What's your healthy comfort food?

Hi all,

I am working on my relationship with food as I am in the process of going through insurance requirements 3 month diet for the revision from lap band to RNY. Wanted to ask what is your healthy comfort food has been after surgery. (I had lap band surgery  about 9 years ago so need a refresher)I tend to go to sugar free jello right now..also how did you  break your relationship with food?

 

And for folks that had RNY, what foods/drinks you are not able to tolerate after having gone through surgery?

 

Thanks!

Natalie

I am only 4 weeks out with my RNY.  Since I am still on the restrictive diets (soft food now), I don't yet have a healthy comfort food. As for my favorite drinks...hot tea (spice and green being my go-tos) and water laced with black cherry lime Crystal Light Liquid.

Thank you so much for your input, how are you doing being 4 weeks out?

glad to hear about crystal light and tea.

My first 2 1/2 weeks on clear/full liquids where hard, my next 2 weeks haven't been bad (just boring).  I start solid food in 2 days, I'm excited about it and slightly scared at the same time.

Please note that I said I use Crystal Light Liquid, thus isn't the same as Crystal Light.  I can't drink normal Crystal Light, it's just too sweet.  With Crystal Light Liquid I control the sweetness.

I use the Crystal light powder but one serving for a water bottle will give me LOTS of servings!  I just need a bit to add a slight flavor to the water :)

I don't have a healthy comfort food. I think using food as a comfort whether it's a healthy food or not is a problem in it & of itself. Detaching the emotional comfort of food & just seeing it as a nutritional requirement takes a lot of work. I think therapy or reaching out for support like OA or here is a good start. 

Just know that the relationship with food is an ongoing process, it doesn't end at surgery & it doesn't end when you're at goal. It's good that even now you know you do have a relationship with food & are seeking ways to change that. I wish you the best of luck in your weight loss journey.

Two years out as of New Year's Eve here.

In all honesty, the fact that you are seeking a comfort from food, highlights that you are on the right track in dealing with an unhealthy relationship with it.  Food isn't meant to provide comfort, but rather fuel for your body.  No more, no less.

I know it's hard to believe that you can detach emotionally from food.  I have spoken about this before, but I am definitely a recovering food addict.  I do not use that expression lightly.  I don't mean I am a foodie or that I just like to eat.  I mean a food addict -- in much the same way someone is a heroin addict, a nicotine addict or an alcoholic.  It is pathological.

As a food addict, I had to accept that I can't eat even a little of the addictive foods. I had to learn to practice abstinence. I also had to unfortunately deal with the withdrawal symptoms until my brain chemistry became normal again.  That meant that I had to put myself first.    I had to look and deal with my feelings without my vice/addiction of food.

I would suggest that you are right to work on your relationship with food even before you have a revision -- the hardest part of being successful truly is finding a way to manage this relationship in a healthy way.  Unfortunately, doing that rarely if ever means using our drug of choice to comfort ourselves.  

For me, this meant finding a real life support group, coming here daily and establishing a relationship with an eating disorder counselor before my RNY.  I still work at this every. single. day.  

Good luck to you friend.

 

Congrats on two years. I wanted to Thank you for this. It's kinda cool that you offer this stuff to anyone willing to let it in. You and Grim are two reasons I even read this stuff.

It's always great advice. It has always helped me, either then, or later. But there's about 6 or 7 of you guys here that never fail to say just what I needed to hear that day. It makes the difference in this journey being hard, and it being easy. (Imagine a smiley face) I don't do emoji.

Anyway, thanks again Kat. You're a great mentor.

Thank you Gary.  I take that as a nice compliment.

Working on your current relationship with food is commendable. But, believe me after RNY surgery over the next year you'll not even care about food and very few things will give you comfort---regarding 'food'. Definitely work with your nutritionist to come up with a healthy way to eat post RNY. Cause, once you are at 2 years out even though you don't eat alot at one sitting----the wrong choices will cause you to regain that loss. I know, personally. I have regained 60lbs of what I had lost. So I am bumming and really looking at what I need to do to get back on track. My sister did the LapBand & regained all of her weight back & their way of eating/drinking was totally different than what I had to do. So make sure you are aware of those differences. I am lactose intolerant. Can no longer eat ice cream (even though that was never my problem) but I can eat chips (they were a problem & continue to be). I can eat sugary things----sometimes better than others. I cannot eat too much Chinese foods (make me really sick). Remember to think of anything BUT food as "comfort things"......cause for quite awhile you shouldn't have hunger pains & food may cause you severe pains----it will no longer be your friend or comfort for at least a year or two, anyway.