Question of the day

I hope everyone had a great holiday season!!!  Now back to the real world. This question works for both pre and post op patients. When you have a craving for a certian food but know you shouldn't eat it what do you do to overcome that craving? How often are you successful?

Well, if I try a food I really want and it makes me sick and I dump, that pretty much ends any craving for that food! If I can tolerate it, then I figure it into my daily calorie intake and have some in moderation. I find that denying myself something only leads to longing for it and thus builds up in my mind what it was like to have it. Take French Fries for example, I denied myself them for a long time but one day, my wife had some extra and I gave one a try, expecting it to be a treat, it was instead, dry, greasy and nasty tasting, I tried again a month or two later and it was the same. They smell great but taste nasty! The longing for them is gone, I know that they don't taste as wonderful as I remember them being.

With me it's sweets, especialy chocolet. I don't dump. I try avoidance by keeping the stuff out of the house. If its in the house I drink water. That often takes the edge off. Sometimes I eat a small amount along with something that is OK for me to eat. This past holiday week has been tough. My plan is not total denial because that only seems to make the cravings worse. I try very hard to enjoy in moderation. So I guess it depends on the definition of successful. I could do better but I'm not ashamed of how I've handled it so far. I'm almost a year out and the honeymoon has been over for about 4 months now.

I have some peppermint flavored tooth paste. I have a bottle both at work and at home. When I fee those type of cravings, I brush my teeth three times, spaced about 5 minutes apart.  After the third brushing I have never really needed to eat what I was craving. 1) Because I become very aware of the head hunger issue I am dealing with and the added  delay through brushing keeps me from being too impulsive, and 2) The flavor and teeth brushing stimulation makes those feeling fade away after I get . I use: Crest Tatar Control Whiting plus Scope, Cool Peppermint Liquid Gel and have a folding travel tooth brush in my desk at work, build up the smile I reward myself with after the cravings go away unanswered.  Herb

I go ahead and eat it. In my own experience, one bite and the craving disappears. The food just isn't as good as it used to be and although I think I want it, once I bite into it I realize I really don't and I don't need to be eating it anyway.

Being about 3 1/2 months out, I have started having a few cravings.  My cravings are more along the lines of chips, popcorn, etc.  At this point I have been afraid to try and eat them.  I realize these cravings are more head hunger than actually being hungry.  So I try to get my mind off of them by going for a walk or doing something with my hands until those cravings go away.  Later on I probably will try some of my old favorites.  Hopefully by that time, I will have established better eating habits and can make better choices.

I am 10 months out and the cravings have gone away, I wouldnt eat them in fear of dumping. Sometimes I would have just a bite to ease the cravings and then think that it wasnt that great anymore. My sister had the surgery the same day as me, she says that if I am having a craving, have a bite, just realize that it could make you sick and that felling will stop you next time you want to eat it. Good Luck! Your going to do GREAT!

I was able to resist the cravings for the first 3 months following my original RNY of 11-16-00 but then I started having a few pretzels.  Eventually, I started having a little bit of everything I used to eat.  Now, I'm back to being a full blown carb addict. Most of you probably know by now whether you are food addicts or just heavy eaters.  If you gained your weight only because you overate at meals, you may be able to taste "forbidden" foods.  However, if you know you are addicted to certain foods, avoid them.  You may not be able to turn back if you take that first bite.

Wow, this is a good one.  We all know that CRAVINGS are much more powerful than URGES.  An urge is especially easy to overcome, since it is basically an impulse to eat at a given moment with no particular desire.  But a craving, which is much more specific, often doesn't just "go away", and should be addressed, because avoiding a craving can actually lead to a huge binge later on... I get cravings from now and then, and my solution is usually to find an alternative food item that will give a similar result, in texture and taste.  For example, if I am craving a package of the Lance Cheese & Crackers (these are notorious for being ALL white carbs and fat!), I will grab a couple of the GG Bran Crispbread crackers (zero net carbs), and two slices of Kraft Fat-Free American Cheese.  I get the same crunch, the same cheesiness, but I got it all fairly guilt-free. Then, there are times when NO acceptable substitute can be found.  It is those times that I need to "Think First", and weigh my options.  Will I be sick?  It is worth being sick for a while to eat this?  How will it affect my nutrition?  Often, the simple act of "Thinking First" will sway me one way or another.  There are times when, knowing full-well that I would get really sick, I still ate something.  I would eat it, and then head straight for bed, to "ride it out".  NOT the best thing to do, but it has happened. Which is why I always try for option A first - - find a suitable replacement food! :) This was a great question-of-the-day! :) - Mike

I am a HUGE (pun intended..LOL) flavor addict... so thru the liquid, pureed, and now soft food stage we have been finding good substitutions for what I want.  The only thing I haven't come up with something good for is white bread/rolls, etc.  Everything else, I've been able to find a low fat/low sugar substitute for.  This is everything from meats, cheeses, ice cream, even mexican food and pizza.  One of our traditional 'family' meals is a mexican style burrito/chip and dip meal.  I used a no sugar added Hunt's spaghetti sauce., very lean ground beef, taco spice, low fat cheese, low fat sour cream, (can use NO fat, but low fat tastes better.).. Everyone ate it, and didn't think there was a difference in taste. I ate about a half cup of dip with about 5 chips and was very full and totaly satisfied.  Today I made a mexican pizza out of the same stuff.  Satisfying, lowfat, and low sugar. I like a lot of soups also.  We get a lot of steak and cheese soup, ham chowder, clam chowder etc.  Campbells has some good versions that meet my requirements.  Even during the liquid phase I found those very satisfying when blended, and spiced up with pepper.  I've heard some post ops can't handle spices, but so far I've been real lucky! As I heard one cook say on TV, it has to taste good first, then be healthy. I'm not going to eat crappy tasting food.. I will make my healthy food taste good! A good section to look is the dietetic section of your grocer.  Most large grocers have low sugar/fat items now.  Walmart has them right along with the regular foods.   Dale