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I drank unsweetened flavored seltzer like crazy pre-surgery, but stopped when I started my 2-week pre-op diet, as recommended by the nutritionist. My doctor also says no carbonated drinks post-surgery because, over time, regular consumption of carbonated beverages can stretch out the stomach pouch. True or untrue, for me personally, it's just not worth it to risk anything impeding my weight loss so I'll continue to avoid them. My opinion may change at some point, but since my carbonated beverage of choice was neither sweetened nor caffeinated, I don't miss it much.

I was downing carbonated drinks very early on, I had no specific prohibition. Probably week four? I drink several cans of diet sodas a day, it’s how I get my water intake needs met. never had an issue with bubbles or cravings or weight gain or blood sugar levels etc. ymmv and your doctor may not approve…

I just wanted to note, for anyone that is stating that artificial sweeteners can cause weight gain and don’t drink diet because of them, I would absolutely not use this as a reason or to drink diet soda. There are artificial sweeteners in your protein shakes, protein bars, yoghurt, jello, pudding, Gatorade, mio/water flavorings, and many others items you consume. These are all foods and additions that are heavily relied upon on almost every single post op diet I’ve seen here.

i am one week into my liquid diet and by this time next week i should be in surgery. Day 3 & 4 of liquid was tough but i came through it. Thankfully i am going home to celebrate my mom’s 80th birthday this labor day weekend. I know this will be tough first dealing with everyone in the family asking me about it and being around all the food. i choose to keep my journey private to everyone except my immediate family. It will be hard with my mom she will be asking me what am i eating and how much weight i have lost daily. i dont want to become just about my surgery- then there is the comparison to other people that have had wls amd gained weight back… i know i am rambling but these thoughts were going through my head today

I have read A LOT of research studies on the theory that diet soda causes weight gain, and the evidence is far from convincing. Dr. Matthew Weiner (a bariatric surgeon with a huge YouTube presence) says he doesn't mind if people drink fizzy water, but doesn't want his patients drinking diet or regular soda. The belief that it stretches the stomach isn't really true from what he says, and from other evidence, but also it just doesn't make sense. But he says, many people just find it uncomfortable. Like @PolkSDA said, it can be hard to find non-carbonated unsweetened drinks on the go other than water. I travel a lot for work, and I had given up soda 6 months ago as I prepared for surgery, and when I started to travel more again, I gave up and started drinking diet soda again. I've stopped now that I'm on my pre-op diet. One thing I did at first was carry packets of sugar free drink mix (like crystal light, but I don't like that brand) and a water bottle and just refill it and add a packet of drink mix. That worked when I didn't want plain water. I met a woman on a trip who drank Coke Zero from day one and drank it with her meals. She said she had gained some weight back, but she felt it was from too much alcohol.

Sorry, kale is of the devil. It is pure evil in food form. 😁 There is no single "right way" when it comes to eating/snacking habits. We're all different, both physiologically and more importantly, psychologically. What works for me may not work for you, etc. When I read "Forget snacks entirely, unless..." I immediately tune out. Things couched in absolutes don't resonate with me. Sure, those prohibitions may be absolute in YOUR experience, but they may not be so for others. My nutritionist has been reinforcing that WE SHOULD be snacking post-surgery; 4-6 small meals per day is important to success. Advocating against that IMO runs counter to generally accepted practices. Now with respect to what the composition of those snacks are, that IMO is a *VERY* YMMV issue. Me? I eat garbage. I have my fast food and my chips, cookies, etc.... but in much, MUCH smaller quantities than before I started this journey. Some might say that this is setting myself up for long-term failure, but I say au contraire! I loathe cooking. I hate it. I can't be bothered by it. I don't want to "learn to enjoy it". I don't find value in it with respect to my time and/or convenience. Never have. That's in my makeup. I am what I am. I know myself and my weaknesses. I *NEED* to enjoy food. If it's food just for the sake of eating and nutrition, I WILL find a way to cheat, "sneaking" bad food on the side IN ADDITION to whatever healthy food I'm supposed to be eating... which IMO is far, far worse, given the increased caloric intake and quantity eaten. Better that I cut to the chase and eat small portions of "bad" food that will satisfy me than to eat food I don't enjoy and still be psychologically unsatisfied, if that makes any sense. It's better for me to work within the constraints of my weaknesses than to ignore them or try to futilely change what I believe to be fundamentally unalterable. This morning I hit a new alltime low adult weight since age 18... 37 years ago... and my weight is still going down (albeit very slowly now) 13.5 months after surgery... so however unconventional, it's working. I would hardly recommend this approach to anyone else... we're all different.

