can I ever eat "normal" again?

Ok, I know this is not how I should be thinking, but I am.... I'm only one week post op, still on liquids,but I'm thinking of the future. I know I chose to have this surgery to lose weight and get healthy, but sometimes I think, "can I ever have pizza again? Can I ever have popcorn again?" I know overall I will be eating much more healthy then I did in the past, but in moderation?! Every now and then?!  

And yes, I know that what used to be normal for me won't be the same normal that I have now.

Yes, there will come a day when you can eat anything you want.  And then you'll wish that you couldn't!

Yes - at a certain point - maybe the 2 month mark - when everything is healed properly and your NUT/doc give you the go-ahead to progress to all foods...

sure you CAN have pizza, you CAN have popcorn (but I'd worry about the gassiness from it) - but they are not the best food choices you CAN make. 

I have 2 small kids, I want to live life, fit in with the "normal" things I will encounter at kid related functions.  I have had a few bites of pizza, a little bit of ice cream, a French fry...but the key is to limit the empty calories, focus on protein and if you focus on protein you are too full for the other crap.  You have to make a choice - good dense protein or junk food that is higher calorie and won't keep me as full as long.  You can have them, but they aren't the best choice.

I'm 3 months out and I have read that down the road we can eat almost anything WE CHOOSE !!! I love the way I feel without exessive carbs so I hope I'm strong enough to continue to avoid them for the most part....I used to have pizza 1 or 2 times a week if not more .. about 1 month ago 2 months out i did eat some of the top of the pizza ( cheese and sauce) idk why but it made me so sick that I'm happy to say no desire to have pizza at all yea!!!!! Good luck!!!! :-)

♡ Kelly 

Thanks everyone! That makes me feel a lot better. I'm sure most of it is just wanting what I can't have :) I'm hoping when the time comes, a bite will be all I need/want.

I know what you mean about wanting what you can't have. Any time I went on a restriction type diet (i.e. Atkins) I IMMEDIATLY craved what I was not allowed to have. Must be the rebel in me ...

Just knowing that the choice is MINE to make, makes it easier for me to choose wisely somehow.

You'll definitely have a new "normal", that's for sure.  Pizza, which used to be a big deal for me, just doesn't do it for me anymore.  I've tried and tried (believe me!) but I just don't enjoy it as much as I used to.   Popcorn - yup, I've done that too, only when I go to the movies.  I don't eat as much as I used too of course but I do enjoy it as much as I used to 

I told my husband during my first couple months pre-op that surgery literally sucked the enjoyment out of eating...and I was pretty sad about that.  But things improved and like another poster said, there will come a day when you long for the early days when you couldn't eat very much.  Promise! 

Shelly, aka Eggface, calls WLS a 'do better' rather than a 'do over', meaning if you do the same things you did before surgery you will get the same results. There comes a time when the only thing standing between you and a pizza is your will. COULD you eat pizza? Sure. I encourage you to use this time to learn good habits so when the time comes you can eat anything, you will have good habits ingrained.

I find that I don't eat a lot of things because it simply isn't worth the freight. I could, but I don't want to gain weight and have all the health problems I had before.

"isn't worth the freight"

I like that!

I work is Systems supporting Logistics applications so this fits me very well!

Are you seeing a therapist?  Have you talked with your nutritionist about these feelings and questions?  

"Normal" is what got you to where you were when you needed surgery.  At this point in the process, and for the months before the actual surgery as well, you should be working to redefine normal and find what your new normal will be.