Newbie Questions
Hey Everybody!
So I am just starting to do research and look for doctors and info and stuff . I have TONS of questions.. if anyone can help me with any of them I would be SUPERJAZZED.
1. I am still trying to decide between Roux-en-Y and LapBand. Does anyone have any comments/suggestions either way?
2. I would say I probably have a 'food addiction', what happens to hunger and cravings after surgery? Do they go away? Are they really terrible? I am worried I won't be able to eat ANYTHING I like. what kinds of food do you get to eat? Is it ok to have sweets EVER?!
3. After the surgery, do you like to eat food anymore?
4. I take medications not associated with my Weight, can you still get the surgery? How does it affect what you can take? I've heard you can't take time release anymore.. what about other regular caplets/tabs/gels?
I'll probably think of more, but thats enough for right now. :D look forward to hearing from y'all
Loves,
Katy
:D
Hello Katy,
I guess I'll be the first to try to answer your questions.
1. I can't comment on the LapBand. I had the Roux-en-Y which is the restrictive malabsorption procedure because that is the only procedure my insurance would approve. Many insurances still do not approve the LapBand because it is considered experimental.
2. I am also a food addict and even after surgery I am a food addict. Hunger and cravings do go away after surgery but I noticed about 6 months out my cravings came back with a vengence. The difference...because of th surgery I am only able to eat a portion of what I ate before. Also everything I liked to eat pre-surgery I still eat within reason, although I do not indulge in a pasta because my stomach does not like it. My focus is protein and produce first then complex carbs next.
3. I still like to eat food but there are certain foods I simply do not eat because I do not have the taste or desire to eat them. For example, prior to surgery, I loved chocolate. Now, I eat it in very small portions.
4. If you elect to have the surgery, your doctor will provide a list of medications you should avoid. The best thing to do is work with your surgeon and primary care physician to develop the best treatment plan for you.
I hope my answers are helpful.
Hey!
I just had my surgery on Friday last. .October 7th...
For me the choice for Lap band vs RNY was a hard one. I have been told and thru research found out that the RNY is permanent. The Lap band is not.
If I was truly going to make a change I wanted no way back. I didnt want to make it easy for me to go back to the old ways.
I also found out that the RNY statistically has the best sucess rate. But then again that may be simply because it is the most common procedure done.
Food addicitions.
We all have them. In some form or another. If we didnt, we wouldnt be here. You must understand that there is a difference between hunger and a craving. 
Hunger is the Need for food.
The discomfort, weakness, or pain caused by a prolonged lack of food. This is a PHYSICAL response of your autonomic nervous system.
A Craving is a consuming desire; a yearning for something. It is not a physical response.
It is a PSYCHOLOGICAL response.
Usually it is something that has been conditioned to feel like a physical need.
We tend to use food as a source of comfort or as a replacement for some other need that is not being met in our lives. And by repetition, we lose that ability to differenciate the difference between the Hunger and the Craving.
I am not hungry after the surgery. I do still have alot of cravings. I still Want Chocolate... (okay that may be a physical need... JUST Kidding)..but it really does feel like it.
I have been for the last week retraining my brain to now function with my body. The behaviors and habits I had before dont work anymore.
For example.
I was a smoker. I used to constantly grab a smoke and light it every day at 8 pm.. It was the start of prime time tv. So I always lit up.
I havent smoked for almost 3 weeks.
I still found myself last night reaching for my pack of smokes from the end table. I wasnt wanting one.. but the habit was still there.
It is the same with eating habits... you have to break the cycle and retrain your brain.
I have to remember to eat. I have to remember that I can not eat like I did. I cant take big bites. or big gulps of liquid.
It really isnt that bad. But if you forget.. your body WILL let you know.
You can have sweets.... of a sort.
Your body is addicted to sugar.
Sugar is naturally occuring in all kinds of foods... but the sugars that your body is addicted to is not a natural form. It is a processed form that is hard to ween off off..
thus another reason for the Cravings.
You should decide that if you are going to have this surgery.. then life for you will be very much like a diabetic.
You can.. after an appropriate time after surgery.. have a variety of sweets and goodies. If they are made without sugar.
You will be surprised. I started baking and cooking with SPLENDA prior to my surgery.
I was very impressed with the results. You wont miss the actual sugar. And.. as we all know.. it is the actual sugar that eventually turns to fat.
However... it is my suggestion that this surgery is a Tool.
And with that Tool in hand.. it is even more of a necessity to retrain yourself and get away from the poor eating habits that we all have.
(A light cigarette is still a cigarette...
People tend to think because the cake is lowfat... it is okay to eat 3 pieces...)
It is the bad habits that you are trying to do away with as well create good ones.
So I would say focus on the more healthly foods....
If you have to HAVE that chocolate like me... then do it in extreme moderation.. and NOT every night or between every meal.
We all have our crutches... and we all have our favorites that we might not be willing to give up entirely.. but remember the reason for needing the surgery in the first place.