So I am going to be part of the rare % that is going to say that DIET (regular high sugar carbonated have no place in anyone’s diet) have done nothing to impede my weight loss. I’m currently 5 months and down almost 80lbs. My stomach isn’t stretched from drinking these, I drink slowly and it takes at least a full hour to have 1 can. I’ve had very little issues with fluid consumption post surgery so I don’t feel this gets in the way of staying hydrated. If you’re not having pain, bloating, or unusual sides I think this part of the many old wives tales and fallacies with weight loss surgery.

From about the age of 14 I’d routinely skip meals to try to control my weight. I never ate the same volume of food as my friends or my family. All skipping meals did was kill my metabolism & I battled my weight bouncing 60-75kg until I was in my late 40s. That seemed to be my max & min weight range I always gravitated to. When I reached menopause I put on 30kg in about 2 years without changing my diet & couldn't lose an ounce over 4 years. I think I eat more now then I did before surgery. I certainly eat more frequently then I ever did & that’s how I get my calories & protein in. I reach my fluid goal by sipping throughout the day & at night (always have water beside me). By drinking regularly I never seem to reach that oh my god I’m thirsty point anymore. Nor do I reach that I’m starving point either. For me the surgery has been wonderful. It kick started my metabolism again & sorted out my hormones. It also made me truely analyse what, how & why I ate. Even though I ate pretty healthily before, I eat even better now. Dropped some food choices that were bad for me, added some that are better. We are all different. We react differently to the surgery. We have different life experiences. We have different health issues, genetic makeups & physiological & psychological differences. They all influence how we are able to benefit from the surgery. The surgery isn’t a cure. The average weight loss after about 5 years is only 65% of the weight you were to lose (to put you in the healthy BMI range). Some lose more. Some lose less. Some get to a weight higher then goal & are happy. Some get lower than goal. Some experience small amounts of regain while others regain more. Some maintain. Some causes for this are beyond our control. Some causes are in our control. You can’t predict your outcome but just be aware of the variables. Best advice is to grab this opportunity & see how far you can take it.

There is a lot of conflicting stories & advice out there about whether you can drink carbonated drinks after WLS, but apparently there’s little scientific evidence to support either the yes or no position. The only evidence is that drinking carbonated drinks increases weight gain. There’s also information coming out that artificial sweeteners are just as bad if you go down that route. (Basically they trick the body into thinking it’s getting sugar but isn’t so it stores more fat to compensate for the perceived reduction of glucose - which the body does need.) Plus artificial sweeteners continue to feed your craving for sugar. As with many things after surgery, some can & some can’t. It’s really your choice if you can & it works for you. Personally, I gave up carbonated drinks years ago because they aggravated my reflux & gave me horrendous hiccups. I only had bubbles in a gin & tonic & champagne but too many of them & urrgh! So no change for me (though I drink less alcohol & drink it less frequently now).

I never suffered from PCOS but I did have my gall removed. It was only three months ago but my weight is what it was before surgery. I lost a small amount afterwards because for about 3 weeks I wasn’t really hungry or interested in eating but when things got back to normal I settled back at my usual weight. When was yours removed? When did you notice your weight loss slowing? Are you still following your same diet plan & recommendations for portion size & calories? Are you still meeting your protein & water goals? Have any of your meds changed? Have you spoken with your dietician & medical team? Have you had blood work done since your gall removal? Removing the gall can affect absorption of some nutrients. I found out at my 3 month follow-up appointment last week that my protein level has dropped since my gall surgery (was high before my gall was removed but now low yet still meet my daily protein goal). I was prescribed pancreatic enzymes to help with protein absorption.

I'm new, too! 2 classes out of the required 10 down, and meeting with the surgeon in October. I'm so certain this is what I want to do, but I'm afraid something will pop up to derail my plans. I'm thankful to have found this community that I can learn and gain support from. There's only so much the classes can prepare me for.

*made a ton of typos in my first post and can’t figure out how to edit 😡 I am literally in the same boat aside from the twisting feeling. I have been watching food videos like crazy and at first felt really guilty, but it’s almost like it’s desensitizing me and educating me. I’m starting to see unhealthy aspects of how we eat in America, before I could identify them but only abstractly. I too lose interest mid-meal. I was so excited to eat soft foods at 3 weeks but what I’ve noticed is it now makes me sick and tastes horrible. I generally only like cheese and even this week, week five, I’m not digging it. 

