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My first slip up

D

dizlightly

Member
I cooked for my partner tonight--he eats normally, no surgery. It smelled so good and I was proud of myself. I made roasted potatoes and baked chicken tenders.
I wanted a tiny bite of chicken (I'm just short of two weeks post op) I have been craving salty things and texture like crazy. I'm so tired of all the sweet protein shakes I've been drinking. So I started nibbling and my bf said "stop, you're gonna get sick" and I decided to just brush him off and say "hasn't happened yet!"

welp, 5 minutes later I had to ran to the bathroom to throw up. I should have listened. Silver lining of having this surgery in a pandemic is that these unfortunate events are happening at home and not in public, but oooh boy. Getting used to listening to my body is going to be an interesting journey.
 
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LisaLisa said:
Try drinking broth. It's been a godsend to me as I too am so tired of the sweet shakes. I ordered unflavored protein powder so the broth will do more for me than just sate my salt craving.
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You're so right, Lisa. I saw on YouTube that someone got a bunch of miso soup packets and put protein in there. I'm gonna buy some this weekend. I love miso! I bought some Naked Protein as well it's supposed to be delivered soon as well!
 
I was craving salty/crunchy so much during the liquid and puree stages that I'd chew on pickles and spit them out. I was having salty broth and such, but wanted a crunch. That desire to eat pickles continued through the soft food stage and now it's just disappeared. I think it also had to do with my body desiring some electrolytes. The craving for salty things reduced when I would add in some non-calorie sports drinks occasionally.

It's a strange thing...managing and discovering what our bodies need after surgery.
 
That is too funny, I would sip pickle juice. Talked to surgeon and he said that was perfectly fine.
funny how everyone’s tastes are so different. I lived on premier protein ready made shakes and put them over ice especially the cafe latte I felt like I was drinking a Iced coffee. This is so funny, i bought some new glass coffee mugs and would really try and make my protein drink time extra special so I would look forward to sipping it. LOL
 
Aface said:
That is too funny, I would sip pickle juice. Talked to surgeon and he said that was perfectly fine.
funny how everyone’s tastes are so different. I lived on premier protein ready made shakes and put them over ice especially the cafe latte I felt like I was drinking a Iced coffee. This is so funny, i bought some new glass coffee mugs and would really try and make my protein drink time extra special so I would look forward to sipping it. LOL
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I can't have caffeine anymore and I know the cafe latte premier actually does have caffeine, but I love the fancy mug idea! We gotta get through this in whatever ways we can!
 
Aface said:
May I ask if your surgeon or nutritionist advised you not to drink caffeine anymore or does this have nothing to do with having WLS?
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I personally think my surgeon is just anti-coffee. When I went to the info session, he gave the presentation and just plain out said "stop coffee. No more. It will give you ulcers. And you'll just feel so much better not having it consume you."

so--I listened. Begrudgingly. But the thought of ulcers do scare me.
 
Coffee does not cause ulcers, but it can potentially aggravate existing ulcers, regardless of caffeine or not. Most ulcers are caused by the Helicobacter pylori bacteria (which they often test for prior to surgery) or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs), such as aspirin, ibuprofen or naproxen, because they weaken the stomach lining and make the mucosa more susceptible to damage from gastric juices.

The best way to build the lining of the stomach is to eat high fiber foods to feed good stomach bacteria. These good bacteria will help build up the mucous lining of the stomach. If we aren't eating enough fiber, however, even our good bacteria start turning to the lining as a source of "food" for themselves.

If you had no ulcer issues in the past, and you tolerated coffee in the past, there probably is no reason to avoid once your stomach is fully healed. I would avoid it for a couple months though. I drink decaf coffee every day, but I've always have tolerated it. It has a decent amount of polyphenols that are very beneficial to your microbiome. Everyone's experience may be different, of course.
 
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dizlightly said:
I personally think my surgeon is just anti-coffee. When I went to the info session, he gave the presentation and just plain out said "stop coffee. No more. It will give you ulcers. And you'll just feel so much better not having it consume you."

so--I listened. Begrudgingly. But the thought of ulcers do scare me.
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We had to take a class before surgery. Part of that class was talking about things we should try to avoid. We were told to avoid caffeine - carbonated beverages - and all alcohol. The caffeine and carbonated beverages can aggravate or increase reflux / heartburn issues.

Coffee - regular or decaf - can cause stomach issues. It doesn't really have anything to do with caffeine or decaf - it has to with whats in the coffee beans and how it can irritate the stomach.

Alcohol - it's absorbed differently after WLS. We may have been able to drink several mixed drinks before WLS - we may only be able to take a couple of sips after WLS and feel the buzz.

I drink a mild roast decaf coffee. I may drink 4 cups a month - I've never been a huge coffee drinker.

Now I have had some issues with gastroparesis. When I start throwing up I can't tolerate anything on my stomach EXCEPT caffeine free diet Mountain Dew. I've tried to only drink it once it's flat - but that only causes me to throw up more. So I do on occasion drink a carbonated beverage. It happens less and less frequently now - so hopefully it'll become a thing of the past.

Best of luck on your new life altering journey.
 
TraceyT said:
We had to take a class before surgery. Part of that class was talking about things we should try to avoid. We were told to avoid caffeine - carbonated beverages - and all alcohol. The caffeine and carbonated beverages can aggravate or increase reflux / heartburn issues.

