Ima coffee/caffine junkie....

You're a better man than me BigJake if you can pull it off! Although I agree that pre-op you should stop all things bad, I've learned to be more of a realist when it comes to expecting to change things overnight that have been ingrained in my being for years.  Be as healthy as you can be for your surgery, but don't be too hard on yourself!  None of us would've become morbidly obese if we had will-power made of steel.

I am not a coffee drinker. I was a soda junkie. You would never see me without a diet soda. Two to three 24 oz'ers at work and at least six cans of Fresca in the evening at home, plus the can first thing in the morning just to get me going or a quick drink in the middle of the night if  I had to get up to **** I was told that I would have to stop drinking soda. I haven't had one now for about a year and a half. I decided if I was going to the extreme to have my insides altered that I should follow the Doc's instructions as closely as I could so I would be successful.  My Doc also told me that caffeine was off limits. I think you should  avoid it after surgery and use that time to make permanent changes that will help ensure your success after surgery. Do I think a cup or two is going to hurt you, no. But it sounds like you think you drink to much coffee, so use this time to make positive changes.  My first visit to the Surgeon's office in April of 2006 I weighed 365, down ten pounds from my highest. 12-14-2006, surgery I was 324, this morning 185. I can do things now that I would never would have imagined eight and a half months ago. Looking back now giving up soda or what ever, I would do it again in a heartbeat.  pan head

I am 4 weeks out and drink espresso with milk (Latte) every morning.  Inasmuch as I have my own espresso machine (which is a relatively new acquisition) I was determined to disregard any and all advice about drinking coffee.  After all, coffee itself has no calories.  Actually a shot of espresso has less caffeine than a cup of coffee due to the small amount of water forced through a relatively large amount of coffee.  Frankly, I can take it or leave it but I choose to take it.  So far I have no known problems from drinking espresso daily and will continue the practice.  We can't all be perfect. Mike 

Drop all caffeine and nicotine at least 3 weeks prior to surgery And don’t add it back to your intake Until you are completely "Healed." That’s the typical Doc advice….. (post above) Best Wishes- Dx

Sound advice from a man who knows his sh*t!   Just worry about pre-op for now... looking too far ahead is too much to bear.

I also had the 3 month after surgery no caffiene thing. Now .. I *scoff* at NO caffiene. I have usually one large cup ( ~24 oz) when I get up, a latte or two during the day (again ~24 oz, and those are with 4 shots of espresso), and another large cup at night.  Sometimes I have more, sometimes less. My results? I'm 13 months post op. On the day of my RNY I weighed 538.  I'm at 293 right now.  That's a 245 pound weight loss - and I'm still losing. (For those of you following at home, that doesn't include the 95 lb panus removal pre-RNY in April of '06) I don't have a problem with it making me want to eat.  In fact, especially in the case of the latte with non-fat milk, I get some protien in, no fat, and no sugar.  (Splenda is my friend.) I don't have any problems with caffiene crashes or anything like that, either.  Doesn't keep me awake or anything like that. Of course, I went from a 3-4 (at least) 2 liter of Diet Pepsi a day habit before the surgery to this, so even though I still take in a lot of coffee, I probably take in less caffiene than I did before surgery. Good luck!