dealing with post-op "blues"?

Are any of you newbies dealing with post op depression, seperation from our comfort foods? I feel trapped sometimes. I now realize how much I ate before, whatever and whenever I wanted to. It's so hard to be away from it. I know it will get better but are any of you dealing with this too? How do you deal with it? I try and focus on the weight I have lost (post op 11 days, down 30 plus lbs) and how my face isn't bloated looking anymore... but it's still hard

Hey xeniWLS, Had my surgery on 2/24 and already I'm having flashes of blues. As a counselor, I knew myself well enough that I'd have to fight the blues a bit. Here's some suggestions from me, the WLS patient, and me the counselor. Firstly, know that what you're dealing with is perfectly normal (and unfortunately something not well explained during pre-surgery visits). In many real ways you've suffered the lose of a good friend and you have to allow yourself to grief that loss. Now, think to yourself, "if I were grieving the loss of a good friend, who would I turn to and what would I do (not including turn to that friend ofcourse)?" Myself, I turn to my wife alot. I explain to her how I'm feeling and sometimes I even cry about it. Both talking and crying to a trusted spouse/friend can really help you through the day-to-day stuff; and it's a normal part of the grieving. Look up WLS support groups. Most are free and if there's a WLS surgen near you, there's probably a support group. If not, start one up. It's good that you focus on the weight that you've lost, but don't forget other things. It's not just about the raw weight that you had WLS, right? It's about feeling better, feeling healthier. It's about living a more fulfilling and longer life. It's about the couragous (and if you're like most of us lifelong) battle you've had with your weight, but this time, you're actually gonna win. It's about proving to yourself you're more the "just a fat person." And it's about the future you doing things you've never been able to before. Hopefully, you went into this journey with a good healthy self-esteem, but regardless, you can look to that self-esteem to grow beyond what it is now as your successes mount. Also, be careful of "ALL or NOTHING" thinking. When we feel down, we begin to say the word "NEVER" to ourselves alot. "I'll NEVER be able to eat that again." "I'll NEVER get through this." "I'll NEVER feel as happy as I did." Seldom is the world truly so black & white, but we feel it is when we're depressed. When you catch yourself saying this kind of garbage to yourself, stop yourself and say something more realistic back to yourself. "True, I'll never be able to eat unbridled all the things I enjoy like before, but in time there will be many foods I'll be able to eat in rare treats to myself." "True, I've never gone throught WLS before, but I've greived loses in my life before and gotten to the other side...the same will hold true for this." "True, I'm not happy about leaving my comfort foods behind, but food isn't the only thing that makes my happy. Plus, I'll learn alot of new things that will make my happy." It's really about playing a head game with yourself. Finally, if you go a FEW MONTHS and don't feel like you're pulling out of this depression, speak to your doctor. There are alot of medications and/or counselors that can help you through this process. Remember the healing process is a package deal. Your emotional self has to repair itself just as you physical self does. The only trick is, our physical self tends to heal faster than our emotional health. As a result, we get inpaitent with ourselves when our physical bodies have healed but we don't seem to be thriving. Be paitent with yourself, allow yourself to grieve, and lean on your "other" friends to get through. Focus on one day at a time and celebrate the victories that come to you each day (even if it's you got out of bed even when you didn't want to). Alot of people have gone down this depressive path just as you and I have. You're not alone and you will get through this . Wishing all the best , Darrin

I'm almost 4 weeks post-op now. I believe I had a bit of the "blues" in my first few weeks. For me it wasn't about comfort foods, it was more about eating normal foods, feeling "normal"! I'm happily on what my surgeon calls, Stage V, soft solids and I'm a happy girl. I personally feel like "normal" now. Of course the portions are quite different but I am enjoying everything. I lost 34 lb's in my 1st 2 weeks, will see the Surgeon on 3/5 to get the next update (not being a slave to the scale). With the loss, I have more energy already and am actually back to cooking for my hubby (which I hadn't done for years and years - he'll be lost when I return to work). I'm sharing my motto with you: "The end will justify the means" AND "what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger". Keep the faith!!