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this is a long article, so here is an excerpt: "If you offer your body something that tastes like a lot of calories, but it isn't there, your body is alerted to the possibility that there is something there and it will search for the calories promised but not delivered," Fowler says. _____________________________________________ Drink More Diet Soda, Gain More Weight? Overweight Risk Soars 41% With Each Daily Can of Diet Soft Drink By Daniel J. DeNoon WebMD Medical News Reviewed by Charlotte Grayson Mathis, MD June 13, 2005 -- People who drink diet soft drinks don't lose weight. In fact, they gain weight, a new study shows. The findings come from eight years of data collected by Sharon P. Fowler, MPH, and colleagues at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio. Fowler reported the data at the annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association in San Diego. "What didn't surprise us was that total soft drink use was linked to overweight and obesity," Fowler tells WebMD. "What was surprising was when we looked at people only drinking diet soft drinks, their risk of obesity was even higher." In fact, when the researchers took a closer look at their data, they found that nearly all the obesity risk from soft drinks came from diet sodas. "There was a 41% increase in risk of being overweight for every can or bottle of diet soft drink a person consumes each day," Fowler says. More Diet Drinks, More Weight Gain Fowler's team looked at seven to eight years of data on 1,550 Mexican-American and non-Hispanic white Americans aged 25 to 64. Of the 622 study participants who were of normal weight at the beginning of the study, about a third became overweight or obese. For regular soft-drink drinkers, the risk of becoming overweight or obese was: 26% for up to 1/2 can each day 30.4% for 1/2 to one can each day 32.8% for 1 to 2 cans each day 47.2% for more than 2 cans each day. For diet soft-drink drinkers, the risk of becoming overweight or obese was: 36.5% for up to 1/2 can each day 37.5% for 1/2 to one can each day 54.5% for 1 to 2 cans each day 57.1% for more than 2 cans each day. For each can of diet soft drink consumed each day, a person's risk of obesity went up 41%. Diet Soda No Smoking Gun Fowler is quick to note that a study of this kind does not prove that diet soda causes obesity. More likely, she says, it shows that something linked to diet soda drinking is also linked to obesity. "One possible part of the explanation is that people who see they are beginning to gain weight may be more likely to switch from regular to diet soda," Fowler suggests. "But despite their switching, their weight may continue to grow for other reasons. So diet soft-drink use is a marker for overweight and obesity." Why? Nutrition expert Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD, puts it in a nutshell. "You have to look at what's on your plate, not just what's in your glass," Bonci tells WebMD. People often mistake diet drinks for diets, says Bonci, director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and nutrition consultant to college and professional sports teams and to the Pittsburgh Ballet. "A lot of people say, 'I am drinking a diet soft drink because that is better for me. But soft drinks by themselves are not the root of America's obesity problem," she says. "You can't go into a fast-food restaurant and say, 'Oh, it's OK because I had diet soda.' If you don't do anything else but switch to a diet soft drink, you are not going to lose weight." The Mad Hatter Theory "Take some more tea," the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly. "I've had nothing yet," Alice replied in an offended tone, "so I can't take more." "You mean you can't take less," said the Hatter: "It's very easy to take more than nothing." Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland There is actually a way that diet drinks could contribute to weight gain, Fowler suggests. She remembers being struck by the scene in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in which Alice is offended because she is offered tea but is given none -- even though she hadn't asked for tea in the first place. So she helps herself to tea and bread and butter. That may be just what happens when we offer our bodies the sweet taste of diet drinks, but give them no calories. Fowler points to a recent study in which feeding artificial sweeteners to rat pups made them crave more calories than animals fed real sugar. "If you offer your body something that tastes like a lot of calories, but it isn't there, your body is alerted to the possibility that there is something there and it will search for the calories promised but not delivered," Fowler says. Perhaps, Bonci says, our bodies are smarter than we think. "People think they can just fool the body. But maybe the body isn't fooled," she says. "If you are not giving your body those calories you promised it, maybe your body will retaliate by wanting more calories. Some soft drink studies do suggest that diet drinks stimulate appetite." SOURCES: Fowler, S.P. 65th Annual Scientific Sessions, American Diabetes Association, San Diego, June 10-14, 2005; Abstract 1058-P. Sharon P. Fowler, MPH, University of Texas Health Science Center School of Medicine, San Antonio. Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD, director, sports nutrition, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. WebMD News: "Artificial Sweeteners May Damage Diet Efforts.""Artificial Sweeteners May Damage Diet Efforts." Davidson, T.L. International Journal of Obesity, July 2004; vol 28: pp 933-955.