However, my surgeon is very strict, I’m supposed to strive to have one meal a day (though I have two), and he explained the long term goal of eating is simply to refuel. Not for pleasure. Eating on a schedule, recognizing it is energizing and supporting your body…and that’s it. I hated that idea, but am starting to get on board with it. Just use this time to be extra aware of what your body does, how it feels, and build routine. It is easier off you aren’t hungry, at least for me. I’m trying to take advantage of it. My surgeon has me taking two minutes between each bite during my meal where I meditate. I thought this was ridiculous at first, but it is amazing! Even if you don’t meditate it might be helpful to take that time to identify how your body feels. The twisting feeling could be tied to your emotions. It may be helped by thinking of that area relaxing, even telling it aloud to relax. Breathing in slowly and exhaling slowly and encouraging your whole gut to release all that fear because I hear the fear in your post (totally normal). I have an extremely (I’m talking crazy) sensitive body. The surgery has imbalanced my body like crazy and my body has responded with the symptoms we’re talking about. I have taken to rubbing my belly and kind of treating it like a baby. Recognize the mental upheaval you’re dealing with (which it sounds like you are), and give yourself grace. I found out a lot of stuff on why I have an eating problem the last couple weeks that threw me for a loop. I have done my own work too, but things are going to come up and are in a big way. I had to listen to what was going on, not ignore it, or try to overthink it or only focus on the fear and nothing else. Listen to what is wrong. Your body can tell you but expressing emotions. Here are some questions: Ok, I don’t feel hungry, why? I’m feeling insecure, why? What does food mean to me? I found out it meant protection a couple weeks ago. Hard to not eat if you deeply believe food and weight mean protection, right? Be gentle with yourself. They do not emphasize how much this changes your entire existence. Loving yourself goes a long way.

I didn't have that requirement either. I have documented my weight at least once a week for the last 10 years or so, but I didn't go to the doctor last year due to COVID either. I would ask the surgery center what you can do for that. Did you maybe got to weight watchers or anything?

Good afternoon all!! I had my first evaluation today. One of the requirements for approval was weight history for the past 5 years. I certainly have not gone every year for the last five years. Especially the last couple years because of COVID. Has anyone had this and it was an issue with insurance? Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

They want you to "shrink your liver". It's not meant to lose weight, although that usually/often happens. During surgery, especially laparoscopic surgery, they have to move the liver out of the way to get to the stomach. Most people having surgery have fatty/enlarged livers but eating low carb/low fat/no alcohol helps to shrink and heal the stomach. If they can't move your liver easily, they could have to do open surgery, or might actually cancel your surgery if they don't feel it's safe.

Yeah, that's very interesting! I almost wonder if they want you to lose as much as possible before surgery to show their weight loss rates being higher, but I might be a tad too cynical there 😕

I’m 64 now, and had RNY surgery 8 years ago when I was 56. My surgeon told us that you have a window of about 1 year to 18 months to lose the weight you want - thereafter the ghrelin levels in your stomach and gut (which are disrupted by the surgery) increase. Ghrelin is known as the ‘hunger hormone’ because (amongst other things it does) it triggers hunger. Shortly after RNY surgery you may feel hungry, but this soon passes and you have a ‘honeymoon’ period where you don’t, where you need to build up to a health and sustainable diet. The other thing is that your tiny pouch will stretch in time (the stomach acts as a muscle) and if you consistently eat too much you’ll get a bigger appetite back. It is unusual, but not unknown, for someone to put all the weight back on that they lost from RNY surgery. Of course, why do that to yourself? Probably because you have not sorted out an unhealthy relationship with food. Another thing I was told was to exercise, to prevent muscle loss and encourage weight loss. To be honest I didn’t do enough of this. However, from BMI of 35.7 and weight of 190lb (at 5’ 1”) I dropped to my lowest weight of 105lb and BMI of 19.7 at 14 months after surgery. That was nearly half my bodyweight lost. I stayed at 112lbs or under until April 2015, when very, very slowly I put on a bit of weight over each year, I guess as my appetite and tolerance grew. By January 2021 I had been just under 140lb for 3 years, but wished I could be less. Then came cancer treatment and radiotherapy to my entire abdominal area. Left with nausea and no appetite at all, I gradually built back up to eating a healthy diet. I lost 16lb in a few weeks with sepsis in March, but after recovery have lost more through cutting back on carbs and walking every day, to get back to my prime 112lb - and this is where I want to stay! It may be harder to lose weight after the menopause but the equation is still the same - too much food in and not enough energy out = slow inevitable weight gain; keeping to what you need (or slightly less) and more energy expended = slow loss. We have a wonderful tool to help us achieve this - which is very hard for an individual with a normal stomach. Plus we have absorption issues, and potential to suffer if we eat too much fat and sugar (especially at once). We can use this tool to achieve our goal, and use it alongside lifestyle changes to maintain it, whatever our age. 😊

I had my gallbladder removed in 1998 due to gall stones/ gallbladder attacks after losing over 60 pounds. After the gallbladder removal it was a struggle to lose weight & it quickly returned with extra. In 2011 I found out I had hypothyroidism (Hashimoto's) and PCOS. I worked hard to try to lose weight to have children & increase my fertility. I lost 20 pounds, but struggled beyond that. I had VSG last month and the weight is finally coming off. Perhaps it might be slower than some other people, but it is going in the right direction for the first time in about 20 years. I don't know if you had surgery, or are looking into getting it, or are looking for weight loss tips. I was put on metformin for PCOS and told to eat a low carb diet. I didn't lose much, though. Yes, PCOS has been known to affect weight loss. I haven't heard much about the effects of gallbladder removal on weight loss. It is hard to know if it was connected in my case, as I also had undiagnosed PCOS and hypothyroidism for many, many years. I believe WLS may reduce symptoms of PCOS. Wishing you luck with your weight loss goals. 😁🍀

