsh especially on your healing tummy to begin which is why we’re advised to avoid it. After it just depends on if you can tolerate it or not.

I sipped a gin & tonic a couple of months after surgery. I went from drinking a very large glass of wine or two every night to only having a single drink may be once a month. Initially my taste buds changed & I didn’t like the taste. Now, it ‘s my choice but I don’t look for it & don’t miss it. The only thing with beer may be the carbonation - some struggle with bubbles in any drink.

Almost three years out & I still consider portion sizes & calories. I don’t measure & weigh every day. I do random checks of things I eat regularly but check every new food or recipe I eat. I’ve worked out cheat checks of portion sizes fir when I’m eating out - compare to my palm, a fist, finger length etc. I check portion size recommendations & read nutrition panels. I make most of my own food so I know exactly what I’m eating. It’s easy to get complacent & over estimate hence my checks. I know if I let this slide I’ll end up making bad food choices, eating more than I need & be back where I started.

My plan permitted caffeine from day 1 and I would have really struggled without it, but they're all so different! It's not caused any issues for me. I had my first alcohol almost 6 weeks post op because it was xmas and I would have felt SO deprived without a glass of fizz - but I cleared that with my dietician first. I'm 5.5 months out now and have some alcohol every weekend but I know it's totally empty calories and must be slowing my weight loss to some extent - that's a hit I am willing to take. With regard to your favourites, they honestly mightn't be your favourites any more! I was a complete chocoholic before I had my sleeve, but honestly (really honestly) I would really rather have a chicken salad these days. How times change, and long may it last. But yes, as everyone else says, within a short time most people can eat most things again, just in smaller quantities. In the meantime, sit back, get your protein in, and enjoy watching that weight fall off. It's absolutely magical.

Edited April 30, 20224 yr by Spinoza
typo

as far as food, once you get a few months out, there are no restrictions. Obviously, you have to eat less than what you were eating before surgery or you'll gain the weight back, but as far as not being able to eat certain types of food, no - no restrictions there. At seven years out, I still have to track my intake and measure/weigh some things, though. Otherwise, my weight starts heading north again pretty quickly.

beer - we were allowed to drink alcohol at one year out, but like someone else said, some people's stomachs can't handle anything carbonated (mine can't).

caffeine - there seems to be no consistency among surgeons on this. Some say you can never have it again for the rest of your life, some allow patients to have it while they're still in the hospital. I would say the majority are OK with it after a certain time period (for example - a month or three months or six months). Our clinic allowed decaf pretty early on (maybe 3 or 4 weeks out?), and caffeinated coffee at six months out.

10 hours ago, PM2022 said:

Hi there had my surgery on 4/25/2022 kind of regretting it. I wanted to ask the post OP people when were you able to realistically eat food without calculating how many cups and oz's ? Also when did you or were you able to have beer or coffee? I know they say no caffeine but that's definitely not going to happen. I just want to get a realistic stand point and when I try to research it I just see "I am not supposed to eat that".. duh I know but idc.

I had my surgery Dec. 22, 2021. I eat and drink anything I want and I love it. I just eat and drink small amounts. I've always been, (for the most part) a healthy eater. I don't eat a lot of junk food or sodas. I do drink coffee and wine but a lot less than I used to. I'm so happy I got this surgery. I just wish I would have done it a long time ago. Good luck to you.

I haven't had to restrict my coffee intake in fact its recommended that I make it with skimmed milk instead of water . [ I haven't had to do protein shakes] If your team think it causes dehydration see if you can get caffeine free. The first thing they brought me in hospital was a milky coffee. Try it, if it doesn't agree with you, you will know. I am not a big drinker these days but my family and friends are so socially I have a drink or two. I have changed my tipple to something lower alcohol. I like vermouth and soda or a small measure of vodka in a long Bloody Mary. I am now 5 months out and can eat all proteins and a few tiny vegetables. I have no room for carbs yet. I am learning [ and its a hard learning curve for me ] to get bigger protein hits in my yogurts and other foods, then maybe I can fill my requirement sooner in the day and have room for a few noodles or rice.

