Did your WLS teach

 I am in the process of approval for RNY.  I have done quite a bit or research, reading, etc.  I have been under the impression that WLS was a tool to teach you to eat better, to teach portion control, to alleviate health issues, and improve appearance.  However I have read many say that they will never eat simple carbs again, or drink again, or do this or that.  I understand the fear of getting fat again factor as well.   If your body can handle it and you can manage the consumption at some point do you allow yourself to eat a piece of cake or an ice cream cone or having drink.  Complete life long abstenance seems a bit too much like fearfuil avoidance, but perhaps necessary for some.,  Just curious if your WLS has taught you to use moderation or to abstain all together.  Or is it more common that the body just wont tolerate these vices once a person is a year out. 

I think the goal of most of us is to live like a normal sized person does in terms of food. Personally, my diet doesn't include simple or white carbs every day because I actually prefer complex unprocessed carbs - such as brown rice, whole grain bread etc. My daily diet is based on my health and taste preferences - they just happen to coincide with good weight maintenance. Of course I do have the odd cookie or piece of cake if I want, but they hold little interest for me now ...

Having said all that - I never eat ice cream, cereal with milk or deep fried foods because I dump like a mofo! I do sometimes miss a bowl of Cheerio's but as I feel like I'm dying when I dump (and have sometimes wished I would! - drama queen!) they really are not worth it to me!

You may well be one of the 70% of RNY'ers that don't dump and so will be able to eat whatever you like - however, if you don't learn moderation by about year 3, you will be on here asking how to get rid of your regain!!!!!!

Good luck with your surgery.

ETA: I do drink red wine and the occasional margherita - and have done since about 6 weeks after surgery. Research cross addiction if you are interested in the effects of alcohol after surgery!

My WLS did not teach me much---but it did do a great deal to 'fix' what was wrong with me.

I had the DS 8 years ago, and I still have restriction. This didn't teach me portion control---it gave me built-in portion control. It also gave me a functioning satiety switch, so that I stop eating not merely because my stomach is full, but because my brain is satisfied.

It did not teach me to eat better---it allowed me to eat better by blocking the absorption of roughly 80% of the fat I eat. This means I can eat lots of dense protein, without worrying about the fat tasty protein is usually accompanied by. (Think sausage, well-marbled meats, bacon, cheeses, nuts, daity.) I eat---even crave---fresh veggies, and occassional fresh fruit. Grains I'm not so big on, and while my 'sweet tooth' is still there, it's now just one tooth, not all of them. (*grin*)

My DS has also alleviated most of my health issues, and prevented some I was on track to acquire. My rising cholsterol level has dropped from over 200 to 112. I'm not diabetic, even though I have relatives---MANY relatives!---on both sides of my family. My arthritis is still with me, but I control it with NSAIDs most of the time.

I certainly hope it's improved my appearance! (*grin*)

I live a remarkably normal life---more normal than I'd lived for many, many years pre-op. There is nothing that I like that I never eat. I pretty much eat anything I truly want, and as much of it as I want. That's not to say I'm eating as much as I wanted pre-op---but my DS didn't teach me ot want less, it caused me to want less.

Research ALL your options before you go under the knife. Read the Revision forum and you'll see why I say that.

www.obesityhelp.com/forums/revision/

My RNY helps me to stop eating when I am full.  Before I could  continue to eat after being full.  That was my problem.  Eating when I wasn't hungry and eating past "full."  I can not eat past full anymore without suffering the consequences (very uncomfortable feeling to throwing up).  It doesn't take many times to learn.  I prefer to quit before I am "full" so I am not uncomfortable.  It has also taught me to chew my food well or suffer the same as above.  Now I taste my food instead of just shoveling it in. 

I am hoping that with continued restriction these learned habits stay with me.

Thanks for replies.  I eat tons of healthy food now problem is I have spent many evenings turning oreo cookies into a meal.  I didnt really do this out of mood on most occasions.  I guess I never really considered myself unhappy with who I was.  I do however get frustrated with my weight and all the inconviences it brings.  Obesity is veiwed as a disease by the medical community but often not by the public.  That being said I am still curious how many out there veiw the food that  brought them to the decision of weight loss as the culprit or trigger that sets them off on an eating frenzy so its best to just never indulge.  I had delusions that I could learn moderation if my body does allow me to live like a normal person.  Obviously snacking and portion control are a large part of my issues.  I do not want to paint all with the same brush.   Perhaps that process of learning what I can and cannot indulge in safley will be part of my process.  I do not know how I will respond.  I do know that if I do seek out a sugar fix it makes me want another one if I have been restricting carbs,  Just putting some thoughts down maybe for my own benefit than for others.

I suggest you also do some research on reactive hypoglycemia after the RNY.  Forewarned is forearmed.

I have learned alot in a yr with my band about foods and learning to eat better.

Me personally, I dont believe in giving up the foods I love, I didn't get WLS to live like that and I dont want to live like that .

I totally believe moderation not deprivation is the key to success weight loss and to keep it off.

I have changed my eating habits.  For example my family wanted hot dogs with the works.  mustard, onions, sauce and fries.  I knew hot dogs was high in sodium so I fixed me a chicken breast in white wine with some mushrooms and had a few fries.  I was very happy with my meal.  I'm not saying I will never eat another hot dog with the works but at the time I just didn't want to eat one.  If you would have asked me a yr ago to do  that I would have laughed at you and sat down and ate two or three hot dogs with oodles of fries.

