Question

Does diet soda stretch your pouch? Does anybody drink diet soda?

I think you'll find a lot of conflicting views on this forum about that topic.....some RNY surgeons say you should never have soda...others say it's ok.  I had the DS, and most DSers drink soda...BUT (here's the big but) you might want to avoid dark sodas ...i.e. colas if you do decide to drink soda, because they contain ingredients that stop/hinder calcium absorbtion. Scott

My surgeon said no carbonated drinks. I occasionally have a diet coke, but I always pour it way ahead of time and let it get flat before I drink it. I only drink it at work when I just need something other than water, and that's probably once every two months or so.

You'll definitely find different views on this. My surgeon does not allow soda for awhile (6mths to 1yr) but then does allow it after that on a limited basis and must be diet soda. I have not gone back to soda b/c it doesn't really settle well for me. I think the fear is not so much of the pouch stretching, but the fact that for  some people soda can make them feel hungry faster~possibly the artifical sweetener causing this side effect.

New rules are invented every month for us. Sodas are currently out of style.

I did drink diet sodas for many years post op and still occasionally have a fountain diet drink. They sort of make me slightly uncomfortable, but not in the puc, Tey just guirgle along the entire intestine! LOL Bottles & cans taste funny to me and they really make a lot of noise.

Now, I refrain, but mainly because I prefer fountain drinks and they only come in diet colas. Colas (like tea and coffee) help deplete calcium in our systems (cause us to excrete more than we're going to), so I bear that in mind when choosing my drink. Now, if a fountain has diet Dr Pepper or diet root beer, I WILL have one. Root beer does not contain the evil phosphates that can cause bones to get up and leave town.

Does it stretch the pouch? I don't think so. I'm 13 yrs, my dh is 12, we both still have (reasonable) restriction.