Do you still enjoy food Post Op ?

Love spicy foods.  And I can eat and enjoy them now just as much as I did prior to surgery, although I modify them.  For example, I would not eat the tortillas or rice in your "lunch special."  I've found that eating the "guts" of some foods is more satisfying because I'm not getting filled up with heavy carbs.

I think I enjoy some foods much more.  Before my surgery, I would eat junk food daily.  Now I've found that I just don't like it.  I prefer eating healthy, tasty meals that I cook for myself.  I love a lot of garlic and use it in almost everything I eat.  When I eat out at restaurants, I look for things that focus on protein - like scallops or shrimp - that I don't necessarily prepare for myself at home.

The good news about the sleeve is that you can pretty much eat anything without repercussions.  The bad news about the sleeve is that you can pretty much eat anything without repercussions.  I told my surgeon's office yesterday that eating this way - protein forward with some vegetables and maybe some fruit - isn't that hard.  My palate and my stomach are satisfied.  It's my head and its imagined hunger that I still have to deal with.

I still eat many of my favorite foods from before I had surgery, including spicy foods (there really isn't anything about the altered anatomy that automatically makes us more sensitive to spices, and most people I know have no problem.  Most people I know can eat small amounts of anything they want to without getting sick or without dumping.

I enjoy food more now,but I didn't enjoy it much for the first 6 months or so.  By the time I was a year out, though, I had found a lot of foods that were healthy and yummy.

I don't eat special "bariatric" snacks or foods because, quite frankly, they taste like crappy diet food, and now I don't waste my calories on anything that I don't truly like.  So something that merely "tastes pretty good" or is "not bad for something low in calories and carbs and high in protein" doesn't pass my lips!  

Lora

I'm just a week or so out from VSG surgery and in the process of transitioning from liquids back to real foods, and I definitely still enjoy food.  Each time I'm allowed a new food stage I find something wonderful that I enjoy.  Going from clear liquids to full liquids, that something was a cashew carrot ginger soup.  It has tons of flavor with just a hint of bite from the ginger, and I love it.  When I get to pureed/soft foods, I'm really looking forward to having some of my favorite pate.

One reason I chose the sleeve is because I love trying new and interesting foods and didn't want anything to be totally, permanently unconsumable.  Good luck with your WLS decisions, and I hope that you are happy and healthy no matter what you decide to do.

I am 3 years  post op VGB - Oct 4 will be my 3rd anniversary! As of now I have lost 180 pounds from my highest weight.

I don't regret it for one minute. Initially I had some minor problem adjusting to smaller portions, but now I can eat everything I like only less of it. I was a "choca-holic, pre-op, but now I seem to have lost that drive to eat it all only a little will fill the yen! 

I chose the sleeve because my medical doctor thought there were less digestive issues, & I found that he was right. 

Try to talk to as many people as you can who have had one or the other of the procedures. Go to the support classes if your surgeon's office has them. They were a mandatory part of my pre-op work-up. 

Good luck with your decision to have the surgery.

I'm a foodie. I enjoy food more now, than I did pre-op. One reason is that I had the DS, which allows me to eat unrestricted fat, so after a lifetime of avoiding fat like the plague, this is the closest to normal I've ever eaten.

A favorite of mine is fajitas, with lots of guacamole, sour cream, beans and salsa. Basically health food for me now.

If you get the sleeve, you will have the same stomach that I do, and won't be limited in the types of foods you eat, other than knowing you are absorbing all calories, so you may not want to be as generous with fats (DSers malabsorb fats, in particular). I like the sleeve, but knew I had a stubborn metabolism so needed the added malabsorbtion with the sleeve. 

Understanding what may work best with your preferences and lifestyle will help you settle on a surgery that will work for you.

I just went to San Diego for my birthday and ate out twice both at Mexican restaurants.  I had a grilled chicken California cobb salad and the other guacamole and salsa with chips and a short rib enchilada.  It was all great.  I eat very little but what I tried I loved.  I choose carefully what I eat and do enjoy food sometimes.  Nearly ten years out.

I couldn't eat solid foods at all when I had the Lap Band. I wanted to enjoy food, but even liquids sometimes came shooting out of my nose! (It was very unpleasant, to say the least.) 

There are lots of good food options for bariatric patients. I think you just will have to learn what works for you personally. There are a lot of great recipes here on OH and on Pinterest... maybe check them out and make substitutions as needed. Good luck to you with your surgery. 

I'm with Nic M. I had the same experience with the lap band. Even years out, I found I was still not able to enjoy food/meals. It sucked :(

I understand what you're saying! I have so much damage from that stupid Lap Band that eating is sometimes more trouble than it's worth. And I had mine out in 2005. Blerg. 

(I've somehow managed to get fat again, though!) 

Lol I've gained so much weight that people actually do a double take when they find out that I had wls. I had band surgery in 2005. I was encouraged by a weight loss surgeon to have revision to the sleeve about a year and a half ago. I freaked out! The band has traumatized me! Just thinking about having wls and again having to endure what I went through with the band brings me major anxiety!!! It's sad, because due to my health probs (insulin resistance and Pcos), I know I will never be successful at losing weight and keeping it off without help, but I just can't imagine having wls again. I am a coward but hoping to become brave again one day soon 😉

feel free to read my story when you have some extra time on your hands. Prepare yourself, its a bit long lol.