Its small changes like that ,  I haven't had a fast food burger in over 14 months now , not that I cant eat it but I just dont have the desire to eat one.

But I still eat bread, I still eat pasta, I still eat my pizza, and french fries, I just dont eat them foods every day and I dont eat tons of them foods. I eat a nice small serving of them foods and Im happy and my taste buds are happy lol.



This is just me if I gave up everything I loved then I would not be successful for long.   I want to eat and live like a normal skinny person does enjoy them ice cream cones, or that cheesy pizza but now I know about moderation and portion control and how often to eat them foods .

If something would ever happen to my band I think I could make it without it because I have changed my eating habits , I am learning portion control and I am making better decisions.   I need to learn these things because this is my one and only WLS I will ever have done so I make it my number one priority to learn these lessons in-case something does happen in the future :o)

I have realized, through years of attempts and failures, that I cannot eat certain things in moderation, WLS or not.  I have tried and tried and I cannot have things like sugar and wheat in moderation.  Anytime I try, in a short time I am stuffing them into my face.  I am also a recovering alcoholic and I had to learn that I couldn't drink alcohol in moderation, too.  For me it's pretty much the same thing.
Not everyone has the same issues I do.  Many can eat whatever they want in smaller amounts and that was their goal with WLS.  I had my first surgery in 2002 and I thought then that it would "cure" my food addiction and allow me to eat what I wanted and not have any consequences.  I didn't change the way I ate.  I had pretty much no restriction so after a while my quantities were similar to pre op.  Needless to say, I failed my first WLS.  So, when I had my revision I did a lot of soul searching and decided to do things differently.  It really is up to you as far as how you eat as a post op.  No surgery can take away your free will.  It just depends on what works for you.  It is up to you to figure that out.

This is very personal.

For example: for me there has never been such a thing as "enough pasta". There is no pasta, there is all the pasta, there is no middle ground. It is likely with my sleeve that I could eat a lot more pasta than I could other, healthier for me, foods. So - never again.

On the other hand, I can have a bite of brownie or cookie. So in extreme moderation, yes on brownies and cookies - but I might choose a Quest brownie protein bar instead. No on bread (see pasta) and crackers/chips. Yes on ice cream, again in extreme moderation.

For the most part, I am letting this process teach me to find healthy treats that I love. These I will substitute as much as possible for the less healthy treat options I've always enjoyed. But not 100%.

I don't deprive myself and haven't since surgery. That said, I used my wls as a tool to get me to a managable weight and to maintain that. (within reason). I could never have lost 128 pounds all by myself. I knew what to do but it just wasn't happening. I now find myself knowing how to eat- protein forward or only meals, no drinking with meals, low carb, low fat, lots of water and exercise. I know portion control (or let's say my pouch does). I have many wls post op friends and these topics come up with us all the time. We are each as different as post ops as can possibly be. I have found those with OCD or other compulsions that possibly led them to obesity in the first place have a black or white attitude about foods and treats. It's all or nothing for them. My girlfriends can't have as much as an m & m iin the house without it sending them into an eating frenzy. One bite of mac and cheese and they eat the whole pot full. When they have something that makes them obsess on something untiil it's all consumed, makes them NOT want to have that temptation in the house. To be successful for them means completely banning cookies or Butterfinger bars or HOHO's from the house. Others choose to treat the OCD (Depression,ADD or whatever can also hinder successful weight loss post op.) and find getting to the root of the problem makes it easier and they don't have to have everything inblack and white.
I prefer to have a gray area where I avoid what I should, eat what I need to and occasionally have something not on my daily menu. There is a fear of getting fat again, but I also know human nature says if I deprive myself of red licorice that's all I'm going to want. So I have a couple bites or a piece of red licorace and I'm fine. Same with cake or ice cream. I have a few bites or a small piece of cake at a wedding or birthday party or whatever and move on. I don't do it every day and the small amoun that I eat isn't going to throw me completely off track. I have learned with this surgery to listen to my body, give it what it needs (not wants) and to give it more when it needs more - guilt free. I can now walk by the desert table at the buffet and that's ok. Or if I do want something from there I choose one thing and have a few bites to get the taste. That's usually enough to take care of any craving I might have. I eat more on days I'm more active, I've learned that by being more active I can allow myself more food, and possibly a treat here and there. It works for me. I follow my plan still - I eat what I want to after I've satisfied what my body needs.
One hershey kiss isn't going to blow my whole day, and I see that one piece as a treat - and I don't need any more. I don't have the other issues some have so keeping candy or cookies in the house isn't a biggie. I have others who live here who have a right to buy girl scout cookies and keep them on the counter or put candy in the candy dish for holiday entertaining. It;'s my job to take care of myself and not limit them because I've had surgery. It's worked for me all these years. Some things I LOVED before surgery just don't have the same appeal anymore. You could put a cheesecake in my fridge and it would still be there intact a month later. Before surgery I would have inhaled it. I get really excited about cheese sticks yet, I now the protein count in most foods, and I follow the directions as a good post op MOST of the time. We all have to find what works for us. I didn't have the surgery to deprive myself, I had it to lose weight and learn how to keep it off.
I can tolerate everything I did before surgery so my rny doesn't limit me- I have to police myself.
It's worked so far. I still love my rny and would do it again in a heartbeat.
Jen 10 yrs post op