dealing with the mind

I do not understand how my mental mind will change after having surgery for weightloss.  I am so worried that I have this huge surgery and then mentally I can not do it.  I am currently attending OA meetings and I start classes for weightloss surgery classes next month for 5 months through Kaiser.  I really would like some input on how you dealt with the problem of not eating mentally?
I am not a binge eater I just eat when I am not hungery but can stop after a few cookies or other stuff.  I just do not know how to control myself from eating when not hungry.  I have never finished a 1/2 gallon of Ice Cream or a cake.  I really want encouragement.

What type surgery are you having?

I am almost 4 weeks post op. I am or was an emontional eater, and at sometimes a benge eater. So far (knock on wood) I have not had a problem with either. Most people after surgery have to be reminded to eat.

I hope your surgeon has a counslor he has you seeing before surgery. Talk to him or her about this.

Good Luck,
David B.

It is good you are asking these questions now. I suggest finding a therapist who understands eating disorders. It is important to get to the fundamental reasons why we used food to an extent that goes beyond fuel for the body, good nutrition and as a source of pleasure in ways that doesn't lead to an unhealthy relationship with food.

I had lap band surgery and I thought I was ready mentally and wasn't. I don't  say this toscare you but in hopes of preventing what I went through. I had a doctor who would bully me if I didn't lose weight on his time table.T his recreated the dynamic in my family of shame around food, body image and weight. I started drinking red wine which got in my way of weight loss.

I am in the process of reversing my lap band to an RNY. I've been in intensive therapy for two years working this through along with the reasons I overate.

Good luck with your journey  and it is a journey. Be as kind to yourself as you can be.

It is great that you are attending OA.  Have you started doing the 12 Steps, and taking your moral inventory and making amends?  That is where the recovery is located. 

Eating is a behavior, and can be addictive.  It does not matter if you binge or graze, it is a behavior that some people, like me, use to get through somethings in life.  I am cross-addicted, and have also used alcohol, drugs, sex, and shopping, when not using the food.

It really pays to have individual psychotherapy with a licensed therapist who has experience with eating disorders. 

Some good reading material includes Judith Beck's book called "The Beck Diet Solution."  She has a website at http://www.beckdietsolution.com/Library/InfoManage/Guide.asp?FolderID=1&SessionID={3D53C9A7-6023-494A-A5C1-FF83E70A8663}

Another resource is "The Anatomy of a Food Addiction."  The Amazon website is http://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Food-Addiction-Overeating-Compulsive/dp/0936077131