Question:
5days Post-op/how can i drink sugary liquids now?

I am on clear liquids for another week. My dr. says i can drink fruit juices and Powerade/Gatorade etc... how??? they have like 30g sugar! I have drank them and no problems but i thought we can't/shouldn't. Also would Sobe drinks be ok?RXNY Gastric bypass    — Sunny4x4chick (posted on July 13, 2002)

July 13, 2002
I'm still a pre-op, and by no means am I an expert on this, but from what I have read in researching the Roux-en-Y, refined sugars are to be avoided. If I understand correctly, refined sugars are those in processed foods, such as in cookies, cakes, candy, and sugary soda pop. I could be off-base on this, and if I am, I hope someone will step up to the plate and correct me. However, I am under the impression that fruit and 100% fruit juices can still be a part of the post-op RNY diet seeing as how they contain only natural sugars. Hope this is of some help to you. If nothing else, it will certainly spark a chain of responses if I am wrong! :-)
   — Melissa P.

July 13, 2002
When we first have RNY our surgeons and doctors are more concerned that our body get adequate liquid and hydration. There is a real concern about dehydration because the limited amount our pouches can hold at first. I am 17 days postop and was given cranberry juice, grape juice, broth, sugar free popsicles, and apple juice in the hospital. It is my understanding that the first few weeks we do not dump on sugar, like we might later. I myself have used Gatorade cut with 3/4 water. I think the electrolytes in the sports drink really benefit me, as I feel less dehydrated and lethargic when I drink this. The same goes for homemade vegetable or beef broth which was made with cabbage, carrots, zucchini. The broth has natural potassium in it from the vegies and makes me feel much better than drinking a saltier, less nutritious bouillion based soup. You can still keep the sugar to a minimum by mixing your juice or gatorade with some water, if you are concerned. There are also plenty of protein drinks out there with less than 2 grams of sugar per serving.
   — C. C.

July 13, 2002
*I* would not use sugared products, for several reasons. They can make you dump, regardless of the sugar origin. Sugars will interefere with your wt loss, slowing it now, or completely reversing it later. AND maybe the most insidious is the more sugar you GET, the more you WANT. Cravings for real nutrition will often be masked as sugar cravings. ANd finally, if you slip in small amounts of sugar (although 30g is a lot!, about a week's allottment for me), you will raise your sugar tolerance and perhaps "disconnect" your dump-o-meter. Sugar is dangerous stuff & you are wise to avoid it. Empty calories do not provide anything your body can use. They just turn into fatty tissue.
   — vitalady

July 13, 2002
Those were the guidelines from my dietician as well... and jello with sugar and popsicles with sugar were brought to me in the hospital. I ignored the stuff with sugar. It just didn't make any' sense to me to start out right away drinking stuff with sugar in it. I went to the store and bought <b>Ocean Spray Cranberry and CranGrape no sugar added</b> serving for serving it has essentially the same ingredients as gatorade without the salt and with WAY less sugar. I like drinking that instead when I need some juice and it served me well during my clear liquid stage. Good luck.
   — Lisa C.

July 14, 2002
No matter what everybody says....stay on sugar free if possible also use "Splenda" it is wonderful and actually tastes sweeter than sugar. Shopping will never be the same you have to really "look" for sugar-free products or at least have under 9 grams of sugar in them. Good luck.
   — Cliff M.