To Carbonate, or not to carbonate???

Hey guys, gals, and people inbetween!

We have heard mixed responses on what peoples' doctors have told them about carbonated beverages. Phyllis' doc said no carbonated beverages until she is on reg food diet. Other people say no forever.

thanks

My surgeon is on the no carbonation side. According to him and the nutritionist, carbonation takes up space in the stomach and can expand the stomach unnecessarily. I only do carbonation when I am out on the town and get a rum and Diet Coke. I figure that 6 oz or less of Diet Coke that is sitting out with almost no carbonation is acceptable.

I was told if I wanted anything that was carbonated I need to let it sit out for two days opened, then I could drink it. I have not had any soda now in a year. Flat soda does not do it for me.

I was told no carbonated beverages, and began once in a while drinking them until my band told me specifically "oh hell no!!!"  intense pain and not confortable......thus no more for me!  I do though have a friend that pops a can of diet pepsi and lets it sit open for about an hour and has no problems.  Good luck!

ixnay on da carbonae!

I'm going through the Kaiser WLS Boot Camp - they say no carbonated beverages for the rest of your life.  It expands and stretches your pouch.

I've heard all sorts of crap about this carbonation thing.  Get three nutritionists, you'll get three different answers.  I didn't drink carbonation for about the first year and a half after my surgery, mostly beacuse it made me gassy and uncomfortable.  Once I achieved a certain comfort level, I started drinking some carbonated beverages.  Many say the statement that carbonation will expand the stomach is utter rubbish.  There are many other problems an excess of carbonated beverages may cause, but many will say one of the least worries is expanding the stomach.

I was told no more carbonated beverages for the rest of my life.  I was also told no capsules, popcorn, alcohol or chewing gum for the rest of my life.  All but one of these things I now consume.  After two and a half years, my pouch has barely expanded, my restriction is near post-operation levels (just a couple of ounces) and I have never had any complications related to anything I've consumed.

From what I've read on these boards, there really isn't much that MUST be avoided by EVERYONE for the rest of their lives.  Your body will let you know its own guidelines.  The main thing to remember is no matter what you decide to consume, all in moderation.

Cheers,

Chris.

It seems to me that everyone's WLS experience is a little different.  This includes how stretchy your stomach is.

Most surgeons tell you not to drink carbonated bevs forever after the surgery.  For me, that's not very difficult.  But if losing the carbonation is a major blow to your lifestyle, then you'll need to experiment with what can work.  If you drink it and there's no pain, then you're probably golden.  But if you drink and then have even the slightest discomfort, I'd say avoid it.

That said, I wouldn't consider experiementing with that until the 18 month mark, going by what Chris said.  It seems smart to stay away from it until the entire process is mostly complete.

I feel I have to add this: I don't know about you, but my life has been better since cutting out the sodas.  Just think about it before adding them back in.

I admit it. I drink a pop now and then. I also gain if I drink too much. My big problem is I burp like crazy now after I have a sip of it. Just getting the carbonation out. I started drinking it when I was motion sick and when I had the stomach flu. Sharyn told us that the part of the stomach that is made into the pouch is not strechey and so to tell us that is wrong.

I'm not exactly sure where I read this but it should also be noted that some circles of food research has suggested that even a moderate daily intake of carbonation (1 or 2 servings) of any kind can slow or inhibit weight loss.  It has also been shown to negatively impact calcium absorption (which is a daily battle for WLS patients.)  For some reason, this seems to have a larger impact on women more than men. 

I do not put too much stock into the "stretch" explanation but I do believe that carbonated beverages are nutritionally a very large problem.