Mind games

here I am 3 days from surgery and now all I can think about is food and wanting to eat. Ahhh. 

Don't listen to the voices in your head!

Those voices have convinced you to  the embrace the food  that you love so much.  That beloved food that brought you to this part of your journey...

The new kid in town (RNY) will be taking over and that other voice in your head will be gone...

After your surgery you are going to be amazed that you are no longer hungry.... As that weight melts off, you will find joy with your weight loss and you will start asking yourself, "Why didn't I do this years ago?

Don't listen to that voice that has been your friend for years.

That voice that contributed to wrong food choices.

 That voice that has made you unhappy...

Embrace this journey!!! You will never regret it!

Take care & good luck!

Sandra.  

Mahalo.  

It was the same for me, very hard not to cheat at the end of Opti diet. Just keep reminding yourself of why you are doing this. I kept telling myself that I needed to do everything I could to make the surgeon's job easier, whi*****luded sticking to the diet.

You might be feeling like this is your last chance to eat, but it is not! 

Opti is hard. Having said that try to think of this as a new beginning. Try to commit yourself for the change in your lifestyle. Head hunger never goes away. It may subside for awhile but you will have to learn to deal with cravings or the rest of your life. No surgery will change this.

Initially you will not be hungry but hunger does come back. You will be able to eat less to fill you up but still have to make good decisions.

Good luck

I was like that before I started Optifast; my brain did constant slide shows of my favorite foods, and I had several "food funerals".

I was good during Opti, and usually when my brain flashed an image of a burger or pizza, it meant it was time for my next Opti.  It could just be your brain telling you, in the old way, that it's time to eat...only in this case it's your protein drink you need.

I just thanked my brain for the reminders (yes, I'm nuts, lol), had my Opti, and imagined how good it will feel to not be fat any more.

Now that I'm post op I have no cravings, no hunger that can't be relieved by a few spoons of puree, and the other day I was walking past a huge wall sized chip display that normally would have sent me into a binge and without thinking, gave it the (middle) finger.  An elderly gent saw me and chuckled, lol.  I didn't plan it or think about doing it; it just happened, lol.

So hang in, you've got this.  Drink your opti and have whatever extras (clear broth, etc) that your surgeon allows, and keep you eyes on your goals. In 3 days time you'll have a wonderful tool to help you cope and you'll be on your way to a healthy new you.

Hugs.

I went through the same thing.  Suddenly all I could think of was eating a meal that I thought I'd never be able to have after surgery.   For me, the fear of food being somewhere in my digestive system during surgery scared me.  I was too worried the surgery wouldn't go well or would have to be cancelled.  

After 3 weeks on opti and 2 weeks on fluids, I finally feel like I can eat again.  Just better choices and smaller portions.   You will get there - it will be great. 

Thanks everyone. It did pass. I really appreciate the support of this group. 

You got this Lee-Ann! I know our brains don't always make it easy, or I should say our head hunger. But you only have a couple days to go, and your new journey begins! Hold onto that!

I already starting to mourn my 'normal' eating ways, I know kinda sad. I have less than 2 weeks before I have to start Opti, and then everything changes. It's a big thing we are doing, and I know the last couple days might be trying for you, but remember there will be light at the end of the tunnel, that being, weight loss, and becoming healthier. Try and think of the positives things!!!

You can do it!!! :)