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Carbonated drinks and bubbles

Exactly! Carbonated drinks regardless of what you call the seltzer or otherwise are not part of any program I know of. Why do people go through all this trouble just to set themselves up to fail. Incredible self delusion.
 
I don't feel like I am setting myself up for failure. I own the journey I am on and you own yours. Blanket statements like that do not belong in support groups. IMO.
 
Maybe it's a good thing you took my comments personally. We all stray off the reservation time to time, myself included, after all we are only human. But if I find a way to bend the rules, that goes against the best medical advice we all have been given and decide to share that information here. I would deserve to be set straight by you or anyone else on this forum. That is my take on this situation and I welcome comments from anyone.
 
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Anyone who enjoys the flavor of carbonated beverages and can not find a comparable flavor, e.g. cola, can still enoy it IF you COMPLETELY stir out all of the bubbles. Stir, stir and stir some more. Adding ice helps get the bubbles out. Leaving the beverage in an opened container also helps especially if left out in a warm room as carbonation dissipates faster in higher temps.
 
Maybe it's a good thing you took my comments personally. We all stray off the reservation time to time, myself included, after all we are only human. But if I find a way to bend the rules, that goes against the best medical advice we all have been given and decide to share that information here. I would deserve to be set straight by you or anyone else on this forum. That is my take on this situation and I welcome comments from anyone.

I am going to be as nice about this as I possibly can. But please do not flatter yourself. Like I said, I will walk my journey and you can stay on your own path. I will do what is right for ME, and if I want a diet root beer I will allow the carbonation to escape first and then I will drink it.
 
Pat, Regular soda has a ton of sugar in it. So for me, it would not apply to regular soda. The best thing to do if you have doubts is ask your Nutritionist.

Frank

:cool:

 
I have to be honest, I take a swallow or two of carbonated drink one a day or two but it does make me feel full immediately. I did ask doc and he said it DOES NOT stretch the pouch but it makes you uncomfortable and will not eat what you should due to that feeling and it makes you burp and since the pouch is small, it could cause regurg so best not to do it. I find it is what quenches real thirst for me but I am trying to avoid if possible since it makes me very full feeling, not comfortable.
 
I couldn't stand it anymore and absolutely had to have some diet coca cola (decaf). For me a big mistake. I only like it with the bubbles in it so I sipped a bit. Like I said big mistake - got sick as a dog, and will NEVER do it again. It's been over a year since I had had any but it just isn't worth it and I don't like it without the bubbles. To each his own but the nutritionist is very opposed to diet soda because it also is not good for your bones and some of it contains way too much sodium and caffeine even with the bubbles out of it. She is also opposed to substitute sweeteners although she said you can use them sparingly. Joy
 
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This article comes to you courtesy of ThinnerTimesForum.


"Why Carbonated Beverages are "TABOO" after bariatric Surgery"
By: Cynthia Buffington, Ph.D

Did you drink carbonated soft drinks prior to your Bariatric surgery? Do you still consume carbonated soft drinks? Were you advised by your surgeon or his/her nutritional staff NOT to drink carbonated drinks after surgery? Do you understand why drinking carbonated beverages, even if sugar-free, could jeopardize your weight loss success and, perhaps even your health?

A carbonated beverage is an effervescent drink that releases carbon dioxide under conditions of normal atmospheric pressure. Carbonated drinks include most soft drinks, champagne, beer, and seltzer water. If you consume a soft drink or other carbonated beverage while eating, the carbonation forces food through he stomach pouch, reducing the time food remains in the pouch. The less time food remains in your stomach pouch, the less satiety (feelings of fullness) you experience, enabling you to eat more with increased risk for weight gain.

The gas released from a carbonated beverage may "stretch" your stomach pouch. Food forced through the pouch by the carbonation could also significantly enlarge the size of your stoma (the opening between the stomach pouch and intestines of patients who have had a gastric bypass or biliopancreatic diversion). An enlarged pouch or stoma would allow you to eat larger amounts of food at any one setting. In this way, consuming carbonated beverages, even if the drinks are diet or calorie free, may cause weight gain or interfere with maximal weight loss success.

Soft drinks may also cause weight gain by reducing the absorption of dietary calcium. Dietary calcium helps to stimulate fat breakdown and reduce its uptake into adipose tissue. Epidemiological and clinical studies have found a close association between obesity and low dietary calcium intake. Recent studies have found that maintaining sufficient amounts of dietary calcium helps to induce weight loss or prevent weight gain following diet.

The high caffeine in carbonated sodas is one way that drinking carbonated soft drinks may reduce the absorption of calcium into the body. Studies have found that caffeine increases urinary calcium content, meaning that high caffeine may interfere with the uptake of dietary calcium into the body. Keep in mind that one 12 oz. can of Mountain Dew has 50 mg of caffeine, and Pepsi and Coke (diet or those with sugar) contain 37 mg of caffeine each.