Ever since I have found out I have PCOS and gallbladder surgery I been having trouble losing weight and suggestions Sent from my moto e using BariatricPal mobile app

Are you exercising at all? This sounds like it may be something else going on that’s possibly hormonal (ie high cortisol, pcos, insulin resistance, hypothyroidism etc) I agree to disagree on people who are not “big eaters” having the surgery. I wasn’t a big eater and spent many years with a high level of exercise and closely monitoring my diet and still ended up 340 pounds before surgery. Without getting VSG, I don’t even want to think about where my weight would be now as it would be so outrageous. Don’t be afraid to go to multiple doctors and asking for different tests/opinions. It took me years and years to somewhat find out what was wrong with me to somewhat understand why I kept gaining weight. I cried, I had complete breakdowns in front of my husband because of the sheer frustration of it all. VSG is a wonderful tool, but if you have something going on that is causing your metabolism to lower significantly, it’s only part of the puzzle.

Hi! I just thought about checking this thread yesterday, to see how everyone's doing. I am doing GREAT! It is SO NICE to be able to eat without vomiting, lie down/sleep without being awash in stomach acid, and to basically live like a normal person again. My daughter (she's almost 28) and I took a quick trip to Disney before she started grad school and it was wonderful! I could eat and drink in all our favorite places and not be sick! I'm eating less than I had been and slowly losing weight, too. I guess the surgery was enough of a change to my insides that it was like a "reset" or something- but I have that obvious "full" feeling again and am doing better with my weight management. NOW I have to get back into the gym regularly, something that ended when Covid hit and I just haven't re-established the habit yet. Hope you all are doing well!

Starting weight pre 6month diet: 335lb Pre Op Weight: 339.8lb Currently 5 months post op and sitting at 261lb (down 78.8) Goal weight: 220 (I’m tall) and long term goal weight 195

I was 22 when I had my gastric sleeve. It was in July and I was staying with my parents before going back to school in August after the summer break. This gave me plenty of recovery time. I didn't attend any social gatherings during the recovery. But it was the 4th of July the day before I flew out to get my surgery, there was a family bbq and I was on my liquid-only pre-op diet. It was terrible but I overcame temptation. Everyone was asking why I wasn't eating. But I just said that I had a surgery in a couple of days and couldn't eat anything. But at that moment I made a promise to myself. "I will answer honestly whenever someone asks in the future, I won't hide it, there's nothing to be ashamed of" When I got back to school after my surgery there were a couple of social gatherings where it came up, and I just said, my stomach isn't big enough to eat what is on my plate, when they would ask why I would say, "part of my stomach was surgically removed in July" and that is usually good enough. But when it isn't I just say, I had the surgery done voluntarily for my health to help me lose weight. I wasn't uncomfortable about it. I even had to tell my lab classes that I would need to leave periodically to drink water (no food or drinks in labs). Inevitably I would have to say why. Comfort is relative. If you think you will be uncomfortable because you're hiding the surgery, don't hide it. If you're uncomfortable because of all the food, bring your own. etc. Do what makes you feel best. If you aren't ready, you aren't ready, and that is fine. Like I said, I had a couple of months at home before having to join the world. I think that helped a lot.

Yes, I regret it 100%. Sleeved 5/28/2021. As of today I am only down 18 pounds since surgery. When I tell people that, I always get a list of how it has to be my fault. Medical intervention that you can't really cheat, but it's my fault? I couldn't "cheat" if I wanted to. I don't think genetics, hormones, and age are talked about enough pre-op. My weight loss slowed way down in the years prior to surgery. I'd cut carbs and work out hard and only lose 5 lbs in a month. I thought this surgery would help, it hasn't. My biggest words of advice, IF YOU ARE NOT A BIG EATER DO NOT GET THIS SURGERY! Consider all factors first. My mother, sisters and aunts have been on "diets" since Tab and Jane Fonda workout were a thing and the smallest any have ever been is the 170's (all 5'3-5'5). We're just heavier and hormonal with slow metabolisms. Not horribly obese, but in the 200's with big arms, stomachs, and backs. Unless they've been hiding it for decades, they don't gorge on food. We typically gain 10lbs a year that we just can't lose. That's how we are and how I'll be. I'm getting ok with it. Primary is asking if I'd consider converting to bypass in the future. No thanks, what would be the point. I just never tell anyone I've done this to myself out of sheer embarrassment. Very expensive mistake.

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