Indulge me please

the last few days I have been craving Diet Coke, which was my daily drink. I know all of the reasons it's horrible, and I'm not going to give in, but if you all want to tell me how awful it is, that might help.

Aspartame is cancer causing. And then most importantly the carbonation can OPEN YOUR POUCH from the inside...scary.

Aspartame does NOT cause cancer.

Research studies "...have not provided clear evidence of an association with cancer in humans."

"Aspartame, distributed under several trade names (e.g., NutraSweet® and Equal®), was approved in 1981 by the FDA after numerous tests showed that it did not cause cancer or other adverse effects in laboratory animals."

There's also not aspartame in Diet Coke anymore. It now has Sucralose.

...and yeah no, it's not going to open your pouch. I started drinking it about 3 months post op. Carbonation has never bothered me. I drink about 3 per week, but I also drink Bai drinks that are carbonated too.

I wouldn't have touched it during the first few months after surgery. I waited about a year. But I can't in good conscience tell you how awful it is. I drink close to 4 liters a day of diet coke or diet pepsi.

You just made my sun shine!

Like Grim, I too drink Diet Coke and Coke Zero, but I waited until I was about a year post-op. Early on, it gave me terrible gas-- even when I let it sit and go mostly flat! That got better as time went on.

But now, I drink about one 20oz bottle daily. (I don't drink coffee, so that's my caffeine fix.)

My surgeon advised waiting until about a year because of the potential discomfort from caffeination. However, there is NO risk of stretching your sleeve because of the fizz; that's nothing but a myth.

I didn't even realise that stretching the sleeve was what people thought drinking soda did! I just assumed it was the gas that caused indigestion problems. I've learned something new today ;)

I have given up artificial sweeteners except for Stevia. For me, I have more cravings when I have artificial sweetener. Plus, when I go out with my fiends who have had weight loss surgery, the ones who never got to goal and/or have gained a good amount back all drink lots of diet soda AND drink it while they eat. The drinking while eating is probably more of the culprit, but I have decided to avoid soft drinks all together.

I am not going to risk it. I can live just fine without ever drinking soda again.