I used to drink lots of soda. I was hooked on Dr. Pepper. Since surgery I've cut it off, but everyone once in awhile, I want a sip. A couple days ago, I took a VERY small sip of my husband's and held it in my mouth until it fizzed up and had no more fizzy bubbles. Can anyone explain the real danger with soda. My doc says no soda, but doesn't really offer a satisfactory reason as to why.

I can live with no soda... and I don't crave it or anything. I've been so good since I cut it out and have been very surprised at my will power regarding this subject, since I have unsuccessfully tried to eliminate it from my diet during pre band life. I'm just wondering about people's perceptions on soda.

I love Diet Pepsi (will a straw) but have slowed off it and haven't had one in a week until my little cheat last night pre surgury. I don't think taking the fizz out will be enjoyable because that is half the addiction is the fizz. I will try to give it up but my belief is anything in moderation (hopefully)

I love diet soda too! Diet coke is my fave! I have decreased my drinking....but have not stopped it completely. My surgery is 6/19 and I'm afraid I will crave it so bad! I'm also worried that if I drink it after surgery it will stretch my pouch. I've heard that is what it does, anyone else heard that?

hi

before banding i was a seltzer/club soda addict.

when i got banded i couldn't drink it for about 1 year.

now over 2 years after my surgery...i can drink soda. i dont crave it like i did pre-banding but once in awhile i enjoy it.

i still dont drink with meals....that continues to be a no-no for me

Hi, I read that the soda can erode the band material in time. But I think if you have got to try it, have the fountain type with lots of ice so its a bit watered down, the canned type is too strong and alot fizzier. I'm sitting here wondering if anyone eats just a little bit of bread or tortillas, like burritos. I went to a restaurant and it sucked opening the burrito and eating just the meat, I snuck in bits of tortilla.

Now this is one thing i can honestly say had nothing to do with me being fat!!! I hate soda...if i drink soda its maybe about 4-8oz at a time....just to finish one can it takes me a few hours...and thats really just to wash something down after i eat...I hate soda i get that burning sensation as soon as it hits the esophagus and i feel like im drinking poison sometimes...lol i know its crazy but thats one thing i dont have to worry about relapsing to...I jus love an ICE COLD bottle of water all day everyday!!!!!!

I have considered my self a cokeaholic for years! I did quit drinking regular Cokes and started drinking Coke Zero, but my doc says none after surgery. I'm drinking a few regular Cokes again, since I can't have them post-op. Here is an article I copied and pasted from his website about it. Everyone should make up their own mind about it.

Weight Loss Surgery Success: Life After Soda Pop

Your weight loss surgery is over, and the most challenging part of this whole journey is behind you…right? Well, not exactly. After surgery, your next step in recovering from obesity is to lose weight and maintain a healthy BMI – and that means saying goodbye to the fizz and caffeine of soda pop.

Although it’s tough to quit soda, there are good reasons why weight loss surgery and soft drinks don’t mix. The first is related to your new, smaller stomach size. For example, if you’ve had Lap-Band® surgery, the inflation of your stomach pouch caused by drinking even a sip of carbonated beverage can cause your pouch to strain uncomfortably against the band. Gastric bypass patients and sleeve gastrectomy also report feeling uncomfortable from the gas produced by even a mouthful of soda.

Why? In short: The gas in the drink comes out and expands your stomach like a balloon. Your new stomach pouch can be stretched out over time if you drink carbonated beverages after your surgery. What’s more, carbonated beverages – like soda pop, ginger ale, sparkling cider and even tonic water – increase hunger and contribute to weight regain.

In general, any drink that lists carbonated water as an ingredient – with or without added flavoring – is on the forbidden list. But this doesn’t mean you have to limit yourself to tap water and coffee. Zero-calorie, zero-fizz fruit-flavored waters, such as Fruit2O, are great alternatives for weight-loss surgery patients. You can also try fruit-based “ades”, like lemonade and orangeade. And powdered, sugarless soft drink mixes, like Crystal Light, Wyler’s Light Drink Powders, and Sugar Free Kool-Aid, are all fine as well.