Colas, such as Pepsi and Coke (diet or with sugar), may also cause calcium deficiencies from the high amounts of phosphoric acid that they contain. Phosphate binds to calcium and the bound calcium cannot be absorbed into the body. Both animal and human studies have found that phosphoric acid is associated with altered calcium homeostasis and low calcium.

Drinking carbonated beverages may also reduce dietary calcium because these beverages replace milk and other nutrient-containing drinks or foods in the diet. Several studies report inverse (negative) relationships between carbonated beverage usage and the amount of milk (particularly children) consume.

Carbonated beverages, then, may reduce dietary calcium because of their high caffeine or phosphoric acid content or because drinking such beverages tends to reduce the consumption of calcium-containing foods and beverages. Such deficiencies in dietary calcium intake may be even more pronounced in Bariatric surgical patients.

Calcium deficiencies with Bariatric surgery have been reported following gastric restrictive and/or malabsorptive procedures. The reduced amounts of calcium with bariatric surgery may occur as a result of low nutrient intake, low levels of vitamin D, or, for patients who have had gastric bypass pr the biliopancreatic diversion (with or without the duodenal switch), from bypass of the portion of the gut where active absorption of calcium normally occurs. Drinking carbonated beverages may further increase the risk for dietary calcium deficiencies and, in this way, hinder maximal weight loss success.

For all the reasons described above, including calcium deficits, reduced satiety, enlargement of pouch or stoma, drinking carbonated beverages, even those that are sugar-free, could lead to weight gain. Carbonated beverages that contain sugar, however, pose a substantially greater threat to the Bariatric patient in terms of weight loss and weight loss maintenance with surgery.

Sugar-containing soft drinks have a relatively high glycemic index, meaning that blood sugar levels readily increase with their consumption. The rapid rise in blood sugar, in turn, increases the production of the hormone, insulin, that acts to drive sugar into tissues where it is metabolized or processed for storage. High insulin levels, however, also contribute to fat accumulation, driving fat into the fat storage depots and inhibiting the breakdown of fat.

Soft drinks with sugar are also high in calories. An average 12 oz. soft drink contains 10 teaspoons of refined sugar (40g). The typical 12-oz. can of soda contains 150 calories (Coke = 140 calories; Pepsi = 150; Dr. Pepper = 160; orange soda = 180; 7-up = 140; etc.). Soft drinks are the fifth largest source of calories for adults, accounting for 5.6% of all calories that Americans consume. Among adolescents, soft drinks provide 8%- to 9% of calories. An extra 150 calories per day from a soft drink over the course of a year, is equivalent to nearly 16 pounds and that weight gain multiplied by a few years could equate to “morbid obesity”.

In addition to the adverse effects that carbonated drinks have on weight loss or weight loss maintenance, carbonated beverages may also have adverse effects on health. Soda beverages and other carbonated drinks are acidic with a pH of 3.0 or less. Drinking these acidic beverages on an empty stomach in the absence of food, as Bariatric patients are required to do, can upset the fragile acid-alkaline balance of the gastric pouch and intestines and increase the risk for ulcers or even the risk for gastrointestinal adenomas (cancer).

Soft drink usage has also been found to be associated with various other health problems. These include an increased risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, kidney stones, bone fractures and reduced bone density, allergies, cancer, acid-peptic disease, dental carries, gingivitis, and more. Soft drinks may, in addition, increase the risk for oxidative stress. This condition is believed to contribute significantly to aging and to diseases associated with aging and obesity, i.e. diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, liver disease, reduced immune function, hypertension, and more.

From the above discussion, do you now have a little better understanding of why your Bariatric surgeon or Bariatric nutritionist advised you NOT to consume carbonated sodas after surgery? Your Bariatric surgeon and his/her staff want to see you achieve the best results possible from your surgery – both in terms of weight loss and health status – and so do YOU. Consider the consequences of drinking such beverages now that you understand more clearly why such drinks are “Bariatric taboo”.
 
Carbonated drinks makes the blood to become acidic is why they say it weakens your bones. And I don't care what the dietitians say about artificial sweeteners, they just want you to suffer.
 
Dcepello,

The Nutritionist at our center was very specific about artificial sweeteners. Her main gripe was that they fool the body into thinking "hey we are getting sugar" and therefore they can actually make you feel hungry. I believe this has been proven a multitude of times by research. However, she was not heartless and asked that we use them sparingly. I still use them in my baking and in my tea and sometimes for other things. She said that was OK but doesn't want you to overdo. We even got recipes for shakes that included some artificial sweeteners. They are a boon for diabetics who can't or shouldn't eat pure sugar. She gave us a list of her favorites and she specifically stated that we were not to allow ourselves to suffer, just be sensible about our choices. She still makes herself available by phone if we have questions and is extremely supportive. I certainly do not feel at all deprived.
 
