Oh how we love our coffee and tea. But can you have caffeine after bariatric surgery? As a dietitian, I hear different answers on this from other dietitians and medical professionals. There’s a lot of buzz on bariatric surgery and caffeine. What are the current science-based recommendations and why?

Hi, I’m registered dietitian nutritionist Dr. Susan Mitchell. You’re listening to the Beyond Bariatric Surgery podcast episode number 34. Let’s go beyond bariatric surgery together and talk about everything you need to move on. This podcast is all about you…making your transformation and your journey the best it can be…sharing what you need to know and how to do it.

Have you heard that caffeine is dehydrating so if you drink something that contains caffeine, you then need to drink even more water? Or maybe you heard that you can’t drink anything that contains caffeine because if you do, it will cause you to become dehydrated?

Let me say right now that the recommendations on caffeine that I share here on the podcast may be different from what you’ve been told. They’re based on the most current science. It’s always important to check with your surgeon or bariatric dietitian before you change your diet. They may not want you to have caffeine for a specific reason.

The older science said that caffeine in fluids was dehydrating and therefore required extra water to make up for it. The current science, which has been out for a while now, says that caffeinated fluids are as good as other fluids for keeping you hydrated. In fact the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery who makes many recommendations for care after surgery suggests avoiding caffeine for at least the first thirty days after surgery while your body is still sensitive and healing and then checking in with your bariatric dietitian or surgeon if you want to add caffeine back to your diet.

Let’s put caffeine aside just for a moment. Did you know that dehydration is among the top reasons for readmission to the hospital after surgery? Dehydration happens when your body runs low on fluids and can’t function as it should. Fluids do so many beneficial things in the body but when you think specifically about burning calories after your surgery, fluids help burn stored fat calories for energy.

Often your thirst mechanism doesn’t tell you to drink enough so it’s important that this become a new habit or put back on the radar if you drank a lot of fluids before. Bottom line, drink even when you’re not thirsty. Aim for 64 ounces a day total from all your fluids. If eight ounces equals one cup, then we’re talking about eight cups. Keep a water bottle with you. It helps you to remember and it’s always handy.

How can you tell if your drinking enough fluids? Look at your urine. I want you to pee and then take a look. If you’re drinking enough, your urine will be clear or a light color. Darker urine is your sign to drink more unless you’re taking medications or supplements that could change urine color. A good question to ask your medical team if you’re taking meds. Some signs of dehydration to watch for: thirst, headache, hard stools and constipation, or dizziness when you stand up. Always reach out to your surgeon’s office if you can’t drink enough fluid to stay hydrated.

Ok, back to caffeine specifically. As we just talked about, caffeine is not a problem for dehydration, so at some point you’r likely to add coffee and/or tea back to your daily diet. What’s typically added to your coffee or tea? What usually partners with it? Think about some of the high calorie flavored coffee drinks…cream or full fat milk, sugar, flavored surgery syrups. These can easily be calorie bombs and ruin all your hard work. Good news. There are several things you can do to cut the calories and enjoy your beverage: