OK sleevers, any mental anguish?

I will cross post this in revision, but I have a big question. Any mourning of food? Do you miss not being able to eat copious amounts of food? Do foods get stuck?

i had a Lap band for five years. It was torture. Can eat one time, next time STUCK FOOD, pain, vomiting! I suffered intense mental anguish. U had it removed Dec 2013....thank goodness. It has taken me this long to consider a revision bc my experience was so horrid. Please give your thoughts. 

 

 

I'm 19 weeks out and am still in the honey moon phase, but I have not had any regrets with not being able to eat the amounts of food I did before. I know that I still can/could eat most of the same foods and I actually feel more in control or at peace having this tool help me not eat the same amounts. I can enjoy good food without overdoing. That is a great feeling to me. 

I have never had issues with foods getting stuck; if I eat too much then I don't feel well for awhile. I am incredibly happy that I had the surgery and would do it again in a heartbeat. 

I'm not far enough out to really comment on mental anguish. I do think that is something that can often be helped with therapy, though. The food getting stuck & vomiting sounds like it is a physical thing that would cause pain/anguish for most people rather than a mental issue. 

I'm only a year out, so I can't speak for longer term issues, but I have had no problems with anything getting stuck, although I feel pretty lousy for a few minutes if I eat too much at once (so I always try to undereat my sleeve to avoid that).  Mentally, yeah I miss being able to pig out now and then, but I wouldn't call it "mourning" - it's just a passing thought.  All I have to do is remember how good I feel about myself now (no shame, self-loathing, etc) and how healthy and slim I've become, and it becomes pretty easy to pass (or be satisfied with the occasional taste) on the bad choices. 

Good luck with your decision!  I can heartily recommend VSG based on my experience.

So I have all of one week of experience...heheh...but even as an extreme rookie-- I thought I would.  I really did think I would grieve the loss.  I worried about it quite a bit, actually, and worked through a lot of that in counseling.

But so far, at least in this honeymoon phase, it is SO exciting to get on the scale and see all these rapid changes that I don't even stop to think about anything that would sabotage that.  It's a high, truly, and it feels so good that it seems silly to eat something to derail that.

I know I have a very small window of time before things start to slow down and even out...so I want to take full advantage of every minute of these first couple of months.  Right now is the easiest it's going to be for me to lose weight.  Might as well lose as MUCH as I can! :)

I don't have sugar cravings like I did before (very similar to how they disappear after you detox on Atkins, if you've ever done that).  But there have been moments where I thought about my favorite stuff...thinking I'd die for a slice of pizza...and you know what I do?  I think about it.  How it tastes.  How I enjoy it.  Why I enjoy it.  I even imagine eating it.  But I do that while I drink a protein shake and make sure my body is full.  Then?  I move on.  Because by that time, I am full and satisfied, and realize it's just in my head anyway.  There may come a time when I allow myself a slice of pizza once in awhile in life.  But now just isn't that time.  I love how losing feels.  Nothing is worth messing that up. 

My only regret is not having my VSG sooner.  Best choice ever!

I'm only 3 months out, but I really thought I would "mourn" for missed food more. The truth is, I just don't care about it as much anymore. I can't eat as much, and as I've adjusted to that, I've found I just don't care. I have less cravings and longings for food than before surgery. 

What I missed for a couple of years is the loss of enjoyment of many of my favorite foods.  It had nothing to do with volume, but the pleasure of the flavors was just......meh....and I mourned that.  Eventually it all changed but it sucked for a whild.

I had my first real breakdown after surgery on my first REALLY bad day at work, probably three weeks post-op.  I was on soft foods at that time.  Anyway, I was on my way home from work, and felt like crap, and all I wanted to do was go home, make a box of mac and cheese, and eat the whole damn thing.  When I realized that that particular coping mechanism was no longer an option for me, and never would be again....I burst into tears and cried for a sold ten minutes.  I knew my relationship with food was pretty wacked before surgery, but that day really brought it home for me.  

I still struggle with the "eating for comfort' demons fairly regularly.  I'm working out my issues with a therapist now, and overall doing great with my sleeve.  I definitely get discomfort when I eat too much or too quickly, but nothing has ever gotten "stuck."

I'll admit I do sometimes miss being able to order an entree at a restaurant without everyone asking if I don't like it (and having to explain that I do, I just can't physically eat much).  I still really enjoy going out to eat, cooking, and eating.  My focus has shifted from quantity for the price to quality of what I order and consume.  If I want to taste a bit of cinnamon roll (at this breakfast place we went to last week where they're known for them) or try a bite of something bready, I do it without guilt.  What I order for myself is usually a small salad or a protein-heavy appetizer/side.  I take a little bit of whatever protein my husband orders, or I split an entree with someone.

I was a virgin sleever, not a revision, so I don't know much about the differences.  But my attitude towards food has changed a bit, but I have never regretted what I did for myself (except for the mac and cheese incident, but I realize that was something else entirely)

I've never felt anything I'd call "stuck."  I don't mourn food, since I -can- eat anything I want to eat.  And I don't miss being able to overeat the way I used to.  

I'm nowhere as far along as Gwen, but this is my experience also - I can eat anything I want, not that I choose to. No stuck food like I understand folks have with band, a couple of ate-one-to-many-bites moments, Still getting used to not 'enjoying' food the same as before, but I'm only 8 weeks out :)