Becoming a popaholic again......

For MONTHS I didn't have any soda because I knew how bad it was for me and was pretty much not having a problem with giving it up forever. But this past month I have been drinking sodas more often. It started with drinking it at a restaurant with my meal and then I needed it to help my morning headaches (I don't drink coffee) and now I'm buying cans again at home and drinking them 2-3-4 times a day (not always finishing them). I feel like I am spiriling out of control. I didn't know this could happen less than a year out of surgery. Anyone else falling into some bad traps like soda, alcohol, sugar, breads, etc? I don't want to be the same horrible person I was pre-op but it looks like I am. I know, I know, they operate on our stomachs not our minds, but still.....I thought after MONTHS of eating small and healthy that it'd just kick in and I wouldn't have these evil, irrational tendencies and habits creep back. Help!!! Trisha

Trisha, Just keep in mind how well you HAVE done. When you talk about sodas, are you having DIET ones or Regular sodas? My surgeon said it is okay to have diet drinks. Although I think that they will make you more hungry. I will admit I have been having Diet Pepsi's. I haven't indulged in any alcohol or sugar, but probably snack on crackers and nuts too much. We are all in this boat together. One of the best diet books I ever read was "Thin for Life". The author found many people who had lost weight and kept it off. One thing they all had in common was the fact that they didn't let things get out of hand. If they did bad for a few days, they didn't beat themselves up about it, they just got back in the saddle again. You know you haven't done well, but don't beat yourself up about it. Put it behind you and remember all the good things you have accomplished. Start writing in a journal, get a friend to help be accountable to, start exercising more. I would love to be at goal now, but have about 40 lbs to go. I think that sounds a lot better than 170 lbs! I say all of this and of course I need to do this as well. Just remember you've got a tool that can still help you, it's never too late. corgimom

OMG..... I have been craving diet coke sooooo bad. I haven't had any yet because I was scared of what would happen. My new challenge is I changed jobs a few months ago.... I was a store mgr and always on my feet and had things pretty much under control, but now I'm in a training class at State Farm and I am surrounded by co-workers who eat chips and candy all day long. I allow myself to have 1 SF peppermint patty after lunch, but it has been torture and I have been having to fight the urge to graze..... sometimes I don't win the fight. I get my own cubicle in a few weeks and I hope the isolation helps. I was really unaware that I would feel like I was on a diet all the time..... what a rude awakening. Scarlette

I don't know what your dr allows because most of our surgeons are very different but I am allowed to have diet sodas and I do fine with them. I love coke zero. Before I started drinking them I made sure I discussed it with my surgeon and nutritionist. Hope this helps....But its just what I do. I am not sure your dr might not allow them.... Ange

i've always thought that sodas and diet sodas made w/aspartame are not very good for you. i had my first real soda in 10 months just yesterday, my hubby poured me a little cup of coke zero. (splenda sweetened) it was quite good, i never liked real coke b/c it was too sweet and left a film on my teeth, and diet coke had a chemical aftertaste, but the zero is pretty good. i am definitely sticking to water as my main source of hydration though, i don't want to get back on the bandwagon. i recently quit smoking and last time i quit (pre-op), i turned into a soda junkie and gained 40 lbs. my husband is a popaholic though, and as a compromise he has switched to only splenda sweetened drinks. (diet RC, diet rite white grape, coke zero, etc.) i'm not saying that splenda is harmless, but i think it's the lesser of the evils as far as artificial sweeteners go, hehe. i do have one guilty pleasure though--diet rockstar energy drinks. they're splenda sweetened and "lightly carbonated" (about half as fizzy as a regular soda) so i've been drinking them for a while. it's not a daily habit though--sometimes i drink them on weekends as a pick-me-up since we usually stay up later. while there is a lot of caffeine in them, they also have good stuff like B vitamins, vitamin C, and milk thistle extract, which is good for liver function.

Michelle, where do you get these diet rockstar energy drinks and how much are they? I have started to drink about a can of Diet Pepsi every other day or so and I would really rather drink something else. Thanks. By the way....you look FABULOUS!! Becky R 254/138

i usually grab them at gas stations, but wal-mart and some grocery stores have 4 packs of the big cans. wal-mart seems to be the cheapest--they're $6.97 for 4. i prefer the 8oz cans though (the size of red bull) b/c i can't finish a 16oz can before it gets warm. they're kind-of expensive (around $2) but totally worth it on those days where i have absolutely no energy. i make sure to drink enough water to make up for the caffeine, but the added vitamins help a lot. aha--just found out that you can order them from their website as well: http://www.rockstar69.com/rs06/diet84.html ::blushes:: thank you!

Trisha, I would highly recommend you quit the pop, diet or otherwise. I started to drink some sugared pop (1 A&W root beer here and there) and my dietician quickly put the nix on that ... I think I just wanted to try it. I was addicted to Coke and quit it and caffeine nearly 3 years ago (long b4 my WLS). Sugared pop + caffeine + me = no good! I will only speak for myself, I think I wanted to feel like a normie and go back to "trying" things I used to do or whatever. Well, I'm not normal, normal people don't obsess about their next meal. I have had to find other things to do to make up for this HUGE void in my life. It hasn't been easy but one day at a time I can. WLS is a tool, and that is all. I can, and will go back to where I was if I don't use this tool right. One thing someone in a support group, I think, had said re pop. The reason they don't want you drinking it is partly due to the carbonation. Someone said to put a balloon (without air in it of course) over the cover of a pop bottle and watch what it does. This is what it does to our stomach. Good luck to you.