Every 3 hours sounds easier then it is turning out to be ☹️ Everyone suggests the good fats, I use Olive Oil when cooking but don't eat nuts nor nut butters. I am not a fan of anything but peanut butter and I haven't allowed myself to have it yet. (I have a tendency of over eating it). I get enough protein bc that is mostly all I eat.

My suggestion is prepare lots of " your foods" I bought 2 dozen small plastic containers and filled them up with jello or jello and yogurt parfait, green pea soup, onion soup, and today making black bean soup and maybe some squash soup and it will be at my fingertips. Yest I took 4 of these and my milkshake on my shopping trip etc and my kids bought me a nice lunch bag- and I ate the same way I would have fed my babies 40 yrs ago, every 3/4 hours. I think preparation helps.

Someone help me!! My NUT won't allow me to eat a tablespoon of coconut oil to help me go..... I take 4 tablespoons Fiber daily, I take magnesium citrate, I drink 100-120oz Water a day, I eat two yogurts a day, I have 1oz fiber food a day with dinner (all my NUT allows at this point) and i liter had the mkst excruciating poop of my life. My pouch hurt for three days bc i couldn't poop and then I pooped a the biggest I have ever done....and now one day later I have more impacted Stool. I am trying fleet enemas and the nasty ole glove and finger but I can't take going through this again. The pain is horrific.

I was told not to take meds like gas x bc it keeps the gas from being expelled... try just letting the gas come out naturally. It has worked well for me. Best of luck!

This is so damn frustrating! I am 6 months out and I thought for sure I'd be at least half way to my goal. I started at 286 and now 258. I hardly eat carbs,( breads, rice, etc) I absolutely don't drink any carbonated drinks. No cokes or beers. I don't excersize and don't drink as much water as I should but I thought giving up carbs would be enough : / I hate it when people ask me if I've lost anymore weight bc it's almost as theyre just confirming it bc they can tell I haven't lost much weight. I recently lost insurance and now I can't get fills which Is ok bc I think I actually have a decent restriction. I also have hypothyroidism and I take meds for that. Anyone else in a similar situation? Any advice? Please help ! My goal is 170 lbs and have a lot to go : /

I was sleeved on July 28th and am on the 2nd week of soft foods. Today was rough because I threw up twice. First in the morning I had a small sip of Water to take a pill and then I ate my Breakfast (scrambled eggs). Almost immediately I threw up. I won't make that mistake again. So I felt rough the rest of the day and still needed to get 200 more calories and 10g of Protein so I had some creamy PB and 3 low fat triscuit crackers. I couldn't get all PB down and chewed the crackers like 30xs. Then I felt terrible pain and discomfort and ended up throwing up a bunch of foam. Yuck!!! I am a major rule follower and so I feel like I messed up bc I threw up. I have read some posts and it seems like I must have ate too much or too fast. I thought I did what I was supposed to do (measured and chewed) and still threw up. I know I'm learning about my new stomach but I was really hoping I'd be a "sleeve superstar" and do everything "right." Would love some encouragement/advice from fellow sleevers. I don't want another day like this.

<This area had already been declaired a disaster area from one of the previous storms. Why wasn't aide already in place? WHY WASN'T AIDE ALREADY ON IT'S WAY???? Why did Bush stay on vacation a couple more days instead of instantly springing to action?> Funny there didn't seem to be a lack of response to the hurricane disasters in Florida. Do you suppose the feds would be so slow if Jeb were governor of Louisiana?? I spent a week in New Orleans two years ago and as I recall, there were PLENTY of white people there. I don't know what the ratio is, but it sure seemed close to 50/50. From the news pictures the population looks 90% black. So all the white people had the means to escape??

I just spoke to the surgeon about this bc I got mine (4 days early). This is not uncommon. Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi there. Seems like you are doing brilliantly on your post op diet. It seems to me we Have less post opening input in the UK than in the USA. Any who, got sleeved on 29th May and fed up with fluids! Can't wait to get to puree - don't say that often. Keep up the good work and enjoy your new life.