Sadly, it’s not just soda that’s off the menu. Despite its high vitamin content, fruit juice is a no-go for gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy patients as well. The high sugar content in juice may lead to dumping (and no fruit smoothie is worth that!). And, for anyone who has had weight loss surgery, the fact that most fruit juices are high in calories can cause a major setback when it comes to maintaining a healthy weight. As an alternative, consider beverages flavored with artificial sweeteners, such as Splenda or TruVia, which is made from stevia plant extract. Green tea is not only refreshing, but also good for your health, and there’s not a calorie in sight. The same goes for herbal tea.

In the end, however, it’s always going to be better for you to drink plenty of pure water, and to avoid drinking fluids for 30 minutes before or after a meal so you don’t flush food through your stomach pouch. By follow these few simple tips you can help keep your pouch happy, your body hydrated, and your weight right where you want it!

If you pour the soda back and forth between 2 glasses until the fizz is gone, you get rid of the bubbles. I do this with a very occasional bottle of hard cider or Light Mike's Hard Lemonade. I wouldn't do that with Coke, though. Flat Coke is the worst!

I'm a big fan of the minute maid sugar-free drinks in a can. They're not carbonated, but they're really good. Especially the raspberry flavored one.

I used to drink lots of soda. I was hooked on Dr. Pepper. Since surgery I've cut it off, but everyone once in awhile, I want a sip. A couple days ago, I took a VERY small sip of my husband's and held it in my mouth until it fizzed up and had no more fizzy bubbles. Can anyone explain the real danger with soda. My doc says no soda, but doesn't really offer a satisfactory reason as to why.

I can live with no soda... and I don't crave it or anything. I've been so good since I cut it out and have been very surprised at my will power regarding this subject, since I have unsuccessfully tried to eliminate it from my diet during pre band life. I'm just wondering about people's perceptions on soda.

The nutritionist at my doctors office is fine with me having 1 diet soda a day. I do not have any pain with it as long as I am not eating food.

I won't really miss soda, but I love mineral water!

Well, I can't answer the poll because you're missing a choice:

5) No, because it hurts like hell when I do. Really really really really hurts, for hours afterwards.

:wink2:

that's enough right there to stear me away from sodas

Hi, I read that the soda can erode the band material in time. But I think if you have got to try it, have the fountain type with lots of ice so its a bit watered down, the canned type is too strong and alot fizzier. I'm sitting here wondering if anyone eats just a little bit of bread or tortillas, like burritos. I went to a restaurant and it sucked opening the burrito and eating just the meat, I snuck in bits of tortilla.

that doesn't make sense to me sense the band is on the outside of the stomach.?

I find I can eat flat breads such as tortilla shells, but only with small bites and chew like crazy, but i think mexican foods is one of the highest calorie choices out there so I only do that as special occasion on a high calorie day

Ive always been a big water drinker so rarely would I have any soda. The only soda I care for is fountain coke. Ive had maybe a sip or 2 of canned soda since banding and its just not worth it anymore. Next time my husband has a fountaint Coke I may have a sip but Ive never been one to sit down with a can/glass of soda so I definitely dont do it now.

I was a Coke Zero Addict pre-band. Now I do not drink it. I gave it all up on Oct. 24th and haven't gone back. Now I feel like it's a mission, I can't believe I kicked the caffeine and pop, so i hate to give in.

My dr. says I can have it, but really I get enough gas without it, I can't imagine with it. I cannot drink anything with food, it gets stuck, ugh.

I make a big pitcher of Barg's homemade root beer with splenda and it satisfies my pop addiction. I use to drink diet coke alot and sometimes diet root beer so it was not a hard transition for me. It just isn't offered other places.

My physician, also in fort Worth, told me that the carbonation would cause your little stomach pouch to stretch, that you would not feel bad in any way when drinking sodas, but would stretch out your stomach above the band, defeating the purpose of the surgery, and nothing that a fill could correct