Dcepello,

The Nutritionist at our center was very specific about artificial sweeteners. Her main gripe was that they fool the body into thinking "hey we are getting sugar" and therefore they can actually make you feel hungry. I believe this has been proven a multitude of times by research. However, she was not heartless and asked that we use them sparingly. I still use them in my baking and in my tea and sometimes for other things. She said that was OK but doesn't want you to overdo. We even got recipes for shakes that included some artificial sweeteners. They are a boon for diabetics who can't or shouldn't eat pure sugar. She gave us a list of her favorites and she specifically stated that we were not to allow ourselves to suffer, just be sensible about our choices. She still makes herself available by phone if we have questions and is extremely supportive. I certainly do not feel at all deprived.

I am diabetic so I have an appreciation of artificial sweeteners, all though I don't enjoy overly sweet things . I don't understand the duplicity of dieticians and nutritionists, yes, no, maybe? So, I was poking a little fun at that mixed bag of messages.
 
Pat, Regular soda has a ton of sugar in it. So for me, it would not apply to regular soda. The best thing to do if you have doubts is ask your Nutritionist.

You must have me confused with someone else. I don't drink soda, diet or otherwise so I do not need to ask my nutritionist.
 
Sandie-This is so true. In fact, most people who try to drink more than a tiny sip of a bubbly beverage after bariactic surgery get so sick from feeling over full they usually never touch it again. I gave up diet soda more than a year before my surgery but I know what you mean about it quenching thirst. It used to be the ONLY thing that quenched mine and was about the only thing I would drink. I've never been big on plain water and have had many discussions regarding this with my PCP. She has always told me that I could drink as much of anything as I wanted as long as it doesn't contain alcohol, caffeine or sugar (I used to be diabetic). I rarely drink plain water and never have. I even remember having countless "battles" with my mother over this when I was a child. My grandfather was the same as me and couldn't tolerate drinking water. I'm not trying to dissuade anyone from drinking water, it's just not for everyone.
 
If I took every bit of advice my nutritionist gave me I would be living mostly on legumes, water and protein bars; nothing else. It's not that she says I absolutely can not have certain things it's just that her standard answer is not to eat things like lean turkey lunchmeat or canned tuna more than once a week. Looking back at the nutritional guidelines I was given by the same medical group it showed turkey lunchmeat and tuna to be perfectly acceptable choices. She even told me that we do not need to eat vegetables and that bariatric patients only need proteins and multivitamins because we get whatever other nutrients we need as we burn off our excess fat. I would hate to live at her house *LOL* By the way, she looks like she weighs about 95 pounds...
 
Cynthia Buffington PhD what is your PhD in? What you wrote seems copied from a Nutrition text. Some true and some horsefeathers! I am a medical provider, I do know what sodas can do to bones, to stomas etc. and I find what you wrote to sound very dry and very nutrition like but not sure you are a nutritionist or a wannabe. Nutrtitionists as a group seem to me(my opinion) to be very rigid, dry people. "Its my way or the highway" AND then you find some who say the opposite of the one you saw previously.
This is a journey, if the surgery is done right, one could not drink more than a sip or two of carbonated soda anyway so it is not gong to leach calcium for the bones or stretch the stomach. One would have to drink a whole can of soda to even start to stretch anything and one would have to do that a lot of times a day for months. Since we have pouches, you cannot fit a can of soda in there really. One sip of anything other than sugary syrup is not going to hurt anything really. The sugary syrup could have enough sugar to cause dumping so that is why I say that. FEAR tactics should NEVER be used and feel that Cynthia that is what you were trying to do. I applaud you have a PhD, many schools are confering PhD for what used to be a Masters Degree like Physical Therapists and Pharmacists and now possibly Nutritionists. Our responsibility as medical practitioners is to tell the truth and to advise accordingly. ONE SIP OF SODA(artificially sweetened) will never damage anything, it may make you full feeling and so don't do it if you do not like it but makes me feel less thirsty and satisfies the thirst and then I go back to drinking water with Crystal Light in it or some other non carbonated drink. These are my opinions and my opinions only.
 
I am going to be as nice about this as I possibly can. But please do not flatter yourself. Like I said, I will walk my journey and you can stay on your own path. I will do what is right for ME, and if I want a diet root beer I will allow the carbonation to escape first and then I will drink it.

Good Morning Stacy,
I read your post with interest. I love soda and really miss it :-( We have a beer company in town that makes the absolute best root beer ever. I have an idea...can't you use root beer flavoring in water? Take care and have a wonderful weekend! Hugs, Nancy
 
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