so addicted to diet soda

Well, drinking sodas are really bad for your bones. The phosphous acids eats calcium. and the caffine is hard on your adrenal glands.We have a hard enough time after surgery keeping our bones. Besides there is nothing heathy in them. She's right about tricking the brain with fake sugar and it sets off your hunger. there have been studies that men are getting osteoperious because of the soda consumption. Try drinking green, black or white tea with Xylitol or stevia you can also use like orange spice tea and mix other kinds in it. Tea has unbelievable heath benefits -one being green tea helps build bones (tuft's university) Good Luck

Hi Corinne,

I am almost 4 years (this June) POST OP (RNY). Seeing all the replies, you are obviously not alone. The first year after surgery, I gave up Diet Pepsi/Coke. Actually, it was easy to give up everything because I had an aversion to food, period. I don't remember when, how, or why, but a little after that year passed my appetite came back and I snuck a half a can of diet soda here and there until I was able to drink a full one. It usually took me forever, so I would waste a lot of sodas!

Eventually, I got into the habit of about 6 or more a day! I started out at 351 and got down to 192. Now, I fluctuate between 218 and 226. I retain a lot, and when that monthly "blessing" comes around, it's worse.

I am going to do this "cottage cheese" test to see how much I stretched my stomach out. It is still pretty small, because there are times when I only eat a few bites and the last one has to come back up!

I don't know if anyone on here relates to that, but I consider it a warning sign to start backing off the soda until you can quit for good. I, too, am addicted to the caffeine, but I think a headache might be worth the effort in getting rid of extra pounds caused by a bad habit that was even present for me before the surgery.

Water IS the best above all, but so boring! I dont have many suggestions, but I like G2 and Powerade Zero. Although they are not the best alternatives, they are better than the sodas as far as preventing the pouch from stretching further. Still have to counter with water because of the sodium content. Oh well...

Good luck!!

I so know what you mean. I drink dit soda all day at work. I had lost 76lbs and stayed the same for 2yrs. Then I moved to Ak and in the past 9 mo have gained 15lbs! They call the weight gain from moving here the "Alaska 10" but I went above and beyond. I worry that Iev ruined my pouch and Im terrified to gain it all back. True Im a size 8-10 and not a 20 anymore but Im 52 inces, I shoud be 120lbs. How is your soda addiction? Have you beat it?

Carbonated beverages do NOT stretch your pouch!  Your pouch has not just one, but TWO openings for the carbonation to escape.  That being, said, however, they are still not good for us... the acid, the calcium issue, etc.... but they do NOT stretch the pouch.

Lora

That makes sense but why do they say it does? Does overeating then? I am able to eat almost anything(in smaller amts) and I rarley get any adverse affects. I alost wish I did get a worse response from my body but then again I dont wanna be sick like others I know. I was concidering the 5 day pouch test to get back on track. I have cut ot soda as of yesterday(wish me luck) and Im trying not to eat junk anymore. Im very scaed of gainng it all back. Do you think that because Ive gaind some that Ive ruined my pouch or can I fix it? Sorry to bombard with a hunded questions but Ive never herd that soda doesnt do that. Does that mean I can keep drinking it? I dont have any problems with vitamins and minerals according to my labs.

Drinking soda, even diet, is correlated with weight gain in WLS patients. So I don't do it. I figure it's not really the soda (correlation is not causation) but until they know what is going on, I'm going to avoid it.

For me, I could not cut back on diet soda. I had to go cold turkey. It worked and then, when I tried some a month later, I HATED it. I remembered being a teen and hating it and drinking it anyway until I got used to the taste (because I thought it was good for me to drink it instead of soda). So I figured this time I wouldn't try to get used again to it as I know it's not good for me.