Emotional eating ???

I am a new member from Tennessee.  I have a VSG scheduled for July 13, 2009, at Centennial Medical Center, with Dr. Houston as my surgeon.

I know I am addicted to food!  I also have PCOS, insulin resistance and sleep apnea.  I am worried about emotional eating and how to handle that.  Any suggestions?

I am also trying to decide what protein drink I like better for my phase 1 and 2 after surgery.  I've ordered some samples, but so far haven't found a great on.

Thanks, in advance, for your help.

Angela

Congrats on having surgery!!   Buttttttt, don't try all of your protein drinks yet, your taste buds will change to.  what tastes good today may not taste good after surgery.   I could not drink coffee before surgery, now I can not get enough!   Good luck and welcome to the board.


Beth

I also had PCOS, Insulin Resistance and I'm sure you probably have metabolic syndrome?  I did not have sleep apnea that I knew of... 

Emotional eating...  well for me, it was the restriction that came with RNY.  I can only eat so much before getting sick...  so I always made sure to put good stuff into my mouth...  and then, with dumping syndrome, I was afraid to eat sugary stuff...  that way, when i was really upset and those old voices said, "I need a hot fudge cake" (drug of choice before wls), I knew that first of all, it was not a good choice... second of all, it would make me heave, throw up, have diarrhea and wish I were going home to meet Jesus...  so that pretty much helped me get over the emotional eating...

I also did a technique, and you may think this is entirely stupid...  but it was a thought stopping process.  I read a book once where you stop the thoughts you are having by reasoning with yourself, and I did that aloud...  for example, when my mind was telling me I wanted ice cream, I would say out loud, "Melinda, you do not need ice cream.  You will get sick eating it, its not good for you, and therefore you are not going to have ice cream."  It helped me, whether it will work for anyone else... I don't know...  but hey, its worth a try.

It's not something you will conquer overnight...  but those issues are a process...  they are very important in our journeys though as we have to learn how to have a healthy relationship with food, not using it for comfort anymore, or for solace, but learning to use it for energy and survival...  though at times, there isn't anything wrong with enjoying food but that is much later after you get to your weight goals...  only it will be in much smaller portions... two or three bites will bring satisfaction instead of a whole piece.... 

Good Luck on your surgery, and welcome to the TN boards!!!  

Food addiction is not something that just goes away, but with any surgery, if you eat too much it is going to hurt.    I replaced emotional eating with crafting and reading.

Not great advise, but you will be surprised at how things take care of themselves.  Now with that being said, therapy is always an option and nothing to be ashamed of either, if you need to talk to someone about food addiction. 

Amy

As Amy said, there is no shame in getting some counseling.  It's a tried and true statement that they do surgery on our innards, not our brain.  I was in therapy before surgery and still see a great counselor.  His wife and sisters had WLS surgery so he's not a total stranger to my issues.  I lost a good friend to cancer in March.  She was only 35 and in many ways, older and wiser than me.  (I'm old enough to have been her mother.)  Her death hit me much harder than I thought it would.  It's been quite a challenge not to resort to my old habits.  Of course my new anatomy has prevented some damage to my body, but not having my cheeseburgers and fries to comfort me has forced me to deal with things without that crutch. So not only do I miss my friend terribly, I have to deal with my frustration at not being able to stuff my feelings down with comfort foods.   I really want a good cheeseburger.  I won't go get one because it would be so harmful or maybe even make me sick.  My therapist has been a God send in  helping find a new way to deal with finding other ways to ease the pain.

Thanks, everyone!

Yes, I have metabolic syndrome also with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

I am in counseling and I have a psychiatrist as I have dealt with depression in the past.  I am currently seeing her 1 x wee****il my surgery (for the food issues)  and then as needed after that.  I am not ashamed of having to see her, but it took me years to feel that way.

I guess I probably should do a "new" post to tell more about me....

I am scared, but excited. 

Anybody with any specific tips, please let me know!

Thanks!

Pre-op emptional eating made me feel better---now it makes me feel sick!(the one time I've done it post-op!)  I really felt sick for a day or two.  Cleaning house, which I used to hate, helps with the emotions.

Hello Angela, I'm not sure who did your psych eval for surgery, many of our patients go to Athena Consulting and Psychological Services. We work with Athena to offer 12 psychologist led support groups every month for our patients to help deal with issues such as emotional eating, food addiction, body image, relationship issues, etc. You do not have to wait until after surgery to begin attending - you can start attending before surgery to help prepare for when issues arise after surgery. Our full list of support groups, including those led by the psychologists are listed on our events calendar http://www.cmcwls.com/default/our-program/support-group-info. All of the psychologist led groups are held in our classroom (same building where you see Dr. Houston) every Tuesday and Thursday at noon (led by Dr. Charles Ihrig) and on the 2nd and 4th Monday at 6 p.m. in our classroom led by Dr. Janice Livengood, the group on the 3rd Monday at 6 p.m. led by Dr. Livengood is in the 3rd floor classroom of the main hospital (same location as for the new patient seminar you attended.)

Thank you and good luck with surgery, I'm sure I'll meet you soon either at group or preop class!