eat like a normal person? RePost...

eat like a normal person?

Re-Post……(skip if old hat…) -------------------------------------------------- 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 weeks of- "What the Heck 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 385+lb 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!  (formerly Presidential Material) When eating out, no cards, not even "doggy bags" anymore. I do what the other 6’1"-181 lb 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, Plato, 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. Still, very little refined sugar AT ALL. Fortunately, I don’t miss it. Do I have Protein Shakes every day? Nope! Every week? Nope… I get Most all of my Protein in from Meat, Eggs, Cheese, and Beans. An RNY’er Who Eats Meat!?! Even Red Meat? And Doesn’t Live on Shakes?!? Yep. And it’s not uncommon no matter what "Nay-Sayers" might present as "The Truth." Do I still Dump at 4+ years out. If I eat Much Sugar at all, Yes! How many times I’ve "dumped" in the last 3 years? Twice! 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!" 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

AMEN DxE. Ditto. What he said. Eating anything we want anytime we want is what not normal or healthy but we looked at it as freedom.  We still have freedom; fredom to exercise more control, choice and exercise intelligence in doing what is smart for our body and personal health whereas before, we were out of control; a tubo-charged V8 with the gas pedal to the floor all the time, making great time and headed to an early demise.  I'm glad to be off the 1/4 mile and on the oval of endurance.   A physical change that enabled a small change of life in order to be around for some family events I wouldn't have been here for otherwise.  And a wonderful change to my digestive plumbing that has changed my craving for food and desire to turn to food than I ever remember having before,...it is a beautiful change for me that required a bit of effort to shift mental gears to the adjustments my body was telling me to make all along.  Only I listened now because I had less "wax in my ears" and didn't bury those signals in carbs and calories calling it comfort. Comfort is eating smarter, being a more normal and socially exceptable size, mobile, and interested in oter things (people, events, activites) rather than where are we eating next and what sounds really good? So the real questions is what do you consider a normal person and can you really address that if you  have been overweight/big all of your life.  No easier than a normal size person understanding life being obese or the associated cravings, hunger, attitudes, and self-persception.  I could not have correctly answered such before surgery.   I have a daughter than had a tumor in her ear that was discovered at age 6.  She never complained of not being able to hear because she though her hearing was normal.  She had never had normal hearing to compare it too so she was not aware there was a problem.  Things we take for granted.   I could only imagine life as a normal size.  I even lost weight and maintained it for 8 eight years only to start gaining again, 20-30 pounds a year, to larger than ever.  Now, post op WLS, is better than I imagined.  No driving hunger, no cravings to binge, no wanting to spend time alone and eat my brains out, no thnking a box of cookies or half gallon of ice cream will help me feel better.  I am grateful I can no longer eat and live as the normal me growing up.  The new normal me is a much better arrangement and I am grateful to have had the choice and opportunity and resources to make this change.  The lack of that part of my disgestive tract that absorbed sugar and fat is a significant change that takes some adjusting but it is a very welcomed alteration to my life.. I would do it again only sooner.  I recommend it to others with similar histories of lifelong weight problems.   This is not for the faint of heart.  It is certainly not the easy way.  And it is most certainly not for the vain seeking to drop a few pounds or tighten some part of their body.  It is a life changing opportunity that can be used or abused, but if performed correctly and used properly, it will change your life that can help you  be a different, lighter, smaller, healthier, and happier person.  Sorry about the length of the post but I been wanting to express this for a while and it just came out here. Joe

Thanks guys, this was nice to read!

Seht, Saw your post, checked your profile.  Dude,..that was me Feb 06 at 408 lbs. Welcome to the hunt for a better life. Ask anythign anytime.  We are always on. Joe

Well put Dex! Never tire of reading this one. I think it should be required to re-read this one every month.