Addicted to COKE! (cola that is)

Hi all, Newbie here.  My mom had WLS this past Monday, but currently I am not a candidate.  I am going to have to find some other way to get my butt into shape!  I have tried all kinds of diets, but I can only stick to something 3 - 7 days!  After my divorce (2001)I took phentermine and shed a large amount, but a few years after that I got put on some medicine for interstitial cystitis and regained over 50lbs.  My biggest problem...Coca Cola!  I can't stop drinking the stuff.  I know for a fact that it increases my appetite, but I drink it any way.  My goal is to give it up tomorrow..cold turkeyWe shall see. I really love this board and I am glad to be a member.  I just stumbled across it today.  I was thinking about trying to eat the same diet as mom (Post WLS) and see how much weight I could actually lose.

I could really use some great friends here. My husband is not supportive at all about WLS, so that is not an option.  He did say he would pay for a tummy tuck and I am trying to get insurance to pay for a breast reduction.  This should be all the encouragement that I need, but I just can't stick to anything!  Help.... I have been working out with a trainer, but over the weekend I fell and cracked a vertebra...just my luck

I quit all caffeine and sodas (including diet) in February. It's totally possible.

welcome! sorry to hear about your vertabrae - that sucks. have you tried coke zero? its zero everything but is a lot sweeter than diet coke. i am more of a diet pepsi fan myself. as for doing the post-op diet, it is totally possible. i think Neecee who posts here does that. she is out of town for a few days i think but perhaps look back at some of her old posts? i might be totally wrong though - maybe someone could help me out. i would however not follow your mom's diet to the T as far as being so minimal on the calories. when they are immediately post-op, the caloric loevels are way too low for a regular person - that's my opinion at least - and you don't want to slow your metabolism down even further. for an average woman, you shouldn't go below 1200 calories a day.  you don't NEED to do the post-op diet to lose weight, but if you find that it works for you then great, especially if you want to see quick results in the beginning. but is is realistic to stay on that "diet" long term? most people find a food plan that promotes moderation to be much easier to stick with.

that's interesting he would pay for a TT but not WLS. but if you do decide to get a TT, you should probably wait until you are at the weight you are comfortable at as your results wil change if you have it then lose 20 lbs.

I quit drinking sodas Sept. 1st of last year.  Until last week, I had not even had ONE...but then I was in a situation where that was all I had to drink, (no water, OMG) and I was very hot and thristy so I gave in and had one.  It didn't even taste good.  Now I haven't gave up caffiene, I still drink coffee with Splenda and unsweet tea, but I don't crave cola.....don't even think about it, so IT can be done!

I, too, was going to suggest Coke Zero. They make a Vanilla one now too. I know it ain't health food, but hey...baby steps, right? Sorry to hear about your injury...I don't know too much about that stuff, so how long do you think it will put you out for? Are there workouts you can do in the meantime? I think it's fantastic that you're working out with a trainer. I haven't done that for a couple of years, but when I did have a trainer, it was the best time of my life! My suggestion would be, if you get discouraged at the thought of maintaining an eating plan for a long period of time, to make a deal with yourself to do a 10-day experiment. If you can do any workouts with the trainer, cut out the Cola and eat healthfully. The difference between how you feel fueling your workouts with and without that stuff is HUGE in my opinion. I really think feeling fantastic while exercising is great motivation to keep going. Good luck and keep us updated!

My wife was put on Elmiron for her IC and come to think of it that was when she started gaining weight too.  She went from 130 to 180 in a matter of months. She quit taking it but all along we thought it was her other medication because it changed at the same time.  Huh.. perhaps it was the IC meds that caused the gain.  She slowly losing again though! I know how you feel about the whole coke thing. I was once addicted too. Quitting cold turkey is about the best thing to do if you want to lose weight. Switch to water and drink only that for a while.  It's not to say you can never have soda again, it's more that you have to slow down and drink very little.  Soda isn't bad.  No food is "bad".  It's all good in moderation.  Our problem is we tend to over do it, especially with soda!  You might try switching to diet soda if quitting cold turkey ends up being too difficult. I drink about 3-4 diet sodas a month and drink water any other time.  I used to drink 3-4 a day and I just kinda quit cold turkey when I made up my mind to start losing weight. I'm gonna quit talking now because for some reason I can't concentrate. I feel like I'm just rambling! lol

