Only 1 week out since gastric bypass and already...

Hi, I just had gastric bypass one week ago.  Today and yesterday I cheated on what I can have to eat.  While I'm supposed to be sticking to soft foods, today I had a McDonald's cheeseburger (the plain one minus the pickles) and yesterday I had some Hershey's chocolate almond bar.  Other than having to chew thoroughly and taking my time eating, I've been able to eat without any consequences whatsoever.  This has me very worried since I was hoping dumping syndrome would teach me to stay away from the fatty & sugary foods.  I'm not worried about the burger since I actually don't care for fast food burgers, I was just so sick of sugar-free shakes, pudding and jello that I decided to have it.  I am worried about the sweets and overeating.  Why am I able to eat this stuff one week out???  I know how to eat right and given I have osteoarthritis, I am pretty good about riding my bike and going to the gym to weight lift, swim and yoga.  Still, I'm afraid I will not be one of the success stories.  I am very scared of stretching out my stomach.  I have had no negative side-effects from eating post-op.  Am I wrong in thinking that those who were successful curbed their eating because of dumping syndrome and getting full early? 

At one week you won't feel the restriction yet.. you might not until 4-6 weeks, which is why it's really important to measure out your food and not try to eat until you feel full or eat items off plan or before the next phase.  

Not everyone dumps.. if you were relying on that as a way to be held accountable, you might be disappointed.  

wls is a tool, it's only going to work as well as you use it. 

If you are having issues sticking to the plan, please talk to your surgeon. You do realize you are risking a life threatening situation? 

Thanks for responding lxl_Miz_lxl.  I went into this focused and now my focus has been derailed by how seemingly "easy" this has been.  Your reminder that veering from the program is more than just a bad decision, but a major health risk is what I needed to hear to get back on track.  Also good to know that the feeling of restriction still needs time to set in!  I was wondering if my slow, but steady eating was doing more damage than I realized.  Thanks again, much appreciated!

You need therapy. You will NOT succeed unless you get your head into the game. I'm not saying this to mean, just truthful. If you continue to eat like you did before surgery, you'll have the same sort of success you did before surgery---which is presumably none.

Everyone is not capable of changing their eating habits.  Some people come out of surgery highly motivated to stick to their plan, lose the weight and keep it off.  Others stop at McDonald's on the way home from the hospital.

Some people lose their weight and keep it off.  Others cannot do that.

Only you can decide if you are really going to use your new tool properly or not.

Noted!  I did not go to McDonald's, for the record, I was given a kid's cheeseburger because my friend's niece didn't want it.  I was so hungry for something substantial that I ate it.... then regretted it.  I think all the sugar-free protein shakes, pudding, jello, etc has me craving savory foods.  Thank you for your input.

Did all that sugar-free stuff make you crave the Hershey bar too?  Maybe someone just handed it to you and you had to eat it.  So you were craving savory, but you ate sugar?  You said (further down on the thread)  That you experimented to see if eating this stuff would hurt or just to see if you had restriction.  You are not making sense to me.  I would AVOID anything that might hurt me.  Since I went to the extreme (meaning surgery) to lose weight, I would follow the rules. The doctors give us rules for a reason.

You also said (further down) that you worked for two years with a dietician prior to your surgery and you want us to believe that she NEVER explained that not all WLS patients dump?  You want us to believe that she NEVER told you that YOU would have to be responsible for your own behavior and the surgery won't do all the work for you?  Surgeons don't just operate on anyone.  We all have to jump through hoops to get here.  You had to have gone through an evaluation with a therapist too.  You want us to believe that in that prep time, with all those professionals, you NEVER asked the questions you asked here?  The WLS lifestyle was NEVER discussed?

You have a firm command of the english language and have articulated very well.  You are obviously not an ignorant or stupid person. That shows in the way you write.  You joined OH on the same day you posted THIS.  You certainly can understand why I might think you are a troll. 

Well one thing I have learned since being diagnosed with OA is that you have to self-advocate and ask questions to be further educated in your own health care.  Yes, I saw a dietician for 2 years.  No, she was not versed in bariatrics specifically.  I often thought they had it wrong: having a WLS candidate see a regular dietician, all the while they have you jumping through the hoops to meet WLS program's requirements.  I feel that the year long prep time IS the time to address eating behavior.  Nutrition can be taught while also addressing the gist of the problem: behavior.  Fortunately for future patients, the bariatric clinic will be incorporating a more comprehensive approach to weight loss, meaning behavior, pharmaceuticals, etc.  That said, I never did understand why I wasn't seeing the bariatric nutritionist more than twice.  Once as a basic info gathering meet; the other to prepare me for the low-cal diet for surgery. 

I was told about dumping, but not given a statistic, for the record.  That's not the problem. My behavior was the problem, and could still be if I don't check it.  That day and the day before, I was craving real food - not calling McDonald's or Hershey's real food.  I had sugar cravings and cravings for something savory at times.  Anyway, today I spoke to my NP and told her about what I ate, my concerns and fear that I had no notable adverse reaction and that I had such cravings, etc.  She pointed out that I could use more protein and fiber in my diet to offset cravings and recommended fat-free refried beans with sautéed tomatoes, onions, garlic - all pureed.  Perfect!  That sounds way better than the crap I ingested a few days ago.  That said I have zero appetite today and yesterday, but just knowing that I'm not relegated to the same 5 items helps tremendously.  And she mentioned that it's all about self-control and that even so soon after WLS, it is still the dominating factor for success. 

It's sad that this site get**** up by trolls, so I can see why people respond so vehemently.  People also responded vehemently if they did believe me.  The troll comments are innocuous, if you're not a troll, but the others made me FEEL LIKE S!  And that served it's purpose too.  I completely understand that my error so soon after surgery is shocking; it was to me too, not to remove myself from my action.  It is however, hard to believe that nobody has ever deviated from the program.  Of course people have, they're just sure as hell not going to mention it here which is a shame since OH, in theory, should be a safe place to admit and be accountable for one's own screw ups.... without being called out like a joke and told, sarcastically, to keep screwing up.  Nice.

I find this response rude, this person is reaching out for help and instead getting a snide comment. We have all been through different paths that have lead us to WLS. we should be supportive and not crappy. What is wrong with people GEEZE

I'm not sure to whom you're directing this response, but you need to realize that true support includes telling people when they're screwing up. It's NOT support to hand-pat and say "There, there" when someone is engaging in self-destructive behaviour.