Coffee - regular or decaf - can cause stomach issues. It doesn't really have anything to do with caffeine or decaf - it has to with whats in the coffee beans and how it can irritate the stomach.

Alcohol - it's absorbed differently after WLS. We may have been able to drink several mixed drinks before WLS - we may only be able to take a couple of sips after WLS and feel the buzz.

I drink a mild roast decaf coffee. I may drink 4 cups a month - I've never been a huge coffee drinker.

Now I have had some issues with gastroparesis. When I start throwing up I can't tolerate anything on my stomach EXCEPT caffeine free diet Mountain Dew. I've tried to only drink it once it's flat - but that only causes me to throw up more. So I do on occasion drink a carbonated beverage. It happens less and less frequently now - so hopefully it'll become a thing of the past.

Best of luck on your new life altering journey.
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Exactly. My pre op class had those same bullet points. I saw it written, so I was like, welp--see ya later sparkling water Sorry you have to deal with the gastroparesis.
 
In my opinion I think that all the surgeons and nutritionist having different opinions is the Biggest downfall of WLS. I understand that everyone is different and has different needs and concerns but there really should be a SOP in place. I must say I do find it quite interesting what different surgeons / nutritionist are saying tho.
 
Aface said:
In my opinion I think that all the surgeons and nutritionist having different opinions is the Biggest downfall of WLS. I understand that everyone is different and has different needs and concerns but there really should be a SOP in place. I must say I do find it quite interesting what different surgeons / nutritionist are saying tho.
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I agree! It amazes me some of the things I've read online--maybe not so much on this forum, but on Facebook. Some of these people are not really prepared for success and will create challenges for themselves that could have been prevented.

As for coffee, it's a diuretic and can counteract all that glorious water you've been trying to absorb. As for the acid, I had switched (a couple of months pre-op) to cold brew. Cold brew coffee is over 67% less acidic than hot brewed coffee. It's sweeter and smoother – Because the coffee grounds aren't exposed to high temps, cold brew coffee usually tastes more flavorful and less bitter. I was told after two months I could resume coffee drinking and that's what I'll go back to. Might want to try it! :)
 
LisaLisa said:
I agree! It amazes me some of the things I've read online--maybe not so much on this forum, but on Facebook. Some of these people are not really prepared for success and will create challenges for themselves that could have been prevented.

As for coffee, it's a diuretic and can counteract all that glorious water you've been trying to absorb. As for the acid, I had switched (a couple of months pre-op) to cold brew. Cold brew coffee is over 67% less acidic than hot brewed coffee. It's sweeter and smoother – Because the coffee grounds aren't exposed to high temps, cold brew coffee usually tastes more flavorful and less bitter. I was told after two months I could resume coffee drinking and that's what I'll go back to. Might want to try it! :)
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I haven't been active on Facebook since 2018. I intend to keep it that way! And thanks for the cold brew info. That's great!
 
Unfortunately, what I'm learning is that there is no way a blanket nutritional guideline will be successful for everyone. It really needs to be personalized to maximize its effectiveness. Unfortunately, right now it's more like each clinic has its own plan that they give to all of their patients, and while I believe the first 6 weeks is necessary for healing, the advice given for 6-weeks onward shouldn't be exactly the same for everyone. The problem is, no bariatric center is probably going to put that level of personalization into each patient, which is unfortunate.

What they should be doing is prescribing a diverse diet - meaning one with a high variety of plants, and some meat/fish/dairy (or no meat/fish/dairy) specifically targeted at rebuilding the microbiome - the plants are the most important part of the rebuild. They should be taking periodic fecal samples and mapping the microbiome to determine which foods our body will respond to the best so we can make the best choices for our own body instead of trying to do what everyone else is doing.

The concept of the need for personalized diet plans was recently discovered in the largest nutritional study to date. It showed that even identical twins usually only share about 25% of the same bacteria in their microbiome, and it appears very likely that is why identical twins won't react the same to foods, disease, and obesity even though they are genetically identical. It's very fascinating research that's on a large scale. Much of the nutritional "facts" that many of us have grown up with are based on very small studies, many many years ago, primarily on white males, that were observational and not randomized or controlled, or were highly biased studies funded by food corporations.

I guess my point is, I think bariatric clinics and weight loss clinics need to go in a completely opposite direction and give each person a more personalized plan, but unfortunately, for now we will be stuck with sort of finding our own way though self experimentation.
 
WazzuCoug said:
What they should be doing is prescribing a diverse diet - meaning one with a high variety of plants, and some meat/fish/dairy (or no meat/fish/dairy) specifically targeted at rebuilding the microbiome - the plants are the most important part of the rebuild. They should be taking periodic fecal samples and mapping the microbiome to determine which foods our body will respond to the best so we can make the best choices for our own body instead of trying to do what everyone else is doing.
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And sadly, if they get to this step in treatment and not just research, it will probably come at a hefty cost meaning it won't be available to everyone. I worry about our healthcare system for all. (No politics, just concern!)
 
LisaLisa said:
And sadly, if they get to this step in treatment and not just research, it will probably come at a hefty cost meaning it won't be available to everyone. I worry about our healthcare system for all. (No politics, just concern!)
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I'm with ya.
 
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