How Did You Change Your Old Bad Habits?

I am a little over 3 weeks post-op, doing well physically, but struggling with the some of the same things that made it difficult to lose weight in the past, such as:

• when stressed during work, wanting to snack
• when tired, wanting to snack
• having difficulty stopping eating (I am learning not to do this because of the immediate negative feedback, thank goodness)
• wanting a late night snack

I am guessing that everyone doesn't turn into a healthy-eating pro immediately after surgery. Or perhaps you did.

I am looking for some advice and encouragement on how you changed your old bad habits. What strategies did you use? How long did it take?

I highly recommend finding a therapist to help you work through this. The surgery operates on our stomachs but not on our brains. A therapist is a great addition to your post-op tool kit.

For me, personally, I started seeing a therapist a few months pre-op. I tried a local support group and it wasn't useful for me, but therapy was great. It still is, actually.

My first year post-op was awesome.

Then my dad's cancer moved to his brain and my second year post-op was **** I didn't lose any weight and, when he died just over the two year post-op mark, I ended up gaining 10 pounds in 3 months. This was because my previously undiagnosed binge eating disorder came back in full force.

I tried everything to fix my eating - you name it, I tried it. I ended up talking with my PCP, got diagnosed with Binge Eating Disorder, and started medication for it. Best thing ever for me.

And that's my story. I'm three years post-op now, still losing weight, and feel pretty great about my new lifestyle and like I'll be able to keep it up forever. :)

Thank you so much, Gwen. I am very sorry for the loss of your father.

I am quite sure that I would have reacted the same way as you did, in terms of eating and gaining weight.

I have my first follow-up with my PCP next week, and I will talk to her about this. I am seeing a therapist and started prior to the surgery, but she is not here with me during those weak moments. :)

I for sure struggled with this, and have to continue to be very diligent. You have done an important first step and that is identifying your trigger situations. Next step is to come up with strategies to deal with those situations. For example, you mentioned snacking at work. I am an elementary teacher and besieged by sugary birthday treats, staff room freebies, etc. constantly. I stopped eating lunch in the staff lounge and when the treats are dropped off later that day they are given out or thrown out. Find a replacement thing for when you are tired- maybe drink water, go for a walk... whatever will work in your situation. Stopping eating- for now, go strictly by what you measure out. Nothing more. You can eat less of it, but not more. Eventually, this will get easier! Late night snacking is my hardest one- during the weight loss phase I put my exercise time in the evening. Can't eat when I am exercising, and after vigorous exercise, I don't feel like eating. I posted a list of 100 things to do instead of eat on my fridge and did that instead. There are others things you can do, so identify a strategy that will work best for you.

It doesn't really help at work, but try to find something to do with your hands and to keep your mind occupied that you can turn to when you are craving. It's mostly all in our heads, especially so soon after surgery, cuz you can't feel hunger yet. I took up crocheting again, it helped me soooo much through the first few months post-op. I don't need it so much now. I also did jigsaw puzzles online, worked crossword puzzles, and I know lots of people do the adult coloring books.

It's the old habit of vegging in front of the TV that gets a lot of people, I think. Those are big snacking times for people...a tough habit to break.

At work, can you go take a short walk when you're stressed and want to reach for a snack? That might help. Good luck!! And hang in there!

One of the things that worked really well for me was to build an association between food and eating at the table. I stopped eating in the living room (and in the car for a while) and only ate meals at the table. For me, this helps me to eat more mindfully and to erode those connections of "I eat while I watch TV, etc."

Everytime I thought I needed to eat (from old bad habits) post surgery, I drank water or another unsweetened beverage. Are you feeling what feels like "hunger" - a rumbling in your stomach? If so, it may be acid and you may need a PPI like Protonix to help. I found a few weeks after surgery that the acid factor really kicked in and the Protonix took that "hungry" grumbly feeling away.

But even if you only drink 8 ounces of water - you are then put in the position of waiting 30 minutes to eat anything. In the meantime, get up and move, start doing something else.

Best of luck.

Its really critical at this phase to get new habits in place. Make a list of acceptable things to do at these times of stress or tiredness. Like a fragrant herb tea, flowers on your desk, glass of warm skim milk late at night or a small greek yogurt. Snaking only on veggie items. Get up and walk around a little bit. Do something with your hands like puzzles or color books or iPad games. I started changing my habits before surgery as I had a long wait and decided there was no reason to wait to try to do this. Just cut back a little on everything and did more walking. Lost 17 lbs pre op. You have to take the responsibility of changing your habits and after a few weeks it becomes much easier. Keep a journal of this so you can look back at your progress. GL. Diane S

Didn't your surgery team address this during pre op education?

I realize before surgery that I had tendency that would sabotage my post WLS so found a therapist and started seeing her before the surgery. With help I developed some useful short term strategies and then a longer term plan. I was very helpful.

I went once a week, then once a month now my next scheduled appointment isn't till June.

My surgery team didn't address the mental stuff at all pre-op. I sought out a therapist because I knew that would be helpful to me, but it's not something that my surgical team (or even PCP) ever recommended. In addition, my "pre-op education" was limited to 2-3 appointments with the nutritionist on staff. And she only addressed portion sizes and nutrient breakdowns - not tactics.

When I look back on this, it frustrates me on some level. I'm glad I was able to have the surgery with few hoops to jump through, but I'm annoyed that mental health isn't promoted more. But that's a problem with my society in general, so it shouldn't surprise me that it permeates this as well.