Does desire for sweets go away?

I'm only two days out from my DS surgery, and despite the fact that I feel terrible and don't really want to eat, I've found myself obsessively thinking about eating donuts or chocolate cake. My guess is that I've always used food to soothe/comfort, and since I'm still in pain and my stomach is making the weirdest noises and movements that I want those things to feel better. Does that go away? Will I ever be at a point where I can have ice cream or cake without sabotaging my weight loss?

Any tips for a person just out of surgery?

I wish the desire for sweets went away! For some folks I'm sure it does, but everyone has their eating demons. One of the things I ate beyond protein shakes that was sweet but low carb was CarbSmart ice cream made by Breyers. I was able to control portions early out, so that may work for you as well. My stomach noises are my family's new post dinner entertainment. {sigh}

--gina

Like MM said, it doesn't go away but with experience you learn to work with it.

In my opinion, the DS is a tool and it's up to you to change your habits to use your new tool. The desire doesn't go away but there's no reason not to enjoy sweets. It's all about moderation. It's about learning what works for your new insides and what doesn't work. Each of us are different and only you will know how to handle the food you put in your mouth.

Here's a perfect example. I'm 14+ years post-op and have maintained my weight loss. On Thursday I bought a piece of Cheesecake Factory cheesecake (combo of fudge cake and cheesecake). It took me three days to eat that one piece of cheesecake. Before the DS, it would have been gone in minutes. These are the choices I make.

For now, your one and one goal is to stay hydrated. You insides have just experienced major trauma and need time to heal. Hence the strange noises, etc. Once you've been given the all-clear to start introducing different foods, don't be afraid to experiment. You have to find what works for you. Follow your surgeon's guidelines. Remember you don't need to worry about vitamins for a while. By the end of the first month you should be getting about 30 grams of protein a day - you need to figure out how you're going to do that. Start learning about protein because with the DS protein is your friend.

Right now it's all about hydration and managing pain (if you have any).

the desire for sweets didn't go away for me. Desire for sweets is actually an addiction to sugar, obviously. No surgery is ever going to solve that problem. The only " cure" I know for stopping a desire for sweets is to stop eating them. Most ppl have to do that cold turkey, like overcoming any other addiction. The first week is usually hell then it gets better. Good luck.

You won't be able to eat much after surgery. You should set it in your mind now that you won't eat sweets until you get to goal. Sorry that sounds strict, but it should be your mind set. But the goal of surgery is to lose weight, you have 1 shot at your honeymoon period, you should take it.

It was like 6 months before I had my first sweet....and I was down almost 200 lbs at that time.

The desire for sweets never goes away....the more you eat of them, the more you will want. So it's best to keep that under wraps until you get to goal.

Scott

FYI Artifical sweeters will also make you crave sweet foods. Diet soda, diet candy, etc will make you want sweet food.

In my case not forever. There was a lot of the first year where I didn't have a taste for sweets. Maybe just a by product of the high protein low carb mentality but it eventually came back and I work now to keep it in check. Still, nothing like I remember pre-op.

Pete

You will probably always love sweets, but I've never been accused of depriving myself. The way to get through this without mourning is to eat in order:

1. Eat your protein first
2. Enjoy a few bites of veggies
3. Save those last couple of bites for whatever you want. This can be bread, rice, chocolate cake, whatever!

You don't have enough room to get into trouble and you don't compromise your capacity for what you need. The most important point is that you will be satisfied.

Thanks for the tips, everyone! It isn't as bad today (one week post op) as it was at the very beginning. I'm not dying for a bite of something like I was. :) The only thing that feels difficult now is that I have like zero energy. I'm not in pain, just beyond exhausted. I've always suffered from insomnia (going on my third night now of no sleep, even though I took an Ambien last night out of desperation), but I tried to go grocery shopping yesterday and halfway through had to call my husband to come bring me one of those scooters and push my cart for me. I'm sure I'm not getting enough to drink, but it is difficult to remember when I can drink so little at a time. I love water and have no issues with it, don't need to flavor it with anything else, but I used to be able to down a 16 oz bottle in seconds when I was thirsty enough. Now it feels like I need to have a water bottle in my hands at all times just to remember to drink, which is difficult when I'm supposed to be typing/working.

It can be really hard in the beginning, so get some rest if your body really wants it. After all you just had major surgery & it's healing time. Everyone is different in how quickly they can be up to full speed, or even 1/4 speed.

Feel better & be kind to yourself in the meantime.

Of course you're exhausted, you just had MAJOR surgery. You will have a water bottle in your hand for the rest of your life. I never leave home without one.