a few concerns

[Susiq]

Hi,
I have a couple of concerns/questions.....

I am a HUGE coffee and dt coke drinker. If my understanding is correct I won't be able to have soda. I am ok with that but what about coffee? I am going to have major withdrawl from caffine if I cant have it. Silly as that sounds that is what scares me the most , caffine withdrawl, if that makes any sense.

I am also curious about being able to use a juicer? Does anyone do that? Is it "allowed"?

Lastly, did anyone try to lose wieght before with some of the prescribed drugs for weight loss before you had your sleeve surgery.....

Otherwise I feel I am more than ready to deal with everything else. ....I think lol

[Melyssa]

I most definitely do coffee except now it sweetened with stevie instead of sugar...if I'm out when I order it I get Splendora if they don't offer stevia. Granted I don't have more than one or two coffees a day.
I've know a fellow sleeve who used to drink Starbucks and Dunkins all day long and slowly put on a few pounds so just watch what you're putting in your coffee.
In fact,my nutritionist suggested putting protein powder in coffee for a protein fueled morning pick me up!
No worries lots of sleeves on YouTube also drink coffee.

[Ann2]

Three things:

1. Yes, I do drink coffee. My surgeon permitted one cup 10 days post-op. The big concerns about coffee are that your stomach will be so much smaller and coffee might increase your stomach acid, encouraging ulcers (yikes!), severe acid reflux, etc. What I've found is that I drink a lot less coffee than I used to -- and enjoy it more. EDIT: To aid in caffeine withdrawal, don't go cold-turkey. Instead, take several weeks to dial down your consumption.

2. Diet drinks -- oh, boy. Again, your sleeve will be a fraction the size of your stomach, so the cola carbonation gas in your stomach will be troublesome. But in my case, the real problem is the acidity! Ai yi yi! At nearly 2.5 years post-op I hardly ever have a carbonated soda. Frankly, it's not recommended at all.

3. Juicing -- oh boy, again. The things you used to find / think / believe / feel were "healthy" for a person with a full-sized stomach aren't necessarily the best things for you when you have a sleeve. One of the biggest causes of weight regain (and half of the pepole do regain a LOT of weight, even all of it) is due to "drinking your calories." So drinking your calories is strictly verboten.

Juices (especially fruit juices) are mostly sugars. Doesn't matter that it's not white sugar. It's still sugar. And sugar just makes you crave more sugar. Veggies juices -- depends on the veggie, I guess. But here's the real problem -- anything you drink goes straight through your sleeve and does nothing to assauge your hunger. So with juices you're taking in calories, but doing nothing to conquer your hunger.

One of the big rules of sleeved life is to eat 3 meals a day and a snack or two. At all meals you're supposed to eat protein and eat protein first. You'll find out that 3 ounces of chicken will make you feel so satisfied. But 3 ounces of crackers, chips, ice cream, cookies, and other "slider foods" (highly processed foods that slide right through your sleeve into your intestine and do nothing to stop your hunger).

Keep reading. Keep learning. Go to all your doctor's classes. Believe what you are told. Don't be one of those arrogant or stupid people (I've seen them) who think they know a "better way" and that the WLS rules don't apply to them. It never, ever, ever works out well. Throw out all your assumptions based on your pre-sleeve eating. You're entering a whole new life.

Best wishes.

[Susiq]

THANK YOU!! I appreciate your insight and advice.

[Pam G]

Slowly switch to decaf now, before surgery, then quit for a while. You don't want caffeine withdrawal on top of recovering from surgery.

You'll be able to drink coffee and sodas again several months after surgery. I'm 6 mos out and drink SF soda on occasion and coffee daily.

[Susiq]

I know I could give up soda but coffee indefinitely would be very difficult. I have already cut my coffee intake in half bc of blood pressure issues. Thanx for taking the time to answer

[jenny53669]

Thx for the input, all. What kind of chicken do you eat? I had been reading for helping your liver to avoid processed meats, so I'm worried about that. Maybe just grilling boneless chicken breasts and measuring 4 oz portions? Probably not that great tasting but maybe lemon or something...?

I'm also a big coffee drinker and I'm definitely going to have to cut that out because I don't want to ruin all the effort that's going to go into this! What about caffeine pills or green coffee pills, yay or nay?

[Pam G]

Thx for the input, all. What kind of chicken do you eat? I had been reading for helping your liver to avoid processed meats, so I'm worried about that. Maybe just grilling boneless chicken breasts and measuring 4 oz portions? Probably not that great tasting but maybe lemon or something...?

I'm also a big coffee drinker and I'm definitely going to have to cut that out because I don't want to ruin all the effort that's going to go into this! What about caffeine pills or green coffee pills, yay or nay?

coffee won't 'ruin' anything, you just have to wait a few months before trying it again. it may or may not agree with your new tummy, but you can wait another month and try again. Eventually, you'll prob be able to tolerate it. just watch the artificial creamers and stuff that adds calories (each little single serve coffee creamer is 30 cals!)