Cravings!

(( So different strategies seem to work....... )) Yes .... and I think it has to do with everyone being different to start with.... in very many ways.   What works for one person, doesn't work for another .... and so on ... WHY that is ... is the $64,000 question, I think.   There's money to be made in finding the solution to that, imo.  LOL :) Carol

I am 5 months out.  and I do not crave food at this point.  I am down from 346 to 216 currently. I agree that protein snacks are the way to go, and I do like nuts in general to be my main snack, but I  have not as of yet had any cravings.  Which I am quite pleased about. 

You're in a nice (and easy) phase of things ... I remember the no-cravings stage within the first year too ... sometimes I thought I'd NEVER eat again.  It doesn't last, though ... so please try and set up good habits NOW so that you'll be ready when things change and your cravings/hunger does return  ... not necessarily to the way it was .. but it does come back.  :) Carol

I've found that, for me, giving myself permission to enjoy the food I'm craving within a set limit works.  That would mean, if I'm craving a chocolate bar with nuts, I give myself permission---no guilt involved--to eat 2 squares of a chocolate bar, and then to control myself from going further I prompty get rid of the rest of it. I've had to learn that it is ok to throw away food (I know, it's not a good thing but it is a tool I find works for me), as keeping the rest of my craving around would not work for me.  When the food is sampled and gotten rid of, my craving is usually gone. I've also worked hard to come of the mindset that there are no prohibited foods...all food are ok as long as I have set my limit and stick to it.  Avoidance hasn't worked for me very well, although I have a plan to totally avoid any Halloween candy this year! And Irene is so right, the support of other wls'ers to deal with these issues is so important!  A support group can help you learn how others deal with these post-op issues. Julie

so as I'm listening, or reading, I'm wondering .......  are the 'forbidden' foods in the house or do you actually have to get in the car and go for them? just how much temptation do we force upon ourselves? I read once that if you adhear to the waste not want not idea with food it certainly winds up on your waist!!!! Dr. Mike

Personally, I've never had a craving so powerful that it would compel me to get in my car and go for them, or get up in the middle of the night to eat them.  Seems, for me, as long as it's not in the house it stays only in my mind.  The "waste not want not" has been a difficult but important idea to conquer for me...most of us grow up learning that wasting food is a very bad thing.  I've worked hard at learning to re-teach that idea to myself, because if I don't give myself guilt-free permission to destroy or get rid of foods that could be a problem for me, my tiny splurge could easily become a binge.  Instead of "making" my kids eat everything on their plate, or makin them feel guilty for wasting food, I encourage them to stop when they've had enough. 

Hi Dr. Sakowitz... you're in LInoln Park, right?  I had my pre-op session with you. Anyway, I have found that since my rny, I haven't had any cravings, per se.  I mean, there are times when I think that something I see would taste good, but I can't say that I've "craved" it.  So, for me, this hasn't been an issue. On the other hand, I have made some food choices that may not be the best.  I've ordered pizza for my daughter and had a slice.  Pizza used to  be my "go to" food... I always used to say it was the "perfect" food.  Well, the few times I've had it, it has been totally disappointing. My point is that the things we loved before, we may find that we don't anymore.   For myself, I told myself going into this that I was going to stay true to the plan for as long as possible.  Will there be a day when I try a piece of candy?  Probably.  But I'm doing my best to keep that day as far into the future as possible. MIND OVER MATTER! Wendy

Hi Wendy, I'm glad to see that your mind set is in the right place. Remember..... the things that make the Bypass so powerful initially fade over time.  The goal is to replace the strength of the procedure with new behaviors and with your own strength. Please tell me that you are going to support groups and that you are exercising! Dr. Mike

I have been nervous that it's been so easy and uneventful for me to date.  I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, as it were! I have been attending the support group at Hackensack University Med Center... it meets the first Thursday of each month.  For a while, I went to the Valley Hospital support group, as its closer to home and met twice a month, but it was very band-oriented, so I didn't see the point of continuing with it. I would love to get the info on your support group meetings.  I can't guarantee that I could get to them, but maybe! I do exercise, also.  I actually joined a gym 2 months prior to my surgery to get in shape beforehand.  It's been difficult to be consistent, but I am getting better about getting myself there.  I do realize how important it is! Wendy

Please call the office directly, they will give you all the information, we can even send you a brochure.  Contact info is available on this site at find a  bariatric professional.