Geoff

So I had my GS in October 2014. Everything turned out well and I have lost ~120lbs (depending on what start dates you want to use). Things have been going well and I believe that I am pretty well maxed out my weight loss. However, I believe that I have been "abusing" my new stomach in the past several months by drinking diet sodas. Diet sodas is my one vice that I couldn't force myself to give up. I began drinking them around month 4-5. Recently, my stomach has not been feeling very well complete with a lot of gas, grumbly pain that I can point to and now, loose stools. I have not had a soda for a few days now as I believe that that is likely the problem. I'm just wondering if anyone else has had similar issues.

I have cut both out for the time being. It has been a couple of days now since I have had either soda or cereal. I guess we'll see.

Depends on the fiber source. If it's chicory root extract, maltodextrin, polydextrose, or other prebiotic fibers, that could be the cause of your discomfort. Prebiotic fibers are known to cause bloating, gas, and other digestive distress. The flora in your intestines is very sensitive and can react differently to different types of prebiotics. If the fiber is true dietary fiber, then it shouldn't be causing you these types of issues. I'll have to take a look at the ingredients.

No Quest bars but I have begun eating some new Kaschi cereals that are high in fiber. They definitely helped with my constipation issues but perhaps a bit too much?

Say it isn't sooooo!!! I have obviously changed my lifestyle so much since surgery.....drinking diet sodas was my one "guilty pleasure". I'm hoping that this will pass soon but I have to confess that my first thought went to the sodas because of the carbonation and acid. To make matters worse, I've kind of ignored the pain for a few weeks but it has progressively gotten worse. Now, I can't pass gas without worrying if that will be the only thing to pass.

I'm almost 6 months post op. Before surgery, I heard people saying that I was going to have to give up drinking soda. I stopped drinking the non-diet sodas a couple of years ago and drank nothing but diet since. Since my surgery, I have slowly reintroduced them back into my daily diet. It is true that they are nutrionally a waste. But for me, they are one of the very few "comfort foods" that I have left to help me with my new lifestyle. So far, so good. I have dropped almost 100lbs in the past six months, have gotten off of two medications and no longer require a cpap to sleep at night. I have about 10-20 more pounds to go before I can feel satisfied that I have reached my goal. I do have to be careful to space drinking the sodas out with my protein intakes and making sure that I allow proper spacing of time in between. But my opinion is that if you can tolerate it, it's not terrible to drink.

Dana, this is awesome! It's great to see so many having positive experiences. Good luck with you continued success.

That's great! Good for you! My surgery is scheduled for next Monday, October 13th. Getting excited and a little nervous.

I haven't seen too many threads on exercise after surgery. I know that nutrition and what you put into your body is a HUGE part of success but I am interested to hear from anyone about their experiences with exercise(s). What sort of exercise do you do (if at all)? How intense can you get? Any weight-lifters? I believe that exercise is going to be a key to my success (surg. date 10/13) and I am looking at what I should expect.

Good information all. And to clarify, my surgery date is October 13, 2014 (10/13/14). 10/13 was the date, not year. Forsythia, thanks for the link. That will help quite a lot. I received a packet of information from my surgeon's office yesterday giving me pre-op education class information and other pre-op appointment dates. It's starting to get real.

Thanks for posting! I'm pre-op and this is something inspirational for me.

Awesome! This brought a smile to my face. I'm starting to get pumped.

Ginger, This is great to hear. It gives me hope that maybe my tastes will change post-op and I will no longer have the craving for a Diet Coke. Crossing my fingers.

WhoDat, Just seeing your profile next to your post is an inspiration to me. I am pre-op for GS and it looks like you are very similar to my condition. I am at ~332lb and would love to get down to around 220. It looks like you did it, so I know it can be done.

I am pre-op and this is a major concern for me. A couple of years ago, I made the switch from normal, fully sugared sodas to diet. That transition was exceptionally hard. Now, I am facing the prospect of giving them up all together. I currently have around 4-5 12 oz cans of Diet Coke per day. I'm a bit anxious about life after surgery. I have made the decision that I have to do something to get my weight under control so that I can live a longer and healthier life. It's just so hard to anticipate having one of the small joys of life being permanently removed.

Good luck. I know nothing about going to Mexico so I'm afraid I can't offer much in the way of advice. I'm sure if you do your research then everything will work out great.

Have you selected a surgeon or gone through any of the process as of yet? I'm planning on having mine in September.

I too am in Richmond. Have you had surgery yet?

That's great. My surgery is scheduled for September 15th and I've been a little apprehensive about it. Please post regularly. I am anxious to hear about your progress.

I could be open to that.

I'm down in Richmond. A little bit away from Alexandria. So how is post-op life? How are you feeling now? Much pain?

I really believe that exercise is going to be a key component of my weight loss when I have my gastric sleeve surgery in September. I know that walking and moving about is encouraged immediately after surgery to help with the healing process. But longer term, are there any impediments to more vigorous exercise? What about weight lifting? I'm wondering if anyone not only lost weight, but got into awesome shape.

That's great! I see that you have already lost 71 lbs. Great job! I'm still a couple of months away from my surgery date but I'm trying to do things now to prepare myself. I'm trying to eat better and get back into the gym. I'm very excited about the prospect of losing the weight.

I am looking for advice on the best way to set my goal weight. I am a male, 6'2", 336 lb, medium build. Most of the calculators that I have seen show my "ideal" weight to be somewhere in the 185-206 lb range. I believe that this is too small and that I would look gaunt and too skinny. I was thinking that my goal weight should be around 225-230 but that is only a guess. How do I know what I should be driving toward?

Thanks all for the feedback. It sounds like I'm on the right track.