eat like a normal person?....Re-Post

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 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! "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"-183 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…Often?  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. Filet Mignon is "Good Eats." 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

Hi Dx, No shows? I'm seeing alot of the little green man.  Sugar is the damn devil, plain and simple. I don't dump on sugar like some others, but have noticed that if I eat foods made with a little extra sugar that I eat more. For instance, if I eat baked beans with 9 grams of sugar per serving, then I will eat more than what I need. That doesn't mean I overdo it, just that I will eat less meat, and more beans. For the non-protein shake drinker (like me) that means less protein from the meal.  As far as eating like a normal person, it's very true. Before surgery, my doc told me that it took nearly 5000 calories per day to maintain my pre-op weight. 5000 calories! Not all of that was meals though. I drank about 6 20 oz cokes, cappucino was loaded with sugar (24 oz daily),  and sometimes 3-4 donuts. All that junk add up to more calories than I eat in a day now. Add to that the enormous portions I was eating at mealtime, and it's no wonder I was morbidly obese. The surgery helped me to change my eating habits, and my portion size. I changed what I was putting in my mouth. Now what seemed like the impossible a year ago, seems normal.

Love the quality DX repost. These are great thanks DX. Troy

Good Post,  I was recently called by a lady whom was on the no side of having the Band done. She asked, will I ever eat like normal again?  My respons to her was NO, but in a good way. I told her I am actually more satisfied with the amounts of food I eat now than I ever was with the bottomless pit I had before. I wouldn't go back for the world, There are however days I can't eat, so I don't or eat verry little.