Before/After food intake

Ain't it the truth! The first time I went out for sushi post VSG I ordered and my partner was dead silent, but smiled. Then the food came and I said, "What the hell was I thinking?" I ordered because it all sounded so good and disregarded the fact that I could maybe eat two pieces of sushi max. Yeah, I was one of those people big time!

Hi

I am a little over 3 years post surgery and have good restriction.  I must say that 97% of the time I am so happy with the fact that I am both full AND satisfied with much much smaller quantities.  It is so freeing.  I do not feel at all deprived.  There is literally just a handful of times a year in which I wish I could eat a bit more - such as at a favorite restaurant where I really love a bunch of the dishes and I just can't eat both an appetizer and a main course. But the majority of the time I love that I can just eat an appetizer sized portion for dinner.

Please be aware that this surgery on the whole does not stop you once you are a few months out from being able to eat anything.  You mentioned chips.  The bad news is that with foods such as chips which disintegrate into nothing once chewed - you can still eat plenty.  That is one of the ways to eat around your WLS.  And I must admit there have been a few times due to stress that I would like to just munch away - and I can tell you that with a food such as popcorn I have no issue.  Can't eat as much of it as I used to but still can have plenty.  

Making proper food decisions once you are some distance out from surgery is what people mean by using "their tool correctly".  I can still eat just fairly small amounts of dense protien and vegetables and stay full and satisfied for a long time post eating.  But if I am not mindful i can eat a decent sized portion of crap food.  Just so you can have an idea of amounts that I can eat this far out - I am full with a hot dog and bun or most of a slice of pizza or two smallish meatballs or two eggs or almost half a turkey sandwich on a roll or 3-4 ounces of a chicken cutlet.  I am not suggesting someone early out from surgery eat these items but I have been in maintenance for years now and do eat a wide range of things - some great for my diet and some not.

Good luck with your surgery.

steph

What everyone else (Tracy D., Geek, Sasny etc) said is so true. There are ways, easy ways to eat around any WLS and some time in the 3rd year - i.e. now for me - I discovered that I actually CAN eat all the crap stuff that inevitably results in the weight creep. It is a constant battle that I foolishly thought WLS would 'solve' for me magically despite reading on here other vets saying that it really does not. I guess like everyone in the first years euphoria I thought that this would not happen to me. There are times when I went off the grid and it was not uncomfortable and I didn't throw up and all. I could eat. And there was that once familiar fuzzy feeling of full on the wrong stuff. You have to use all the ways and means that you can to fight that. If you hear yourself say "I've gained (x) lbs and I really don't know why, I haven't changed the way I eat" then you know you need to do something and fast before the regain gets to the point where it is difficult to get under control. Give yourself a very tight window or margin and stick with it. None of this is inevitable but it does happen and a healthy dose of fear of sliding back into past habits and past foods really does help.

I too have been amazed by what other people are eating around me and at restaurants. Shocking and a revelation after surgery actually.

I have noticed that bad foods (sugars) that lead to weight gain are easy handled by the VSG. Dense proteins are difficult? I can see this being a harder job (fixing the brain) after the honeymoon period fades down the road?

BTW

Great info and support on this site everyone. Just love it.