I know when I had su...

I know when I had surgery I was told that I couldn't have any more diet pepsi or coke. I am six weeks out and doing quite well. I have to admit I would sure love a swig of diet pop. Any feelings about this? I know people who have had surgery who occasionally have pop now and then. Thank you for any advise.

I am 8 weeks out and the only thing I've really missed is Diet Coke....Weird, huh? I look forward to the responses. Betsy

Hot topic, folks. Some people will swear you're going to stretch your pouch by having soda, others just say it's not good for you. Me? I drink soda and without remorse. The surgeons themselves cannot agree which leaves this all up to sheer opinion not based in science. If there was science involved there wouldn't be a debate amongst surgeons themselves. Carbonation can cause discomfort in your pouch. But there are 2 outlets for the bubbles - your stoma and your mouth. Root beer takes me longer to drink than other soda. But I don't generally notice a difference in drinking soda now as opposed to before surgery. Those with smaller stomas might have a different experience. I started drinking soda maybe about 6-8 weeks out and I put diet Vanilla Pepsi in ice which helped kill the carbonation. Just a tiny bit enough of it to not be too gross. Diet Pepsi products have the least amount of carbonation. If you add it over ice it will kill a lot of it pretty quickly. I'm not a poster child for this surgery, but I will say this: I wholeheartedly believe that we all have to find a path that is right for ourselves. That means learning how to live in whatever moderation you feel comfortable with. What helps me lose and keep the weight off will be different for someone else. I used to live my life in black and white/absolutes. I realize that is what got me into this predicament in the first place, so I make a concerted effort to not do that now. Almost no food or drink is off limits completely to me, but because I allow myself the option of something I want in the future, there is less of a compulsion to want it in the here and now. That feeling of 'never' being able to have xyz again is what causes me to focus on it and "cheat." I decided when I had this surgery I was done with the word "cheating." It is a lifestyle I've chosen and there is no cheating when you aren't dieting. I just try to make healthy choices most of the time and keep an eye on my weight so I don't gain. This method works for me, but I'm sure it would be the kiss of death for someone else. The key is to work within your own boundaries and comfort zones to find the best mix that will allow you to continue with your success. Dina

Dina, Thank you for your response to my question. I read your profile after your email. You have done such a marvelous job! You should be extremely proud of yourself. You look so wonderful. Keep up the good work. Cheryl

Thank you Cheryl! Also I wanted to clarify one thing here that I didn't make 100% clear before: I'm talking about DIET soda, not regular soda here. I do think it is the kiss of death to be drinking sugared drinks after you've had surgery. Certainly many would dump on it anyway, but some don't and they don't give up the sugar. They have problems with losing, and they have a lot of problems regaining. It's empty calories and is definitely an issue for some. The "study" I see hawked here and elsewhere that discourages the use of soda is interesting actually. They don't differentiate between soda and diet soda. So they say 51% of successful wls patients did not drink soda, well the other 49% of the successful wls patients DID drink soda. Now, of the ones who weren't successful we don't have the numbers on. What percentage of them drank soda and was it diet? To me it's more important to be looking at what causes those to fail rather than looking at what causes some to succeed. Why? Because we all have different methods to succeed. But if there is a common thread amongst those who fail, THAT is what I want to know. What do I avoid that others were not able to avoid. Sorry to go on so long on this but it's been on my mind lately. Being 2 years out I'm starting to see some of my surgery date buddies regain and I've seen some in my local support group gain quite a bit already. I am trying to avoid that. For me, like I said, I'm not a poster child. I imbibe in things others wouldn't dare try (I do resort to fast food at times due to my crazy schedule). But if I can keep from getting on the roller coaster, I think I'll be okay. One can always hope at least. For me, I think getting on the scale each and every day is the biggest key in keeping me honest. Dina

I haven't had surgery yet but I have been off regular soda for 2 months now and that is part of the reason that I lost the 5% that i needed to lose for surgery. Now if I get a regular soda it makes me gag cause it is soooo sweet to me. I hope it stays that way but I have been hearing that you can drink soda that has lost its fizz, well I can't even tolerate diet soda when it sits to long so maybe I will be only a tea and water girl someday ;)))