Question:
I am addicted to my Iced tea. sweet, cold, iced tea.
If I don't drink my tea within a few hours of waking I am bombarded with a terrible headache and if not a headache I am a total grouch. I know this experience is probably the caffeine but I know postop that I am going to want my tea. any suggestions? ps. I tried to do sweetnlow and nutrasweet and got diareah something terrrible.. went back to sugar and it immediately cleared up. [email protected] — [Anonymous] (posted on August 23, 1999)
August 23, 1999
Why would you give it up after surgery..iced tea has been one of the ways I
get my liquids in since i had the surgery. youre gonna find that thereisnt
any way you can tollerate the sugar post op..at least not like you used to,
and, not just from dumping..it's pretty common to find that things taste
sweeter to you than they did pre op...I make a pitcher of ice tea in one of
those ice tea makers..i use one tea bag and three spoons of sugar..for the
whole pitcher..and it tastes PLENTY sweet...don't sweat it too much..lots
of thing you thought you werent gonna be able to live without taste really
really different after surgery,.I used to drink LOTS of coke..regular
coke...I have had maybe 2 whole cokes since surgery,.(I'm 2 years post)and
i didnt enjoy those...just doenst taste the same...
good luck!
De
— Deanna D.
August 23, 1999
Hi,
I'm 8 months post-op and I drink iced tea, but I use Equal in it. It's
probably not a good idea to use real sugar in your iced tea because it can
cause dumping post op, plus sugar triggers your appetite and the point of
WLS is to relearn your eating habits and if you drink lots of tea all the
extra calories in the sugar really add up during the day. There are other
forms of sugar substitutes you might want to try - things like Stevia (sp)
or splendia may not cause the diarrhea like the other sugar substitutes you
tried. The only things I drink now are iced tea with Equal, water and
coffee with Equal. Remember just because you are drinking tea does not
excuse you from drinking your water!
— Jennifer L.
August 23, 1999
One glass of sweetened iced tea a day shouldn't be any problem,
but if you have many then you should wean yourself down. Try doing
half sugar and half NutraSweet and drinking less and less gradually.
Sweet liquids crowd out other nutritious foods.
— Bruce B.
August 24, 1999
Hi, I'm sure, too, that you are correct about the caffeine. I used to get
wicked headaches if I didn't have my coffee at certain times of the day,
but I had to break that habit because the headaches were unbearable!
Anyway, here's a thought: try gradually cutting back the amount of sugar in
your tea, or replace it little by little with nutrasweet or another
sweetener. Or maybe try the flavored teas from Crystal Light, gradually
substituting them for regular tea (mix in a little crystal light, then
gradually increase the CL and decrease the regular tea). Caffeine
addiction can be a real problem. Good luck! Jaye Carl, 26 days post-op
open RNY, and down 35 pounds!
— Jaye C.
August 24, 1999
I had an open RNY 16 mo. ago.and have lost 159#. I was more than willing to
give up what I had to to lose weight. I know somethings are harder than
others, but I learned to substitute. I too drank iced tea with sugar, now I
drink iced tea with equal. Believe me after you have had nothing to eat for
several days you'll adjust your body to the change. I would suggest that
you start weaning yourself off caffeine by drinking say everyother glass
with decaf tea and equal.You will help yourself a great deal.There are so
many things that you have to give up but this has to be a lifestyle change
and not just a magical answer to a weight problem. What type of surgery are
you having?I am very limited in my fat tolerance and can only handle 2gm.
of sugar in something. I like it that way because even if I feel like I
need to just try to eat something I shouldn't then my body will stop me. I
have had great success because I changed my attitude and in the process I
changed my life. It has all been worth it and I'd do it all again in a
second. Good Luck and God Bless. Jan Terry
— Jan T.
August 25, 1999
You're right it's the caffeine. I'd advise you to kick the habbit now.
You will have the symptoms you discribed for at least a week, so prepare
yourself and anyone else in the household. Also stay away from Excedrin,
chocolate, and soda with caffeine in it. After about a week you'll feel
fine. Good luck!
— Fran W.
August 28, 1999
You don't have to worry about how to sweeten your tea because caffeine it
out. You will be able to have herbal tea (caffeine free). Caffeine is bad
for your stomach especially your new tender, unconditioned, stomach. My
suggestion is to start winging yourself off of it now. Try different
herbal teas, etc. Good luck.
— bperrin
March 26, 2002
I love sweet iced tea and don't care for the aftertaste of the artificial
sweeteners. I recently tried splends and it is great!! tatses good in hot
or cold drinks...and didn't make me shake like aspartame.
I am pre op and trying to get into tne habits now to make an easier
adjustment after surgery.
— Bobbi N.
March 27, 2002
I'm doing my caffeine withdrawal now, and it's 4 weeks until my initial
consult with the surgeon I have chosen. I too am a major sweetened tea
drinker. I've only gotten into the sweetened tea kick the past few years,
since living with my man, who introduced me to his mom's recipe for
brewing. Prior to that I drank more water, only had soft drinks when dining
out or at movies. Also weighed about 30 pounds less...think that extra
sugar's the connection. Anyway, I have been drinking more water each day,
substituting it for the glasses of tea. I'm now down to 2 glasses of tea! I
am hoping that doing it gradually will make it easier. Good luck!
— Anna L.
March 27, 2002
Stevia is a fantastic sweetner alternative. It is extracted from the plant
Stevia, available in drops and a powder form that can be substituted for
sugar in baking.
— Linda B.
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