does chewing gum help sweet craving?

[MAJIQUE 36]

I am set for surgery in May and I wondered if chewing gum will help curb sweet craving? Also what do you do when you get real thirsty? You can't drink much Water at once. That worries me

[slvrsax 301]

I don't chew gum and didn't before surgery, I was told it was a no no post surgery. Cottage cheese with sugar free raspberry jam or plain greek yogurt with dry sugar free cheesecake pudding mixed in helps the sweet craving. As for Water, I'm 4 months out and can drink 3 or 4 gulps at once. I only had trouble drinking in the very early stages, it eases up considerably within a few months.

Good luck with your surgery and enjoy the journey as it is life changing!

[LindafromFlorida 1,542]

Surgeons say no gum, mints and hard candy. If you were to inadvertently swallow something you would find out why very quickly. I did not properly chew a small piece of soft chicken about 4 weeks after the sleeve and I thought I was having a heart attack.

[Kindle 8,667]

I drank so many sweet Protein drinks for so long, at 4 months out I STILL don't crave anything sweet. I bought pudding to eat when I transitioned to puréed food at 3 weeks postop and it's still in my cupboard. And all the SF Popsicles I stocked up on are still in my freezer.

As for Water, be prepared to sip sip sip all day long. I can drink pretty normal now, but in the beginning getting Fluid in is a full time job. I had a Clostridial infection that caused diarrhea 2-3 months out and had to get IV fluids 3 times because I got so dehydrated.

[swimbikerun 1,046]

If you are talking pre surgery, yes go ahead. Anything to help you. A healthy treat is always great - apple, banana, carrots, those are natural sugars and will give you healthy nutrients you will need. As for drinking, just get used to sipping sipping and more sipping.

Don't be worried or beat yourself up because its going to take a bit to get used to after surgery.

The other is do you do carbonated drinks? I took 3 weeks to come off them. Slowly tapered, and didn't have any headaches. People who drink them and then go cold turkey are usually inviting headaches big time. Most places I hear give you a few days to a week or more to lessen your eating so your liver shrinks. So unless you want hunger on top of that, you might want to consider that.

Note that I worked the week and right up to the day before my surgery, with a week of a very low calorie/fat/sugar diet. It can be done but it depends on your discipline.