Diet Coke

Do any of you drink diet soda post op? I haven't had Diet Coke, which is my most favorite thing ever, since before surgery and lately I've been craving it and wanting to see how it goes down. I kind of fear it will become a habit again if I try it though. Thoughts?

I used to love Diet Coke......since my surgery I have stayed away from it because it's really not the best thing in the world for us....but more than that, I find it makes me feel full....uncomfortably so, after just a little bit. I stay away from all carbonation for the same reason, but on the rare occasions I really, really need some, I let the bubbles subside for a bit so that it isn't so bad. I ordered a can of diet soda the other night with my dinner and it took me about an hour to polish off about half of it....the rest got dumped because by then it was flat.

It was emphasized to me very much before and after surgery, absolutely no carbonated drinks.  They are terrible for your stomach, and now with such a small stomach the damage can be much worse.  I used to love root beer before surgery, but now I have accepted the fact that no more root beer for me.  I have found that buying root beer concentrate (no sugar) that is used to make homemade root beer, just mixed with water and sweetener gets me the root beer flavor I want without the bad carbonation.  They also make cola versions, so perhaps that will work for you instead.

I drink soda over ice and I just sip.  I can't from can or bottle.  I probably have 2oz at a time.  I'm almost 2 years out and I actually like flat soda now.  

There are many who say there is a correlation between regain and return to carbonated soda, even diet. This is purely anecdotal. Some claim that diet drinks give us cravings to have things that are actually sweet, and have calories. There is no scientific evidence to support that. There are those that say carbonation will stretch your stomach. That is absolutely false. There are some that say carbonation is very uncomfortable. For some it is. For others it is not.

Having said all that, I stayed away from diet soda for the first year after surgery, until I got to goal. I did drink a ton of Powerade Zero, which is essentially diet soda without carbonation. I eventually returned to diet soda. I drink between 150 and 200 ounces a day. It does not make me uncomfortable, it does not stretch anything, and it does not give me cravings for other food. I have not regained any weight. If it did any of those things, I would make the necessary adjustments.

This is what works for me.

Awww Grim, you know how I love it when you bring the science! 

For anybody who wants some hardcore reading, here's a solid lit review on the interaction between artificial sweeteners and weight/appetite. 

The diet coke monkey came on my back again around 6 months post op.  Like you, I love the stuff.  I would pour it over lots of ice and stir with a metal spoon to get the bubble content down.  I wanted it that badly.  Today I can drink it with reckless abandon, and I do.  That being said, I hate my addiction to this chemical **** storm and aspire to a new addiction to unsweetened iced tea.  It's a long, hard road.

"chemical storm"- I love that. I am going to try to visualize that every time i want to drink one!

Be careful with iced tea.  It can worsen silent reflux.   One of the reasons GI docs think the incidence of esophageal cancer has risen is due to iced tea.

I go out to eat often with people who have also had weight loss surgery. What I notice is that the ones who never got to goal or had big regains, ALL drink diet soda AND drink it with their meals.

I know it is all anecdotal, but seeing that in person is enough to keep me away from it.