I'm finally getting intelligent answers! Right on, Babs. I started this post as a place to vent because I am guilty of living in a media cocoon. I just finish posting in another thread that the media had me fooled. I asked for intelligent answers, and now I'm getting them. Babs, you answered everything. Everything you said about the media should have been posted at the top of this venting thread. All I've known all week is what's being portrayed on TV. The reporters, interviewers, victims - everyone only talked about Bush being absent and not caring. They made it seem like Bush was on vacation and even Condoliza Rice stayed on vaction during this. The media made me believe the government was allowing people to suffer while turning away Water, help and food from private organizations and even other countries. On the 3rd of 4th day I saw a couple helicopter rescues, but I didn't see any food, water or shelter for an entire week. And that's exactly why I started this thread - to vent and get answers. Everything is starting to make sense now. I never expected everybody to be rescued the first day, but from my end nobody was being helped anywhere. Nope, just rage, riots, rape and looting. And the rapper on that MTV show just fed us with more. Nobody ever came and rebutted what he said, which is that Bush doesn't care about black people. So I sat and flipped through channels and obsessed with the news waiting for Bush/Feds/State/Charity organizations to respond. They probably did respond, but if all the news channels clarified our answers, then we'd stop obsessing about watching TV, and that could hurt their ratings. Here's my sign.

Dee, I am so SORRY. I would talk to my HR person and ask them to show you the exclusion and thell her what BC/BS told you. there might be a way around the exclusion.:crying:

I'm 5 months out and eat sushi all the time. Started at month 3 with no problem. Eat very slow bc all if the sudden you'll feel full, rice is weird!

I am told to stop taking BC two weeks before and 6-8 weeks after due to it increasing the risk of developing clots. My surgeon automatically gives heparin while in the hospital to decrease the chances. I have been on BC for many years to regulate and it is always given a bad rap about weight gain- if you read the fine print it says weight gain OR loss....AND is minimal, less than 5 pounds. So I wouldn't worry about it affecting your weight loss. My concern isn't it affecting my weight loss but more so my weight loss affecting my periods. Rapid weight gain or loss can drastically change menstrations....so to me.... The benefits outweigh the risks. So I will continue taking my BC when cleared to do so.

I had surgery at 7:30 am on the 22 nd and stayed until the 24 th. I had so much swelling my water wouldn’t pass. It was upsetting bc I wanted to be out the night of surgery. But it was something I couldn’t control.

I suffer with bad reflux and am fed up using over the counter stuff, anti acid tabs etc anyway decided to google for natural remedies and stumbled across a website that people can put their own cures. A few people mentioned vinegar (especially apple cider vinegar), well I didnt have any so tried white wine vinegar 2 tsps and hey presto gone just like that. Someone explained that it can be caused by lack of acid rather than to much, esecially when you dont get enough food in your stomach to produce the correct amount of stomach acid, now this makes heaps of sense and the proof is in the pudding. Just thought I would share. Jo

Since your husband sounds really supportive, I think I'd consider taking him with me if at all possible to my next appointment. Or someone else who is supportive and not and not afraid to call BS on someone who's being a jerk. I think my DH would kick the Doc's butt for talking to me like you report yours speaking to you. I had something almost similar happen about 6 months ago.. I had lost some since my previous appt, but not as much as I would've liked. The NP was looking at my chart and asked "what happened" and I'm like.... uh, just didn't try hard enough I guess. She said "you gained", I said, " I did NOT". There was a few moments of confusion.. and we finally figured out she had clicked on a patients name just above or below mine on the list in the laptop!! So, there's no excuse for your doctor's bad behavior, but just maybe he had confused you with someone else for a few moments... and then was too much of a jerk to apologize and correct his mistake. I dunno. It sounds like to me you are doing really well and if your doctor can't straighten up his act and fly right.. fire him. See the nurses for your fills or find another doc. Best of luck to you.

Iam so disappointed in myself. I never feel full.i feel just like I did before the surgery. I can eat a complete portion of McCanns quick and Easy oatmeal. Today I was just so fed I had 2 snack packs of pop corn and nothing.. Even had a soda. None of it bothered me at at all. I have no discomfort just normal feeling. Did this surgery work? I am begining my 6th week and have lost weight but now that I am on regular food I still feel like a bottomless pit. I just want to feel full. I walk an hour a day drink plenty of liquids yet as far as food there does not seem to ge a limit to the amount that I can eat. Most of the time I just stop myself because I know I should. When I had the popcorn and soda it was like I wanted to see if anything would happen. Because while I know I had the surgery it seems like I could eat a whale. I just do not know what to do anymore..... HELP!!!

