Question:
Why cant we have fat, sugar, sodium, and caffine free flavored water??
I am dieing for carbination!!!!! and Walmart has this flavored water that I love...I am 2 1/2 months out of surgery..and this is the hardest chanllenge for me..no carbination...Please help...Thanks, Shari @ [email protected] — Shari V. (posted on November 2, 2002)
November 2, 2002
I just finished a bowl of quacamole dip and cornchips and a bottle of ice
cold ginger ale. But then, I had the duodenal switch because I wanted to
be able to sustain the weight loss and eat like a normal person. I am not
sure why you can't have those things. I had this surgery so that I could
lose weight and give up the 'diet' mentality. So far, so good.
— merri B.
November 2, 2002
THE REASON WE ARE UNABLE TO HAVE CARBON BEVERAGES IS BECAUSE IT CAN ADD AIR
AND EXPAND THE NEW POUCH, PLUS THE CARBONATION COULD ALSO IRRITATE
— Jennifer E.
November 2, 2002
Sugar and fats could make you dump if you had Roux-en-Y. Besides those
things are what made us fat to begin with. I don't watch fat but I eat
heathily. I NEVER eat sugar intentionally. I eat all the salt and sodium
that I want - Jerky is a mainstay in my diet.
As far as carbonation is concerned - it could make your pouch hurt. Ask
you doctor about it - I drink diet Sunkist sometime but it isn't terribly
carbonated and I am 11 months post-op.
I realize you are having a tough time now and don't want to sound preachy,
but you might need to reevaluate why you had surgery to begin with (I'm
talking about the sugar and fats). I've lost 159 pounds and believe me,
giving up sugar and high fat foods is no big deal.
— Patty_Butler
November 2, 2002
There are lots of WLS folks who drink carbonated beverages. Some prefer to
pour over ice to decrease the bubbles. Some drink it straight up, although
they can't drink as much. I've had a few but don't care much for the
carbonation. Just make sure that it is diet. Caffeine free would be a
plus.
— Cheri M.
November 2, 2002
Hi Shari-
Hmm. I didn't think the first answer you got sounded very sympathetic or
even very nice, so I thought I would jump in here and ask if you've tried
any of the other stuff out there that is non-carbonated? I think Propel is
pretty decent and there is a flavored water (I can't remember the name of
it) that is available at Target that is also non-carbonated. Have you
tried squeezing a little bit of lemon or lime in water to flavor it? That
is really good too. As a last resort, I've heard that some people buy the
carbonated stuff and then let it sit for a while so it goes flat. Then
they drink it with ice. I'm sorry you are having a tough time and I wish
you the best!
— Write L.
November 2, 2002
You could always stir it up good to get the majority of the carbonation out
of it, then at least you'd get the taste. There's mixed ideas on the
reason for not having the carbonation (BTC's instructions is none for 6
months). Mostly what I've heard is that it fills you up and you won't be
hungry and therefore won't get the nutrition you need.....NOT the old myth
of stretching and blowing up your pouch. Now, is this really a myth or
not? I don't know, but one of the WLS surgeons I know said that the upper
part of the stomach that we are now using is the toughest part of the
stomach and stretches very little. Of course it will stretch some over
time. As for caffeine, the main thing about this is that it causes you to
retain water in your cells and not in the digestive system where it is
processed, used, and flushes out the system. Once you can drink anything
you want, if you choose caffeine-free then the soda or whatever it is,
counts toward your fluid intake for the day. If you choose stuff with
caffeine, then only 1/2 counts toward intake (i.e. you drink a 20 oz.
bottle of mountain dew and only 10 oz. count as fluid intake).
— Lynette B.
November 2, 2002
There is a lot of new research out on caffeine and if you have already
built up a tolerance for it then it does not mean you have to double your
fluids - it won't typically act as a diuretic for you. That said, I
usually avoid it anyway because why bother. I found I could do without it
just fine, so 90% of the time, I just don't add another chemical to my
diet. As for what you can and can't have. Heavens, you're an adult and
you CAN have anything you want! The ticket is how badly you want it. Is
it worth the possible trade offs. Sugar WILL make you gain or stop losing
- so to me, it's not worth the trade off. Fat? Well if I tolerate it (and
I don't very well right now) then I'll eat it. Fat doesn't make you fat.
Carbs mixed with fat do! Sodium is vital to our existence! so long as you
don't go nuts about it and dump half a salt shaker on your meal, it's fine.
