Sodas

[ibedebi 5]

Hello Fellow WLS Candidates and Alumni -

This is my first post on BP. I am beginning my Pre-Op preparations for my surgery, which is scheduled for the end of March 2016. I am having a terrible time giving up diet sodas. That's my vice in the morning. It's something about feeling the tingling sensation of carbonation on my tongue that I crave. I'm attempting to start off with 1 diet coke in the morning, then drinking iced tea for the rest of the day. Let's just say, I haven't been very successful.

Any suggestions on how to beat this? Is it possible that I won't crave carbonated drinks after my surgery?

Thanks!

ibedebi

[KathyLynn160 27]

I'm just starting this whole process. I meet with my dietician Wednesday. (I found out I have to see one for 3 months for ins approval) I used to drink a red bull every morning, 7 days a week. My go to soda was Pepsi and living in NC, I just had to have my sweet tea. About a month ago, I just gave it all up one day. I only drink Water and when we go out I always order unsweetened tea.

It DOES get easier. When I first started to give up the drinks, I started by having water on me constantly thru out the day. That helped tremendously for me.

Also, I do sometimes drink Pure Leaf sweet tea. There isn't too much sweetness to it.

Good luck & I'm sure you will overcome that soda addiction!!

[axlr8n 161]

I struggled with exactly the same thing... Diet Coke was my drink of choice and I had many throughout the day. I started by having smaller portions, instead of the 44oz, I got the 32, and then the 20. I can't say that it ever got easy before surgery, but I was able to completely eliminate it by the time I started my pre op diet.

Now, 4 months after surgery, my head still thinks I might want some occasionally... I have humored myself twice and found that even a couple sips is just gross - so no more for me and no real desire for it either.

You can do this!. Just think of it as a journey with milestones instead of something you have to do all at once.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

I broke my caffeine/carbonation addiction on two phases.

Like you, I was addicted to Diet Coke. I started gradually cutting back on diet cokes and substituting iced tea.

Once I was able to break the Diet Coke habit I cut back on the tea and added more Water and Decaf tea to gradually decrease my caffeine.

In addition to tea, try crystal light, Mio drops, diet lemonade, etc.

For me it really helped to do it gradually.

You can do this and will really be glad when you successfully break the habit. I know I was and am.

[Djmohr 6,965]

I had a huge addiction to Diet Coke and lattes. For me I suffer from severe Migraines and my neurologist wanted me off all caffeine.

This was before my surgery and it took me about a month but I slowly weaned myself off the caffeine.

At that point I was still drinking soda very occasionally, caffeine free of course. When I say occasionally, I mean maybe once or twice a month.

Giving up soda became easy after giving up the caffeine.

I do recommend weaning to avoid nasty headaches. Also it would definitely be the thing I would work on first. You don't want to go through both caffeine withdrawal and sugar withdrawal right before surgery. That would suck!

[Dub 9,922]

I made the switch from regular soft drinks to the diet versions when I was in my late teens.

I dropped sweet tea way back then, too.

That being said.....I was hopelessly addicted to Diet Mountain Dew and Diet Coke for decades.

I scaled back on both leading up to my sleeve surgery last October.

I've not tried either since then and I truly have zero desire for diet drinks. I am very happy to drink my Water and coffee and life is good.

Not only are the diet soda cravings gone....but so are the cravings for sweets and other junk foods. I crave meats.

About the worst junk food I ever want anymore is the occasional nuts or cheeses.....and even these aren't so bad.

[waterwoman 180]

I gave up a 50 year habit of drinking diet sodas last September as preparation for my RNY in March. First I switched to caffiene free diet coke and then, prepping with lots of aspirin to keep ahead of the headache pain, switched to Water.

The side benefit was that I, too, lost my craving for sweets.

Best to you. For me, it was one of those things that's harder to anticipate than to do,

[Daisee68 2,493]

I drank them (Diet Dr. Pepper) right up until the last month before surgery. Then I stopped for 3 weeks and then caved and had several the week of my pre-op liquid diet. I still crave them 7 months post-op, but I think I crave the habit and the feeling of carbonation more than anything. I have given in and tried them on 2 occasions post-op. Both times, the carbonation was exactly what I remembered and craved on the first sip but didn't taste good really. Then the 2nd and 3rd sips definitely didn't taste good and I was able throw it away. I still miss it and dream about it though but as you can see from everyone above, many people do not. But even though I crave it, I am able to avoid it because I know it is not something I should indulge in. Once you avoid it for so long, the avoiding it does become easier.

For now, just try cutting back slowly and finding a replacement but don't beat yourself up. Can you switch to the caffeine free version? That at least helps on that front.... Good luck! You will do it! It is one of the things that kept me from doing the surgery for so many years and now I realize that was a silly reason.

[The Candidate 3,215]

My vice was Coke Zero. I drank it from the moment I woke up straight until bedtime. I drank zero Water. My habit developed early on as a child.

I quit for about a month straight during my pre op requirements. But during the last month before surgery I was drinking it again, right up until the day before surgery.

I'm now closing in on six months post op, and I haven't had a single soda in all that time. I now drink Water exclusively. I never thought I'd be free from soda, but I did it. The cravings were bad probably for the first month or so. But now, I hardly even give it a thought. It's wonderful to finally have that monkey (and expense) off my back.

The key is to focus on everything you're going to gain after surgery, instead of what you'll have to give up. It is so worth the sacrifice. Good luck!

[Lemm61 206]

Oh yes....glorious Diet Coke with Lime, how I will miss you. I'm not a cold turkey kinda girl so I figure I have 3 months pre op to wean myself off. This month I will go from 4 cans a day to 3. Logging them on MFP helps me be accountable and just flat out remember how many I've had. For me, this will be the hardest give up but doable.

[CHM 1,009]

I've always had headaches from caffeine, so my issue was with caffeine-free diet Coke (or "no fun" Coke, as one of my friends likes to call it). When told I'd need to eliminate carbonated beverages before surgery, I first tried to wean off of it by making a rule that I had to drink an equal amount of Water (12 oz, for a can) before I could have the soda. This cut my intake in half, then after a week or 2 I upped the rule to double the water (24 oz) before I could have a can of soda. It was at this point that I learned that my addiction was not to the sweetness or the soda itself, but to the carbonation. So I switched to Pellegrino and unsweetened flavored seltzer waters and gave myself a week to adjust to that without soda. Then I started pouring the bottles/cans into a glass 30 mins before consuming to let them deflate a bit. Then an hour, then 2 hours, and gradually the carbonation addiction tapered off. Now I'm happy as a clam with NUUN tablets in my water bottle...after 30 mins to let the effervescence wear off of course.

[Missy407 63]

I had a horrible diet coke addiction and drank several cans a day right up to surgery. Since then I've taken a sip of soda once out of curiosity and was in such pain that I'm in no hurry to repeat it any time soon. Stabbing stomach pains from carbonation will cure you of your addiction quickly. Good luck.

[debi123 0]

I don't really like canned or bottled drinks. I prefer fountain diet cokes.

Anyone have trouble with those?

[lifeofblair 308]

I had to quit drinking sodas cold turkey. If I have just a sip I'm going to drink the whole thing, so I couldn't ween myself off like others. I understand how hard it is to quit them.

[rking 484]

I drank real Coke, until I started my pre op diet. I am 8 weeks post op and haven't had one. Doc said it would stretch my sleeve. Do I still want them? Hell yes. I want one now but I refuse to have one and risk my weight loss at all. I have been through too much. Maybe one day I will never want one again.... Who knows.