Artificial Sweetner

[Gege1061]

Hello everyone!
I have a question. Starting Monday, I have to give up the diet soda to prepare for my surgery and life after. If I get a decaf coffee, Is artificial sweetner ok? I have hear it is not but, I see so many of you baking etc.. and I was assuming that it was ok to use it. I have heard that it signals the same thing as sugar in our brain and therefore feeds the sugar addiction (next thing I have to give up pre-op).
Ok, so I need suggestions for getting off the diet pop. Should I also work on the caffeine at the same time? Guessing yes. Anyone who says this is the easy way out, hasn't done it Thank you!!!!!
Also, if anyone has a special pop replacement that they swear by please let me know. I will try it all.

Gege

[RehabNurse]

I consume multiple packets of artificial sweetener per day, namely the much-maligned Equal (aspartame) and Sweet-N-Low (saccharin), although I'll use Splenda if the previously mentioned ones aren't available.

I use these artificial sweeteners to sweeten my fully caffeinated coffee and iced tea.

Some people see artificial sweeteners as devilish chemical-laden fake food. I see them as an ingredient that enhances the taste of my beverages. Your mileage may vary.

[Ann2]

I'm in RehabNurse's camp re everything she said about artificial sweeteners. I don't use them a lot. But they're definitely not taboo in my WLS world.

[Sarcastic_Bard]

I use Torani sugar free syrup in my coffee and I believe that's Splenda, so I think I use a bit everyday and I'm fine. I use brown sugar splenda when I feel like making a yummy barbecue sauce too.

[Luna354]

I use them. I bake with them often. I use swerve for baking. mostly because it's low on the gylcemic index so it doesn't cause triggers. My family is ketogenic so I bake mostly for them (I have a 9 year old).

I don't use any in my drinks, but am not opposed to. Oh i do drink crystal lite so whatever is in there I have an awful lot of!

[Luv49ers19]

I use stevia in my tea daily. I also drink a ton of crystal light and that has aspartame in it and I'm just fine.

[Christie13]

I was told to use Splenda by my NUT. Which is good by me because that is my preferred one. But diet soda is a no no due to the carbonation and the extremely high amount of sweetener in it. And honestly, I tried diet dr. pepper (which used to be my addiction) for the first time a few months post op and it was nasty.

[Gege1061]

Great! I can have some artificial sweetner, heaven to me. Day one was hard (I have to give up diet pop and sweets this week) but being that I don't have to give up caffeine it wasn't terrible. This is such a good test for me...Do I have what it takes? Trying my best. I can do this....I can do this..... The 2 week shake diet might be the hardest part. keep the tips and suggestions coming. Thank you. Ever so grateful

Gege

[HannahG]

You CAN do this!

I'm just over 6 months post-op, and only 12 lbs away from being in a normal weight range. I used to be a "waterholic" and would drink plain water all day long. Since having surgery, I don't like the taste of plain water anymore, even bottled water. I add sugar-free tang to my water now, and I have several of those every day. I also have 1 cup of half-caff coffee every morning, and I add a small amount of real sugar and milk to it (I just couldn't stomach the taste of it with Splenda or Stevia). That's the only time I add real sugar to anything, and I think that such a small amount doesn't hurt.

My surgeon's nurse practitioner said that I could have all of the non-starchy veggies I could eat during my 2 week "clear liquid" pre-op diet. I still drank coffee during those 2 weeks, but that's because I added a bit of my vanilla protein drink to the coffee (NO milk or sugar at all during that time). Since I could eat all of the vegetable, beef, or chicken broth that I wanted, I added veggies to it and made vegetable soup. They also said that if I was really hungry, I could have a veggie omelette (no milk or cheese) too. With all of these extras that I was allowed to eat, I wasn't hungry after the first day or so. The protein from the shakes and scrambled eggs, along with all of the veggies (cooked and raw), I was full and was still able to drop the pounds.

Every doctor is different in their pre-op instructions. Some say clear liquids and 2 protein drinks only, others say that you can add eggs and non-starchy veggies, and still others have even fewer pre-op restrictions. I liked the restrictions, as it gave me an idea of what to expect in the first few weeks after surgery.

Best of luck to you. I know you'll do great!


Hannah