Coffee???

[JCSTOM 0]

I am considering LapBand but can't live with out coffee.... Any problems with coffee living with lapband?

[4466larry 0]

I have drank coffee everyday since the banding without any ill effects. Coffee tastes good and its a good motivator to get to work. Remember, just don't chug it anymore. Coffee goes down great. Theres a whole laundry list of things I can't eat anymore. The coffee stays. Life is short enough.

[CutieBJMR 0]

Hello, I was banded on March 19th and they said no coffee (I simply love the stuff) so about 4 weeks out I had a cup and my blood sugar dropped (not a diabetic) and really felt horrible, however that would happen sometimes before I was banded. My girlfriend got banded 3 weeks after me and asked the nutritionist about her friend (which was me) not being able to have coffee and she said the reason was that it could cause low blood sugar. When I moved to solids I had no problems with coffee and enjoy a cup daily. Coffee is fine but not right away because you are eating so little at first. Hope this helps.

[ainnjay 1]

Hello!! I just got banded on June 3rd. Prior to the surgery I talked to the surgeon, dietician, preop nurse separately. They all said that Decaf coffee is okay, however, avoid caffeine. Caffeine can cause ulcers around the band. The preop showed me a picture of the stomach going around the band...it would lead to having to have an additional surgery to fix it.

I was told do NOT drink caffeine or take NSAIDS or Ibuprofen.

To me, this was my biggest decision. I made the choice to give it up and move forward. I like decaf tea and decaf coffee and feel like eliminating the caffeine can help my moods as well! Good luck with whatever choose!!

[iwokeupfat 0]

My dietitian recommended Decaf only... so I started drinking decaf. BUT.. I'm not a big coffee drinker.. maybe one to two tops in the morning. So I don't worry about drinking the caffeinated coffee now. I don't get caffeine any other way during the day so I don't think it's a big deal. But if you can't live without your coffee and if you drink it all day long, I'd stick with decaffeinated. I was told because it was a diuretic and they want you to stay hydrated.

[illuminationlady 7]

I love coffee and drink it every day without any problems. Starbucks is my weakness. I love skinny vanilla lattes with splenda, either hot or on ice. Occasionally I treat myself to a frappachino. But that's a rarity. My point is I love coffee and my doc says it's okay. From what I've read on this board it varies from doctor to doctor. I'm glad mine lets me have it. It's bad enough that we have to give up carbonated beverages...how could I live without my coffee...lol. Best wishes!!!

[Jachut 487]

My main problem with coffee is that I no longer balance it out with food - coffee for lunch, coffee for Breakfast, even coffee for dinner on occasion. I've always been a coffee drinker, thankfully, we havent enjoyed quite the same boom in confectionary coffees here in Australia (oh, they're there, but people still drink real coffee, not huge paper cups of Syrup and cream). And we have really good instant coffee here, so for me, coffee is a lesser evil - no calories and not TOO much caffeine.

[kll724 3,055]

I agree with the coffee drinkers. I drink mine in the morning with a shot of skim milk. Some days, it is the only thing my band will allow down. I HATE de-caf. I drink ice teas through-out the day, but need to start the morning with a hot cup of real coffee.

[JudyDF 0]

I was banded on March 30th. Started out with Decaf no problems then went to regular coffee and I have never had a problem.. I usually only have one cup a day but even if I have 2 I have not had any problems at all. The way my nutritionist explained it to me was that if I really was a coffee addict and had 4 or more cups a day that would probably present difficulties. Like the say everything in moderation.

[juliansmom2003 3]

I have a 12 to 16 ounce cup of coffee every morning. My doc says it's alright. I was on Decaf initially right after being banded as instructed, but now I drink a cup a day and I'm fine. Please, if I can't smoke, drink too much alcohol, have no soda, and eat I'd be one mean b*tch without my coffee LOL!!! That is what works for me, but I am not trying to speak for all the bandsters here :-)

(Again, you see from the responses, it does vary from doctor to doctor--what does yours say about it?)

[MarilynJ6354 5]

My doctor says no caffeine but de-caf is fine. I don't drink much coffee since I quit smoking last year but once in a while I have a starbucks Decaf.

Caffeine stimulates the appetite, plus coffee is acidic and can leech Calcium out of the bones in large amounts and is a diuretic.

[lovelylynn 1]

I was banded March 19th and stayed away from coffee for about 3 weeks. Now I am back to my coffee fix every morning. My doc and nutritionist say no caffeine at all. But, I have been having one cup of coffee in the morning for over 30 years, and I wasn't about to give up one simple little cup of coffee a day. I never drink more than one cup a day and don't see any harm in it. Never heard about the acid causing a problem for the band, or it leaching Calcium from the bones. Sounds like scare tactics to me. :thumbup:

[Jachut 487]

Its like anything, there's plenty of health benefits of coffee too, such as reduction in the incidence of diabetes. Its about moderation.

I dont drink coffee in moderation, lol, but like I said, I'm an instant coffee drinker coz instant coffee is pretty darn good in Australia. So I'd be under the recommended 500 mg of caffeine a day.

There's some not so great things about coffee too, but like someone said above - I eat well, I'm not overweight, I dont smoke and never have, I only drink wine and that's in moderation (2 or 3 drinks a week) so I'm not about to give up my one vice (and joy) in life!

[khunt719 2]

While I was doing my pre-surgery appts with my nut she had me go to decaf...well that wasn't working so I stayed on the caffeine and haven't turned back since. I have been banded for 9 months, I have 6-8 cups in the morning with my Protein Shake and then when I get to work for break I have another 20 oz, so coffee is my best friend. I don't sleep very much so at 3:00 in the morning it is something that I crave. Nothing bad has come of this so I don't feel like I have to stop drinking my regular mocha flavored coffee.

[JoiaRox 430]

No problems at all for me. Caffeine is completely fine with my doctor - I drink iced tea like it goes out of style. I've never been a daily coffee drinker, but I do drink it on occasion (and LOVE my Starbucks!).

The only limitation my doctor gave me was no carbonation - the bubbles interfere with the band's operation. So, soda is out (and that was an easy adjustment, even for a Diet Coke-aholic like me!), but coffee is fine!