You will be able to eat alot of stuff you may not like and will not be able to eat alot of stuff you Do. It will be in a much different form at first.. My Dr. has me on pureed right now and I thought it might be hard but not it isnt really. Dont forget that your tastes may actually change after the surgery. I dont like purple grape juice anymore. I like the white grape juice still. But the purple is leaving me with a bad after taste and it is really really sad because purple is my favorite color!
If you have the mindset from the begining that you are basically teaching yourself to eat again.. like to walk again... it will help you.
I have not missed any food... have cravings. But I am not starving. And as I do eat throughout the day.. I notice that even if that Filet of Fish were in front of me right now as I am craving it.. I would become physically repulsed by the thought of having to force something like that down.
I actually feel so Free right now.
I am a professional cook. I enjoy cooking.. I still enjoy the tastes (thats tastes.. not bites.. lol) and smells of the food.
I do not feel that FOOD is going to control me or rule me.
I am learning that I am eating to live. NOT living to eat!
(I understand now Denise!!!) 
My medications didnt change after my surgery. In fact I added, of course, my vitamins, my calcium and my b 12. Also added for 6 months is my gall bladder meds to prevent stones. But you should check with your PCP and your surgeon to get a better answer.
Hope some of this helps.
Talk to you soon.
~J~
Hunger is the Need for food.
The discomfort, weakness, or pain caused by a prolonged lack of food. This is a PHYSICAL response of your autonomic nervous system.
A Craving is a consuming desire; a yearning for something. It is not a physical response.
It is a PSYCHOLOGICAL response.
Usually it is something that has been conditioned to feel like a physical need.
We tend to use food as a source of comfort or as a replacement for some other need that is not being met in our lives. And by repetition, we lose that ability to differenciate the difference between the Hunger and the Craving.
I am not hungry after the surgery. I do still have alot of cravings. I still Want Chocolate... (okay that may be a physical need... JUST Kidding)..but it really does feel like it.
I have been for the last week retraining my brain to now function with my body. The behaviors and habits I had before dont work anymore.
For example.
I was a smoker. I used to constantly grab a smoke and light it every day at 8 pm.. It was the start of prime time tv. So I always lit up.
I havent smoked for almost 3 weeks.
I still found myself last night reaching for my pack of smokes from the end table. I wasnt wanting one.. but the habit was still there.
It is the same with eating habits... you have to break the cycle and retrain your brain.
I have to remember to eat. I have to remember that I can not eat like I did. I cant take big bites. or big gulps of liquid.
It really isnt that bad. But if you forget.. your body WILL let you know.
You can have sweets.... of a sort.
Your body is addicted to sugar.
Sugar is naturally occuring in all kinds of foods... but the sugars that your body is addicted to is not a natural form. It is a processed form that is hard to ween off off..
thus another reason for the Cravings.
You should decide that if you are going to have this surgery.. then life for you will be very much like a diabetic.
You can.. after an appropriate time after surgery.. have a variety of sweets and goodies. If they are made without sugar.
You will be surprised. I started baking and cooking with SPLENDA prior to my surgery.
I was very impressed with the results. You wont miss the actual sugar. And.. as we all know.. it is the actual sugar that eventually turns to fat.
However... it is my suggestion that this surgery is a Tool.
And with that Tool in hand.. it is even more of a necessity to retrain yourself and get away from the poor eating habits that we all have.
(A light cigarette is still a cigarette...
People tend to think because the cake is lowfat... it is okay to eat 3 pieces...)
It is the bad habits that you are trying to do away with as well create good ones.
So I would say focus on the more healthly foods....
If you have to HAVE that chocolate like me... then do it in extreme moderation.. and NOT every night or between every meal.
We all have our crutches... and we all have our favorites that we might not be willing to give up entirely.. but remember the reason for needing the surgery in the first place.
You will be able to eat alot of stuff you may not like and will not be able to eat alot of stuff you Do. It will be in a much different form at first.. My Dr. has me on pureed right now and I thought it might be hard but not it isnt really. Dont forget that your tastes may actually change after the surgery. I dont like purple grape juice anymore. I like the white grape juice still. But the purple is leaving me with a bad after taste and it is really really sad because purple is my favorite color!
If you have the mindset from the begining that you are basically teaching yourself to eat again.. like to walk again... it will help you.
I have not missed any food... have cravings. But I am not starving. And as I do eat throughout the day.. I notice that even if that Filet of Fish were in front of me right now as I am craving it.. I would become physically repulsed by the thought of having to force something like that down.
I actually feel so Free right now.
I am a professional cook. I enjoy cooking.. I still enjoy the tastes (thats tastes.. not bites.. lol) and smells of the food.
I do not feel that FOOD is going to control me or rule me.
I am learning that I am eating to live. NOT living to eat!
(I understand now Denise!!!)
My medications didnt change after my surgery. In fact I added, of course, my vitamins, my calcium and my b 12. Also added for 6 months is my gall bladder meds to prevent stones. But you should check with your PCP and your surgeon to get a better answer.
Hope some of this helps.
Talk to you soon.
~J~ Most Active
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