Hi, I'm a food addict

Hi, I hope that those of you struggling to eat won't be upset by me posting this here but my food problem is just the opposite: I can't leave it alone or stop thinking about it. Only once in my life have I been free from obsessive thoughts of food and that was when I was taking Phen/Fen. It was an amazing freedom that I was so sad to have to let go of but the side effects were horrible. This obsession has come from a lot of places in me...none good and has done a lot of damage in my life. Being on my 2nd and final weight loss surgery this is my last chance to recover from this addiction. It is a daily process and sometimes it feels minute to minute. Even though our struggles are different, I hope you will allow me to hang out here with you once in awhile as we all try to come to terms with our food demons. Molly

I loved my Phen/fen I was begging for them to please just give it to me... I didn't care about the side effects... I didn't even have to eat back then...

I agree...it was the coolest thing not thinking about food and having to work to get in the 1000 calories a day. Not even real hunger pangs. Were you lucky and escaped the heart valve damage? I was but both my mom and sister got it.

I'm thinking I was one of the lucky ones... I wasn't ever checked for it but I did have a light heart attack the year before my GBS... so really not sure

Before my revision surgery I had to have a treadmill test and they told me that they couldn't find any signs of that valve damage. Very reassuring. Lot of heart disease in my family so the last thing I wanted to hear was that there was an added risk. Hope your heart attack didn't do much damage. You must be putting a lot less stress on your heart now with so much less weight to pump blood into, right? Hope you won't have any more attacks.

Hi there i was wondering if you can tell me what a revision is......and how do i get one if it will help me get back on track......i'm 3yrs out and have been gaining weight steadily.........i can't seem to stop myself..........i just think about food all the time, and of course eat it all the time. phen/fen was great......i lost 75lbs on it!!!!!!!!! well email me if you can........at [email protected]

Molly Thank you so much for stopping by and posting. Your post is just as valuable and helpful as any other response. This forum is in no way about people who cannot eat, it is for any difficulty. While I may not be able to personally understand your struggle you do know that I am always here for you. I actually did not know that this was your second surgery. What was your first one? I had never tried Phen/Fen. I did try a different weight loss drug, but forget which one. I was so unbelievable thirstly all the time. I swear I drank a gallon of water a day. I only managed to lose a couple of pounds on this medication. I have always been bothered that people think that if you are overweight you must eat a lot. I have always eaten less than anyone I know and would always go days without eating. I gained weight because I did not eat. Then everytime I gained weight I thought even still I must be eating too much so would eat even less. It is not the small pouch that has allowed me to lose weight, it is the malabsorbtion that has saved me. On top of that I am eating now. Not as much as recomended, but still eating. Thanks again for coming by Molly I would love for you to come hang out here.

Thank you, Terisa. I just didn't want anybody who finds pain in trying to eat to have someone else 'in their face' who wants to eat and eat and eat. My first surgery was vertical banded gastroplasty, a form of stomach stapling where you also get a band put in place...just not an adjustable one like they do now. It was just the wrong surgery for me...the malabsorption factor is what has helped me most like you. Someday medical science will figure out what is going wrong in our brains to cause us to either be obsessed with eating food or not be able to eat. Till then I'm so glad there is a place like this to help us. Thank you for the warm welcome. Hugs! Molly

Hi Molly, Glad you posted. I found this site about a week ago and was getting a little discouraged that there didn't seem to be people here with whom I could relate. I too have been obsessed with food all my life. I had a stomach stapling in 1981. Lost 90 lbs and gained all of it and then some back. Had a RNY Gastric Bypass Surgery in November of last year. Have lost 126 # but at a severe cost. In the first 5 or 6 months I had absolutely no appetite. In fact, the thought or smell of food disgusted me. It was great! Ended up in the hospital twice in January because my potassium level bottomed out. Then ended up in the hospital for 2 months in April because of malnutrition. Almost died. Unfortunately (in some ways), my appetite has returned. Plus I can basically eat anything I want and large quantities. I pray some of my appetite goes away again because I sure don't want to have gone through hell and then gain the weight back. Yet, I am glad it returned so I can now get the protein, etc. I need to keep me alive and healthy. Hopefully we can support each other and work through our issues. Susan

Hi Susan, So glad you came by. It sounds like you have had a rough road and have experienced issues all over the place. How fortunate you made it through the rough times. I hope to see you often on this forum and I know there are plenty in your shoes. I hope you find the support you need here. ~ Terisa