Strange question...

Have anyone else since having a surgery had craving for things sour like cool-aide?  I am constantly licking cool-aide out the packet.  I haven't done that since 1st and 2nd grade...  It's really starting to freak me out...   I had a TT in March of this year and after a few months,  I had cravings for cool-aide.  I lost a lot of blood doing the surgery and had to take Iron pills.  I wonder would that have anything to do with it?  And if someone ask me am I licking cool-aide, I automatically go into defense mode like a crack head or something... lol!  The thing about licking cool-aide is it kills your hunger.  Which is good if you are trying to lose weight.  But I bodybuild and need to eat or supplement as much protein as possible.  But once i finish the cool-aide which offer no protein or calories, I am not hungry.  I see my doctor on the 5th of Sept and will ask him what is the problem.  I am just curious if someone else experienced this problem.  Thanks.         

I know Vitamin C will help in the absorption of iron.  That is why most of your iron tablets have a citric taste to them.  Brian

I think its just programming in our brains because we've lived our obese lives of eating lots of tasty things.  Now that we physically can't eat that much, we resort to taste quality over quantity.  I've always liked sour things, even before surgery, so it's hard for me to say wether I like them more now then ever.  Others post-opers have said they crave spicey things now.  This hasn't been the case for me though.  But, I can attest that my tastes have changed. 

I think that when you take a dip of that unsweetened kool-aid, the citric acid (which is a primary ingredient of kool-aid to offset the 2cups of sugar) tartness literally shocks your nervous system and essentially overloads it into thinking you've actually consumed something.  I'm willing to bet it does curb your hunger but only for a short time.  They've made diet pills that do this.  Dunno if they work or not. 

You're not weird...  I used to eat warheads and face-slammers and tear-jerkers candies when I was a kid... to the point where they'd make my tongue bleed from the excess citric acid.  I didn't think anything of it, because everyone else at school did the same thing.  You're only weird if you walk about public with a purple or red colored finger or lips.... then you have a problem. 

Having strange cravings for non-food substances is called pica.  Check out the Wiki entry.  (Food-ish stuff like ice cubes or probably Kool Aid powder would count, too!)

Even more interesting is that pica is often associated with being deficient in one or more nutrients, especially iron, which might match your own history.  Have you had blood work since your surgery  measuring your iron stores?  The lab tests would include serum iron, ferritin, as well as a CBC including hemoglobin (Hgb) and hematocrit (Hct).  You might want to bring this up when you see your doctor next month.

/Steve

I've noticed that since my WLS, I have been into a hot sauce and spicy mode.  Louisana Hot Sauce on turnip greens - man I can eat a bucket of em!  Or salsa - by itself, with baked chips, on an omelet - yummmm, yummmm!

Heh, funny you should mention that.  I saw someone on one of the other boards mention something about pickles dipped in Kool-Aid packets.   I tried it and it was pretty good.  

PS just a reminder for the low iron...meat (steak), fish, and spinach (Popeye was right).

Strange answer.

There is no sarcasm here, but I am not sure, even 10 months post op, that I know what a craving is.  As a former MO person, I am guilty of eating anything and everything I ever wanted.  I am not sure I craved something, or just felt that I was entitled to it.  That is why I always felt that I was a compulsive overeater.  Since surgery, and after having to become a bit more introspective, I don't think I have craved anything.  if i have, I just wrote it off to one of those "evil" thoughts again.  Now I just have to handle those thoughts much better.  If they are cravings, I still wouldn't know the difference.

Sorry to go on about this, but reading your post made me think.  Thanks!!

I never had cravings that went that far but I did find that I really liked the Life Saver sugar free popsicles at Safeway which are kind of sweet-tart and I do find myself kind of addicted to the flavor combinaton and I like tangy/tart flavors more now than before surgery.