Bingers/Bulemics

Hey yall, I'm gettin my surgery April 1st. I was wondering if this was a good idea for binger eaters/bulemics. I have spent a lot of time in recovery including impatient, but im afraid that the surgery wont help. I dont know. Anways if you have anything to say please do so!

Good question Brittany.. I am curious too. what type of surgery are you having? Susan

Hi Brittany, You've taken the biggest step and realized that you have a problem and started to deal with it. Good for you! I had my surgery 5 years ago today. As a registered nurse I thought I knew everything I needed to know to make my surgery a success. I met with a psychologist pre-op and found out later that he was reluctant to approve my surgery because of my emotional eating habit. 18 months post-op, I had lost 150 lbs and felt the best I've felt in my life. But when the "honeymoon period" ended, (that's the period of time post-op when you're losing rapidly, feeling on top of the world and people are constantly giving you praise and encouragement), and real life started flooding in again with all the old problems, I started eating again like before surgery. Now, 5 years post-op I have gained 60 lbs back and I'm struggling with self-hate, trying frantically to find a way to lose what I've gained. I'm still glad that I had the surgery. I weigh much less than I did, but my advice to you is this.........find a therapist that you trust and work hard with them. Decide with your therapist if you should stick with the April 1st surgery date. If you go ahead on the 1st, don't stop therapy when you start losing. Work with the therapist as long as it takes to conquer your demons or at least corral them so that you can control them. I am by no means trying to discourage you from having the surgery. It's still the best thing I've done for myself and I'm determined to lose what I've gained. If you want to talk further you can email me at [email protected] Good luck Brittany and God Bless!!! Nonie

Well, I was a binge-eater (I didn't realize it until very recently) as a pre-op, and still have binge-eating tendencies as a post-op. For the first six months after surgery, all of my issues with food were gone. They started creeping back in over the last five months, and have finally come back in full force. Is surgery good for a binge-eater? I've lost 102 lbs...that's good. It could be more, but my genetics made me a slow loser to start, and my bad habits have slowed my loss even more (though I'm still losing about 5 lbs a month). I DO have binge-eating episodes, but they generally consist of several slices of cheese, or several bites of a lot of things...but NOTHING like pre-op. Overeating is very painful...pre-op it wasn't so bad...you know the feeling, I'm sure. But now, it is absolutely miserable, like you're going to die! Sure, you can throw it up, but even that is an unpleasant experience (throwing up post-op is a lot different then puking pre-op). Surgery has limited the amount of food that I can consume at any one time. My binge episodes have been few and far between because they are so painful. Unfortunately, on days I would typically binge-eat, I've become a grazer. So really, that's just as bad. And exactly why do I binge/graze? Because I'm worried that the food will be gone, and never come back. How stupid is that? Something from my childhood... In all honesty, surgery is a great tool to help you get on the right track. You may still have your bad moments, but the damage you can do is much less. If you have really bad problems, you will most likely need to see a therapist for a while when the going gets tough. It's not an easy road to take, but it is so worth it if you are prepared for the fight of your life. Pamela -102/100 to go