Coffee post-op? Also, leg cramps.
I drink a LOT of coffee as it makes my life worth living and has a mild effect as an appetite suppressant. My centre allows coffee after the first month so I stuck to nescafe in my premier chocolate shake for the first month but went to back to my venti pikes with a little cream after that with no issues so far.
Can't offer any advice with the leg cramps other than to stay hydrated.
Good luck!
Helfer
I can't help ya on the leg cramp thing, but I've had decaf (a little bit) all along, including in the hospital post-op (though I could only get in a sip or two). I was told by the clinic, the doc, and the surgeon that decaf was OK because it was the caffeine that irritated the pouch. I don't drink enough of it anymore anyway to bother, though I'd like to maybe enjoy a cup a day.
The decaf process changes the effect coffee has on cholesterol though, which may boost LDL (the bad one) by 5-8%, so it should be minimally consumed anyway. Not sure how much weight that carries in the grand scheme of things, but my doc said that regular exercise has more of an effect on cholesterol than pretty well anything anyway.
Remember, no matter where you go.......there you are.
on 5/2/17 3:10 pm
Hi CarlRay,
That's interesting - I hadn't read that the decaf process boosts PRO cholesterol. I usually have one enormous mug of diversity 2% milk in the morning, and sometimes another half a mug. My center allows caffeine (black tea is ok) but not coffee (too acidic). A friend of mine had the VSG about a year ago. She adores Starbucks, and has never taken a break from it after the first couple of weeks. In fact I was set on having a VSG rather than an EGG until I saw her stall out quite quickly on her loss. In part I think that this is due to her internal image of herself - she has always been very heavy, since childhood, and just couldn't comfortably envision herself as slender; at 5' 0" her personal weight loss goal was 40 pounds higher than her surgeon's recommendation. She did so well though, putting her diabetes into remission and getting off of medicines she was on! But she remains heavier than I personally hope to be. I probably shouldn't blame that on the VSG, and of course it is entirely her choice and she remains lovely inside and out regardless. But her stall and apparent disinterest in losing more did make me consider having RNY rather than VSG surgery much more seriously.
on 5/2/17 3:24 pm
I typed the above response on a tablet which is convinced it knows better than I do regarding spelling and word choice! Sorry for the baffling typos! My morning cup of "diversity 2%" should read " coffee with 2% milk". I was not torn between a VSG and an "EGG"! Sheesh! "EGG" should have read RNY! It seems to me that auto-correct is much more trouble than it's worth!
Lol. I thought diversity was some fancy US coffee we don't have in Canada! I figured out the egg auto correct. I giggled loudly enough at your correction post I just woke my dog!!!
On a more serious note, I've also been really "struggling" with deciding if RNY or VSG is best for me. Both are amazing surgeries and tools. Don't let your friend's choices affect your decision. You know you.
on 5/4/17 12:02 am
Your response made me laugh! :)
I am more scared of RNY than I am of VSG, but I do trust the experience and talent of my surgeon (Dr. Helmuth Billy). In the end I decided upon RNY because I have overdone on sugar, and just generally feel it's a step up in control over the VSG. I actually don't view the extreme speed of loss of the RNY as a selling point as I think that is harder for your skin to adjust to that fast a change, but between the two I felt I would have a bit more of a safeguard against regain than with the VSG, and based upon my history I feel it will help me. I know that people still can thwart their surgery with great deviousness, but I am only taking such a radical step because to me this is the last exit on the freeway: I am not overly ****y, but I am hopeful and determined to make these changes last. Because I've blown big losses several times, I am a little afraid of my own historical inability to have remained slender. But in a way I think that fear is not a bad thing: better to be cognizant that I could screw up again (and guard against it more vigorously) than be blithely confident that I could never fall down again.
I limit my coffee to 2 with caffeine a day due to a bout with gastritis a couple of years ago. It went away when I cut out caffeine and I haven't had a recurrence with my current intake.
WRT leg cramps, I was dong the BA calcium chews that don't have any magnesium in them and getting terrible cramps, especially after a lot of walking. I now supplement magnesium and potassium separately in addition to taking a calcium citrate with magnesium. If you find yourself in the middle of a leg cramp attack, elevating your legs can help. I lay on the floor and put my feet up on the couch for 10 or 15 minutes.
Jen