Hey Chris, you said.........."Soda isn't bad.  No food is "bad".  I challenge you to name one thing about soda that is "good". There is no nutritional value whatsoever.....it is empty calories, and as far as quenching your thrist, it isn't real effective at that!  Give me a bottle of water or a glass of tea anyday! I know tea isn't all that "good" for you either, even though there is a claim that it contains antioxidants and all that, but I still justify my glass of unsweet tea by it is mostly water.  LOL

They taste good!    That's one thing good! eheheh  No but seriously.  I wasn't trying to say that soda is good for you because it's not that either. I highly doubt it's going to hurt you to drink 1 soda a week or maybe even a day if you are drinking other things like water, milk, juice, etc. However, your post caused me to do some more research on soda and I am quite shocked at what it really does to your body.  Drinking soda, even without sugar, causes your body to use calcium from your bones.  The carbonation irritates the stomach when then by instinct dumps calcium to counter the irritation. That calcium comes from the bones.  People drink entirely too much soda and nothing else thus depleting their calcium intake. Phosphoric acid in soda also depeltes calcium in your bones.  The sugar in soda is converted straight to blood sugar  whereas the sugar in juice (natural juice that is) or fruit has to be slowly broken down and enters slowly into the bloodstream to be used as energy. The sugar in soda goes straight into your blood which causes your pancreas to pump loads of insulin to counteract this sugar overload. Otherwise you risk nerve damage. Let's just hope your pancreas can keep up!  There are also additional diseases such as cancer linked to excessive soda use.   All of that being said, soda, in my opinion, isn't "bad" per say, rather using it in excess is bad.  Like I said 1 can a week or a day probably isn't going to hurt as long as you are getting ample calcium intake from other sources. Not too sure about that whole sugar thing though. Refined sugar as we are accustomed to consuming really is "bad".  I can't find anything good abou it.  One would need to know what the equation is for "too much refined sugar in one sitting". Perhaps Coca Cola should start pureeing apple and banana into their soda as sweetener!? Better yet, I think that's why they made diet soda.....  All in all, I don't touch regular soda. Diet soda, low carb/low sugar energy drinks, yes but even then I don't drink them more than 3 times a week. Hell diet soda is maybe once a month.  Love my monster lo-carbs though! My final official answer:  I'd like to withdraw my statement about sodas not being bad and replace it with "Soda isn't good and drinking it in excess is definitely a bad thing!".    :) Coffee.....yes....coffee beats tea!  Tea leaves a YECHY taste in my mouth. Don't like it! Though green tea isn't nearly as bad. 

Okay, I tried to post this already but have been experiencing technically difficulties, don't know if it's my connection or the website so I'll try again! Thank you, thank you!!!! And yes they do taste good, but so does a lot of things that are "bad" for us!  But, I'll have to say that after being off of them for 9 months and drinking one, that taste for them goes away....the one I drank the other day was NASTY! The calcium depletion was/is a major concern.  I wish I had done my research years ago and maybe could've prevented my children's obsession with them. I have to say though since I do not buy it my DD has lost six lbs. and is looking good. Okay enough ramblin....

Hi melly! I do a version of the post op diet, true! For me, my job is on the run, stresssssssful, so ready to eat bariatric foods are saving me and helping me make better choices during the work day. I do eat a "normal" supper, just make sure to eat the correct portion sizes. I'd be losing faster if i would stick to only lean proteins and veggies at night, but based on past history, i would stop losing the milli-second I quit eating like that. So, oh-kay, slower and more long term maintenance will work.  No matter how much I **** and moan about lsoing so slowly.  LOL.  I have had too many years of carting around cottage cheese, string cheese, son of string cheese, soy milk, grilled chicken.  Of course, i still bring that stuff with me where possible.  It doesn't ride too well at the bottom of my brief case.  hey, welcome, we'll teach you how to whine real good if nothing else!