Some very basic questions

[Totoro 66]

h.i everyone, I'm very new to the game, I've only just started considering WLS after seeing a newspaper article featuring a local singer who lost more than 60 kgs! (sorry, I'm in Australia and use the metric system )

So, I'm really just in the researching phase of my journey - I have a couple of basic questions

First- after the whole recovery period, is it possible to still enjoy spicy food? I LOVE chillis etc Also, can you drink carbonated drinks like soda Water? Thank you for your help.

[Miss Mac 6,262]

As soon as I got the go-ahead to move on to whole cooked foods, I stopped and had Wendy's chili on the way home from the doctor's office. At a year out, Miss Tummy still does not like jalepenos, but I can tolerate mild sauce on stuff.

[Countrygrrl 450]

I started putting hot sauce in my broth faze. I can't live with out rooster sauce

[alwaysvegas 702]

I can still handle the spiciest of foods and love them all. My palate did not change at all for the negative, but now I love tofu and cottage cheese and I couldn't stand either much before. However, some people do have intolerance to certain foods for a short time and for some people it's permanent. But the vast majority of people I've talked to in support groups and on the board seem to tolerate everything they did before surgery, but in much smaller quantities of course.

Most surgeons/nutritionists do not recommend carbonated beverages because the carbonation causes an upset stomach for many people. Many people suggest that the carbonation will stretch out your stomach and there's alot of debate on whether that's true. I've read more that it's really the discomfort from the carbonated gas in the small pouch. You'd burp out the gas before causing permanent stretching. Either way, I have not tried anything carbonated because I've had no desire to do so.

Most everything post-op is "as tolerated" and if you can tolerate it, then generally not to worry. You should still plan for healthy lifestyle just as you would without the sleeve. Overall, you should always follow your surgeon's directives and not take them as suggestions unless they are given as such.

[Totoro 66]

Thank you so much for your replies - I'm beginning to get a clearer picture of what's involved. Do you need to track everything you eat and drink ALL the time or just at the beginning?

[georgiare 63]

I Have spicy foods all the time, I love spicy foods. The biggest issue is you cannot drink while eating, so if that's common for you to do while eating spicy food then it could cause you to go with a little less spice. And I concur with the previous post, carbonation can give you belly aches. I actually had a lap band before my sleeve and carbonated drinks hurt me to drink now, I've tried sips when there was no other options and it is not a pleasant experience. I've found that tracking your food intake helps to figure out where you are at, and can help identify where you can make changes in order to increase your weight loss, but isn't mandatory by any means. Im 3 months out from my sleeve surgery, I barely track anything. But, when I do track, I usually see trends where I can make adjustments.

[BitterSweet* 835]

To be cleared for surgery, track all of the time. After surgery you may also find tracking helpful to make sure you are meeting daily Protein and caloric requirements. When you hit a stall, it'll help to determine what nutritional adjustments can be made to your intake to resume weight loss.

Some people are religious about tracking, and some don't do it all once they've had the surgery.