Very well done on making that 50lbs! That's just brilliant. You must be so pleased with that result. I go to see the consultant today ( changed appointment from Tuesday) and I will be proud to tell him that since the Monday before my op I have lost 28lb. Its 4 weeks today since the op and I cant believe how well I feel. Think the personal trainer is a great idea. When I have lost 50lb I might look into that one. I wear a fit band and I am manly doing 12ooo plus steps a day now. Poor dog is getting fed up. I will have to get some Biotin did you get it online or Boots. Im still quite low on the calories but I will be asking Surgeon today about increasing. I use the app my fitness pal to track all I eat and it sychs with the fit bit so that's good. Keep up the good work you are doing so well! Chris

similar situation, getting revised to the vertical sleeve, band destroyed my esophagus, mysterious manufactured 1.5cc's of fluid. Since emptying I've had constant diarrhea and have gained back 50 of the 100;bs i had lost. I cannot wait to get this voodoo piece of cr@p out my body

Hi Misty, They can't disqualify you for asking a question. Your group agreement with BC/BS will identify the benefits available to you. You need to get the booklet specifying these benefits. If the short version, you read, said that bariatric surgery was covered, then the policy booklet will give you more info on what is and is not covered. I really don't think you will be disqualified if you have the co-morbidities that the insurance company requires. More and more insurance companies are finding that it is in their financial interest to fund this type of surgery. After all, you will be healthier and therefore they will not have to spend as much money on your healthcare in the future. Sorta like when, years ago, I had problems with some birth control products and my only choice left was to have my tubes tied. The ins. co. said that they did not cover that. So I told them that since it was the only option I had left, that I guessed I would have to take my chances and if I became pregnant again, they would have to cover the healthcare cost of my child until he/she reached age 18. And who knew how many more children I might have in the future!!!Guess what, they decided to pay!! So, hang in there and don't give up!!!I am sure it will all be fine!

Hi, Here is my update: So far I have talked to a Lapband surgeons' office and because I have BlueLincs BC/BS of OK I don't need a referral to see them! I have an appointment set up for the 24th of this month to see if I qualify. If so, I can get started with my 6 month diet and nutritionist appointments. Excited and hopeful!

Hi Brew, If you are a state employee then the insurance will not be the federal employee insurance, but it is probably very similar except that the specifics of the policy may have a few different twists and turns. For example, the BC/BS I have did not require the 3-6 month pre diet, but I know that other BC/BS policies do require it. Sometimes if the ins. co. doesn't require it, the medical facility, or surgeon will. It can get really confusing! I think it would be a good idea to request a copy of the insurance policy. You can also call and ask a customer service person about what exactly is covered. Then follow up with the request for a copy of the ins. policy. I imagine they have coordinated with your HMO on what is covered. From what you wrote, it does sound like they do cover the surgery, but it is always a good idea to make really, really sure which procedures they cover. Also, do they cover the pre-surgery testing, appointments with diatitians, psychologists, surgeons fee, and hospital costs? Does your insurance have a list of "preferred"physicians and facilities? It is always a good idea to get a referral from a doctor you trust and who has your best interest in mind. I was lucky in finding my surgeon, as he was recommended by my primary care physician and just happened to be the same surgeon who removed my gall bladder several years ago!:confused: They are both on the "preferred" list of my ins. co. That was a relief! Good luck and please let us know about your progress. There are really great people on this site that are always willing to help.

Nope I have a band that I am getting removed and being sleeved tomorrow. I have trouble absorbing Vitamins unrelated to WLS. My body is just weird. I had to have an Iron infusion almost two months ago bc my iron got so low. I was commenting on why I chose the sleeve over gastric bypass. I don't want to have my intestines rerouted and have malnutrition problems more than you would have with the sleeve.

I love all these positive stories about great experiences! Dr. Kelly is a consummate professional, and the more we post positively, the faster all the BS drama will go away! Im so happy for all of you, and can't wait to be sleeved by one of the best!