I had massive buyers remorse in my first month, It cost me £12,000. I was very nauseous but with time it all settles down and weight comes off. Now I would have the surgery repeated again tomorrow. I am so happy, I no longer feel so disabled and dependant on others. Hang in there. You will get better

You can have coffee. You can have any food you want eventually after a while, only in smaller portions, but the whole purpose of the WLS was to use it as a tool to change your eating habits permanently. It's not the solution, it's a tool.

Beer may cause some issues because of the carbonation early out. Many doctors say no carbonation forever. But coffee I was asked if I wanted the the next morning in the hospital. Some doctors say no caffeine for a while because it can dehydrate you but if you are like me and are able to get all your fluids relatively quick it seems like your doctor will give you the okay for caffeine. As far as foods you love I am able to eat anything I did pre op without issues. Some people do have issues with certain things where they sit heavy and they just no longer crave them because of that but that seems to be breads, pasta and rice. Some people also develop allergies to things like Daisy but again that’s not everyone. I am fine with Daisy and carbs. I guess the short answer is that there may be a couple things that you no longer eat post surgery but i have yet to hear anyone say they regret the surgery because they can no longer eat something. I guess because if something causes you issues you develop a taste aversion of sorts so it’s not like your sitting there craving it and can’t have it. You really just don’t want it. That’s my understanding of it anyways.

Edited April 30, 20224 yr by ShoppGirl

16 hours ago, PM2022 said:

Hi there had my surgery on 4/25/2022 kind of regretting it. I wanted to ask the post OP people when were you able to realistically eat food without calculating how many cups and oz's ? Also when did you or were you able to have beer or coffee? I know they say no caffeine but that's definitely not going to happen. I just want to get a realistic stand point and when I try to research it I just see "I am not supposed to eat that".. duh I know but idc.

I feel like doctors are really failing their patients by not having these conversations prior to surgery. Every bariatric surgery patient should have a good idea of what the progression of healing will look like before they ever sign the consent forms.

That being said, I'm 3 years out from surgery and I don't have to weigh or measure quantities at all if I choose not to. I can eat a small, but regular-sized meal without worrying about my restriction. There are only two things I used to eat that I don't now - ground beef and barbecue. Ground beef upsets my tummy and barbecue doesn't taste good to me anymore. I don't drink beer, but I was served coffee in the hospital the day after surgery (thank goodness, because I'm a total coffee addict ?). So with possibly a few exceptions, you should be able to eat whatever you want eventually. And as your restriction eases, you won't have to measure your intake precisely (although you will always want to be aware of portion sizes). I hope that helps!

You may find you dont really want things you had before. I am about to have surgery next week Tues and just being on the pre op diet I have found I dont really miss my 2 nemesis, Dt Coke and Warburton bread (English bread) lol. I actually thought those would just kill me to not have but I am making good strides without them and Im not even post op yet. So I am happy about that. I read/hear frequently that your tastes may change post op so you may find some of the things you liked before you may not like post op. As others mentioned above, you can try different things and find what you do like. Im not opposed to trying new things and I look forward to smaller quantities and weight loss. For me, that in itself outweighs anything. But we'll see how I do 1st week post op lol Hang in there, hopefully each week will get better for you.

I had my surgery in 4/26. I don't regret it. Even through all the pain lol. I do however really miss eating. Being on clear liquids is so hard. Next week I get to add protein shakes. I'm counting down the days ?.

8 hours ago, Jaelzion said:

I feel like doctors are really failing their patients by not having these conversations prior to surgery. Every bariatric surgery patient should have a good idea of what the progression of healing will look like before they ever sign the consent forms.

I agree 100% @Jaelzion. Besides clearer advice about portion sizes, food choices, food sensitivities or intolerances that may occur, etc., I’d also add discussions about things like stalls, hair loss, constipation... These issues can cause a lot of unnecessary anxiety. There’s enough to work through enough with the surgery, changes to our diet & lifestyle without these worries as well.

20 minutes ago, Arabesque said:

I agree 100% @Jaelzion. Besides clearer advice about portion sizes, food choices, food sensitivities or intolerances that may occur, etc., I’d also add discussions about things like stalls, Hair loss, constipation... These issues can cause a lot of unnecessary anxiety. There’s enough to work through enough with the surgery, changes to our diet & lifestyle without these worries as well.

Yea And it’s not like they don’t have time to go over all these things while we have to go back every month for weigh in’s anyways.