Can You Have Caffeine After Lap-Band Surgery?

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Patients will need to make certain sacrifices before and after lap-band surgery. Some patients may need to go on a liquid fast before surgery to prepare their body for the procedure. And after surgery, they may need to cut out solid foods for at least a week, and stick to liquid or pureed foods.

Though most patients don’t struggle with eating pureed foods, some might struggle to cut caffeine for at least one month after lap-band surgery. The reasons for cutting caffeine, though, are important.

Why Patients Should Avoid Caffeine After Bariatric Surgery

Post surgery, patients will need to track their water intake to reduce the risk of dehydration. Because caffeine is a natural diuretic, it will cause excess water loss through urination. Lap-band surgery patients struggle to drink enough water and caffeine will only exacerbate the problem.

Caffeine is a hunger suppressant. Lap-band surgery patients may not understand why this is a problem, especially if the goal is weight loss. However, to achieve the best possible results post-surgery, patients will need to consume a certain amount of protein. This will help patients maintain muscle mass while eating at a significant caloric deficit. Adequate protein intake will reduce feelings of hunger, but drinking caffeine will reduce the desire to eat at all. This makes it difficult to meet protein intake goals.

Caffeine also stimulates the digestive system, increasing gut motility. This can lead to excretion of food that hasn’t been fully digested. For lap-band surgery patients, this can be a problem since their digestive system has been greatly altered.

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Tips For Cutting Caffeine Post-Surgery

If you’ve signed up for lap-band surgery, you can begin the process of eliminating caffeine before the procedure.

Begin by slowly reducing the amount of caffeine you consume on a daily basis. Substitute caffeine with herbal teas, such as chicory root tea, which tastes similar to coffee but doesn’t contain caffeine.

Increasing water consumption will also help satisfy your need for drinking liquid and also helps to naturally eliminate caffeine from the body, keeping you hydrated.

You could also switch from regular coffee to decaf. Take two to three weeks to gradually eliminate caffeine from your diet to reduce the risk of withdrawal symptoms.

If you struggle to completely eliminate caffeine, you may drink black decaf coffee after surgery. However, you will need to wait a few days after surgery before drinking any coffee.

One month after surgery, you can start to consume caffeinated beverages. Moderation is key. If you used to drink five cups a day, consider capping your daily caffeine intake to two cups per day.

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Tips for Keeping the Weight Off

To maximize weight loss, drink coffee black or consider sugar and dairy substitutes. Healthy alternatives to sugar include monk fruit sweetener, coconut sugar, and honey.

You could also eliminate the need for sweeteners by augmenting beverage flavors with cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, butter, and vanilla extract.

Non-dairy substitutes for milk and cream include oat milk, soy milk, rice milk, coconut milk, hemp milk, and cashew milk.