Does food ever become an "afterthought"?

During my entire life, I have been obsessed with food. When I was home, I would constantly be at the refrigerator so much I should have had frostbite.  If someone brought food to work, I would keep eating until the food was gone.  After RNY, I can only eat smaller amounts now. But in these past seven weeks since surgery, I have had to carefully plan when I eat, how much I eat, and when I eat. So in a sense, I am still obsessed with food. However, the past couple of days have been different. I am on vacation. My wife and I have been very busy. I still took my vitamins.. although I didn't quite make my daily quota of liquid yesterday (BAD BOY!).  And I barely made my minimum of 61 grams of protein.  But my wife an I are having a great time. It was nice for a change not having my day dominated by food.

But is there a danger here?  At what point after your surgery did you notice that your pre-occupation with food end? Or did it ever end?

At almost seven months out I have a lot more choices and options available to me.  Food is still in control but on a different level.  I don't think or obsess about.  I never really did in the first place.  I have to think much more carefully now about good and bad choices, serving sizes, time between meals, and eating slowly.  I don't Deny myself of anything that I really have craving for but I only eat a very small amount of what it is that I'm craving.  If I over do it I know that I can and will pay the price for it in several different ways.  Immediate retribution is dumping or feeling bad.  The delayed payment is possibly sabotaging myself and my weight loss surgery.  I'm so thankful that my wife and I had weight loss surgery.

Duane

At 12 mos out I find my choices are good and sometimes I have to remind myself to eat. Proteins and fluids are my MAIN priorities and to top it off I need at least 1900 cals.  This can be an expensive menu. No food obsessions just poor choices and grazing in the past
Good luck

Before surgery I was always planning my next meal or 2 or 3 just like you.  First year post I had to plan all of my meals just like you.  Once I got on maintenance it took me a while to figure out a diet that balanced all of my needs (protein and fiber mostly).  Now that I know what works I basically eat the same every day, not exactly the same foods, but the same amounts of each food group.  Now eating is a chore that I have to make time for.  It isn't very often that I get hungry for something, usually I know I have to eat and nothing sounds good so I eat the old stand by ham sandwich. 

You will get to the point where you just have to make time to eat - it won't be important to you at all.  Food was my life, now it is just fuel for my body.

My experience is different from Robert.  I think about it a lot. 

I think it can be different for every one. There are days that I am busy and don't think about it at all. At 3 years out I still try to plan my meals.

My worst time is late at night. I tend to find my self wanting to graze. Some times it is head hunger and other times it is me trying to stay awake. I have always been a person that would rather stay up all night than sleep. Don't know why but I think sleep is a waste of time. I know that my body needs it, but there are times late at night I find my self getting tired and will get some thing to eat to stay awake. I am trying to be aware of when this is happening and not do it. The big difference now is the choices I make when I do eat. I think I will always have to be aware of my eating habits. I do think that I am more in control now, than prior to surgery. There were times before surgery that I really had very little or no control, I would eat every thing in sight. Now I ask my self, "do I really want that", and most of the time say no and move on.

Surgery is not an easy out. It does give you a tool to lose weight, and in that period learn to change your eating habits and make permanent life style changes so when you reach your goal you can maintain. If you don't make changes you will end up right back where you were.

pan head

A lot of it is creating a new mindset.  This is the time you are retraining your food habits, eating habits, portion size, and vitamins.  I remember the first year I would make sure for breakfast I would eat the right things.  Usually I would have tuna salad, or Wendy's Chili, 1/2 oz of banana, and cooked vegetables (usually cooked spinach).  If I got busy during the day I knew at least for breakfast I had done the right thing.  I also carried the water, plain nuts, beef jerkey, chicken vegetable soup, and protein bar in the car (I still do)...If I'm in the middle of nowhere I have my back up plan.  They are like a security blanket for me that I hardly ever have to use...but they were helpful the first year out.  It does get easier as time goes by (less thinking...since you have retrained yourself), but you don't want to sabotage your efforts at this time.  Brian

Me being almost 4 years out, I think about it all the time.  I remain focused by constantly reminding myself that I'm not hungry and I don't need food!

It's very hard because I still like food and it's so easy to intake calories....Ughhh....I also log onto bodybuilding.com which gives me an additional boost to stay focused and continue to stay motivated. 

Whenever my wife and I go out to eat, I just simply say "order whatever....as long as it's not fried"...so I just pick..