And as for pop, my doc allows it. No research has shown it to stretch the
pouch. Air bubbles can make your pouch achy - so have a bit and see if
that happens. If it aches, gets upset or froths back up your throat (did
that to me the first few times I had it) then wait a couple weeks and try
again. One thing I found to be especially good is freezing your favorite
pops and then slushing them in the blender (or with a mixer, fork, etc.) -
tastes just like a slushee without the added carbination. Good luck,
Shari!
— [Deactivated Member]
November 3, 2002
Just a though, I agree with many --- try it and see how it works --- I to
love the fizz, however I just learned (and more research on my part is
warrented) that there is a possibility that carbonation leeches CALCIUM out
of bones. That said -- good luck to you...
— Kim M.
November 3, 2002
First of all, once you are healed, carbonation will not expand your pouch
and cause damage. Air can easily escape before it causes any problems with
stretching. Early on, carbonation can be irritating to the pouch, but
agian, once healed, this should not be and issue. BUT, the last poster had
the reason most of us should not be drinking carbonation, it does decrease
calcium absorption. Most docs do not even realize this. So, make your
decisions based on that info, and what ever you do, do not take your meds
with the carbonated fluids.
— Vicki L.
November 3, 2002
Try for yourself and see what your reaction is. I take afew sips from my
hubby's coke when we go out, after the ice sits for a while it's not so
" carbonity". I can not drink straight from a can, 1 swollow
hurts me! Since we are all different, I say try what you want and see.
— Cindee A.
November 3, 2002
As for those foods that you list, in our support group, I ask people to
Never speak in the 'Never can haves' because for every food item you are
told that you can never have again there is someone out there 'who can'.
Now there are a lot of 'shouldn't haves'. This is the first I have heard
of coffee or caffeine. Carbonation doesn't bother me, I was not a big soda
drinker but I do like flavored water and can't stand most of the sugar free
ones. I drink a real coke, rootbeer or gingerale if I want one maybe every
3 months or so. I drink the flavored seltzer water sometimes because it
doesn't have the diet after taste. Not all the times, but I find I drink
more water when I do flavored. I do everything in moderation. I have
deserts when I want to have one, trying to make healthy choices because I
have become hypoglycemic. I will choose a cookie, or a bread over a candy
bar, Edy's no sugar added at 12 gms sugar over Bryers with 35 grms. I know
that I can really only do a true desert after my evening meal when I have
other food already in my system. I can be satisfied with a minature candy
bar or 1 piece if I take one from the candy jar at work. You also have to
have fat, your body needs certain kinds and amounts to process everything
correctly.
I try to eat nutritionally most of the time. I would say I do about 85% of
my diet, which is probably higher than most Americans do. I firmly believe
that that is the true goal, to learn how to eat better. For me, the only
food that I absolutely can't eat is spaghetti noodles. Throw them up every
time. I can eat every other kind of pasta but them. I eat a very large
amount of food compared to most of the people in our support group. I do
know that after 3 yrs, my pouch has not stretched because I had surgery in
June and they scoped it and he said it was perfect and had not stretched at
all.
— Elizabeth K.
November 3, 2002
I have tried a few sips of carbonated beverages and they really bother me.
After just a few sips, my belly feels uncomfortable, bloated and just
yucky. To me, that's just not worth it.
— Leah H.
November 3, 2002
I don't worry about fat or greese. But I do try to keep my carbs down.
However I don't eat low carb... but try not to over do them. I eat all the
fat I wantthough. As far as pop, I've drank tons of it since I was four and
have no intention of stopping now. But I think the keys are to do diet pop
if you feel you need to drink it (wish I did'nt want it though). But do
your body a favor and drink water and other good fluids too! As for the
carbonation, it DID bother me until around 9-12 months post op. However all
you have to do is to mix your favorite artificial sweetener (I prefer
Splenda) into a glass with your diet pop. Stir it good and half or more of
the fizz will go. (Just watch it as the fizz goes so fast that the pop will
fizz over that glass). It will be flatter and taste more like regular sugar
pop. As far as caffine... I don't worry about that ether. The only thing
that scares me is carbohydrates as they turn on my hunger and cravings.
However each one of us needs to find our own comfort zone as far as what we
can or can not tolerate. I only wish I would dump on sugar, as I'm going
right back into sugar. So avoid sugar as long as you can. It's is'nt our
friend.
— Danmark
November 3, 2002
Shari,
I know this may not help, since there is no carbination... but I love the
Fruit 2 O drinks from Very Fine... they come in different flavors .. no
fat, no sugar, no caffiene... has a little sodium is all... no carbs
either... I know that Walmart has the carbonated flavored waters and some
ppl say they drink that after it flattens somewhat. Hope this helps some.
— Gail S.
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