---eat like a normal person?

[re-post, skip if you've seen]----------------------------------------------- I see this question a lot from folks prior to surgery- "Will I ever be able to eat like a normal person?" Not only from those in their first week of- "What the He11 did I do to Myself!?!?" But a lot of pre-Ops. This is one of those things that people Actually worry about A good deal. In fact, it’s one of those things that people, Specifically, People who have not had Gastric Bypass Use to persuade others NOT to have RNY Gastric Bypass Or even WLS in general! Here’s how some of this is "Manifest" "Just Diet and Exercise More….." "You’ll be Living on a Diet…" "A Diet with a Scar!" "Living on those Protein Shakes!" "You’ll spend your life measuring out meals in ice-cube trays…" "Un-able even to chew gum for the rest of your life…" "Never being able to taste a beer again as long as you live?" "…A life of daily vomiting, you might as well be bulimic!" "Everyone gains it back anyway! With "That, K-mart variety WLS!" "After one year of loosing THEY all gain it back anyway…." "You’ll never able to eat like a human again…" "…want to still eat more than three peas and a crouton for dinner." So, am I able to eat like a normal person? Yes! Am I able to eat like a 385lb man? Who is steadily gaining weight toward an early grave? NO! That’s the Deal. I’m no longer a "Member in Good Standing" of the Clean Your Plate Club!  When eating out, no cards, not even "doggy bags" anymore. I do what the other 6’1"-179lb men do- I eat until I’m satisfied and stop. I make healthy food choices Rather than ones based on whether or not I find them –"Comforting." Because I’m not carrying those extra 200+ pounds I easily get exercise without too many hassles at all. Yep, I have the occasional Beer, Wine etc… I Chew Gum (while walking  ) Sugar? Well I eat a lot more of it than Aristotle, Jesus, etc…. In fact, More than most everyone prior to massive Slavery in the West Making it something that the world was plagued with. Popped up about the same time as tobacco and equally "essential" for life. Do I have Protein Shakes every day? Nope, I get Most all of my Protein in from Meat, cheese, and Legumes. An RNY’er Who Eats Meat!?! Even Red Meat? And Doesn’t Live on Shakes?!? Yep. And it’s not uncommon no matter what The "Nay-Sayers" might present as "The Truth." Do I still Dump right at 4 years out. If I eat Much Sugar at all, Yes! How many times I’ve "dumped" in the 2 years? Once! Does the threat of "dumping" over-shadow my life? No. Rich Foods? For me, a touch of intestinal discomfort, If I eat too much overly rich foods. (A Great deal of Fat, Butter, or Cream. Think very fatty Steak with Bernaise Sauce) Strangely enough This is often the case of Non-WLS people as well. They just call it "Indigestion." Living on a Diet?……Diet? For those who have not completely forgotten the definition, Yes! According to Webster- "The usual food and drink consumed by an organism (person or animal)." So that’s it… "Usual!"--Normal! For those early out of surgery Still stuck on liquids, Wondering if they’ll just have to get used to this And for those who are Avoiding Gastric Bypass Or any WLS for that matter, Out of Anxiety that they will "Not be able to Eat like a Normal Person," Or that they will- "Never be Normal," In My Humble Opinion, And My Experience So Far, Nothing could be further than the truth! Best Wishes- Dx