The Last Supper

As a pre or post op are you familiar with the term the last supper? Did you feel the need to have one final large meal prior to surgery or maybe even a whole month worth of last suppers? Did you gather with family and friends and how did you feel about yourself after you binged? If this sounds like something you or someone you know participated in before surgery, please send me a short email telling me about your experience for an article in OH Magazine. Please send comments to [email protected].

Ronda Einbinder
Public Relations Manager
ObesityHelp :type:

No Ronda, I don't think I intentionally went the Last Supper Route, I feel it was my reaction to disappointment, and anxiety. This does concern me because I don't want to continue in that trap. If I had a positive reaction, I know I wouldn't use food as my comfort. Barb S. [email protected]

When I finally was approved and had a surgery date, I definitely went on a "Last Supper" month. At first, I grieved losing a good friend and I wasn't about to give up this friend without tasting and feeling everything my lifelong friend had to offer. (Luckily in the past year, I have found my friend is still near me but I'm no longer "dependent" on her to make me feel fulfilled emotionally. We have a better relationship now and she is no longer in control.) Anyway, the last month before surgery, I wanted to taste and eat anything and everything I thought I would be missing and giving up. I can remember the day before surgery searching for one more thing to eat. Was there anything else I wanted to taste before I couldn't eat it again. I literally, binged. My Dr. did not have me on a pre-op diet and, boy, did I take advantage of that. (At my most recent Dr. visit, he was reviewing my weight loss and I had gained 30 lbs between my first consultation with him and the actual surgery.) I was definitely a "Last Supper" person. At the time, I was a little embarrassed and ashamed of myself for loading it on, but basically, I didn't care. I just had to eat because I knew I would never be able to eat like that again. Thankfully, that has been a good thing, not a bad thing. I still love the taste of food, but now I have different tastes that satisfy. Thanks for listening. Nancy

I was on a liquid protein diet for 2 weeks before surgery, so I wasn't having any last suppers. But, in the weeks before, I did go out for some special meals, meals that I thought I probaly wouldn't be able to eat after surgery. I didn't binge because I had been cutting back on fat and carbs and loosing weight for 2 months, but I definitely enjoyed the meals. One was a tapas feast at a Spanish Restaurant, another was a great hamburger. The last was a Thai dinner with plenty of rice. I didn't feel the grief some people talk about -- the sad farewells to favorite foods. I just figured that I'd eaten plenty of calorie rich food all my life -- enough to hold me for a long time. And I haven't felt grief 7 months after surgery either. Surprisingly, I don't seem to miss sweets, pasta, rice, salty snacks, etc. at all. And, I have found I can eat at the tapas restaurant and do enjoy a great hamburger -- albeit in smaller portions.

My friends took me out for a steak dinner at a nice restaurant. We ordered everything from appetizers to desserts and everything in between. It felt great, not that I ate so much but that my friends cared and supporteed me so much that they would go to so much trouble and expense. Matthew PS if you need more feel free to contact me directly.