Before/After food intake
One of my friends asked me if I'm really going to miss eating a lot of food after surgery or if it won't be so bad since I will feel full after so little. Not like a diet where you always feel hungry. Obviously I don't know the answer to that yet. I thought here would be a great place to ask that. Do any of you really miss eating a large portion of food? Obviously I'm sure you guys miss certain things (like a bag of chips for example) but do you actually miss eating a lot or get upset over not being able to finish a large portion?
This would be a good question for those that are 3+ years and out. I'm only 5-1/2 months out and some of my favorite foods still make me cringe whenever I see or smell them. I really don't miss eating a lot of food. When my stomach has had enough, it really means enough and you can't or don't want to eat another bite. When I do get my head hunger going, water usually takes care of that. Its pretty amazing how different I feel about food now.
90% of the time I'm okay with it, but then there's the occassional day where I miss eating a bigger portion or something like a big sub....but alas, I feel so good and am enjoying buying and wearing clothes much more! I also miss an ice cold Pepsi in the summer but there's nothing redeeming about soda and I try to remind myself that. There isn't much that I don't eat, now in maintenance, however, it's all in smaller portions which I try my best to get the most satisfaction from.
VSG on 04/28/2014
on 5/14/15 10:37 am
Nope, don't miss it at all. I can still eat most food that I like, I just slow down and eat less but still get to taste and enjoy it.
I don't even let myself SEE large portions. I measure out how much I can eat, and that's what I see. If I'm at a restaurant, I separate out the amount I can eat on one side of my plate and put the rest in a to-go box.
Sure, there are things I miss once in a while. But now that I'm in maintenance, if I want a french fry, I have a french fry-- I steal three from my husband, and that's all I get. And it's enough!
Sparklekitty / Julie / Nerdy Little Secret (#42)
Roller derby - cycling - triathlon
VSG 2013, RNY conversion 2019 due to GERD. Trendweight here!
I felt differently about food for the first year post-op too....but then it comes back.
What comes back? For me, the hunger (not nearly as intense as pre-op), the food thoughts (just as bad as before) and some actual sadness over not being able to use food to stuff down my emotions.
I like to say if I'd only eaten when I was hungry that I would never have been a fat person. The reason I was morbidly obese is because I ate for reasons that had nothing to do with actual physical hunger. And THAT problem does NOT go away with surgery. I still have episodes of eating for reasons that have nothing to do with hunger.
Being all caught up in the excitement as a fresh post-op distracts you from these issues in the beginning. But you need to plan to deal with it - and the sooner the better.
I felt differently about food for the first year post-op too....but then it comes back.
What comes back? For me, the hunger (not nearly as intense as pre-op), the food thoughts (just as bad as before) and some actual sadness over not being able to use food to stuff down my emotions.
I like to say if I'd only eaten when I was hungry that I would never have been a fat person. The reason I was morbidly obese is because I ate for reasons that had nothing to do with actual physical hunger. And THAT problem does NOT go away with surgery. I still have episodes of eating for reasons that have nothing to do with hunger.
Being all caught up in the excitement as a fresh post-op distracts you from these issues in the beginning. But you need to plan to deal with it - and the sooner the better.
^^^^ This EXACTLY.
The first year was all hearts and flowers and rugged determination. I still don't feel physically hungry, but my brain still focuses on food. I find myself eating out of boredom, which is a terrible habit to pick up (again).
I do not miss many of the things I ate before I had WLS, such as junk food, pizza, pasta, etc. I now love to cook and eat my own healthy food. My body feels better eating "clean." I notice an immediate difference when I eat something with sugar alcohols or high in carbs. Eating too much food now makes me feel sick instead of that intense pleasure from overeating I enjoyed prior to surgery.
Being a compulsive/emotional eater was not cured by WLS. Therapy helps and finding new outlets to deal with emotions. I've recently started meditation using an app called Headspace, and am taking a Qi Gong class (similar to Tai Chi). I've discovered the world of adult coloring books (not as X-Rated as it sounds) and they give me a creative outlet that I find most enjoyable. Then there's exercise. I'm the last person on the planet who thought they would ever enjoy it, but I LOVE going for long walks in the evening. I will need to step up my exercise program soon as I lose more weight but for now being outside, listening to music I love is most enjoyable.
Enough rambling. Food is always going to have associations for me outside of sustenance. That's a hard nut to crack.
"Oderint Dum Metuant" Discover the joys of the Five Day Meat Test!
Height: 5'-7" HW: 449 SW: 392 GW: 179 CW: 220
I'll just agree with Tracy D and GeekMo.
VSG with Dr. Salameh - 3/13/2014
Diagnosed with Binge Eating Disorder and started Vyvanse - 7/22/2016
Reconstructive Surgeries with Dr. Michaels - 6/5/2017 (LBL & brachioplasty), 8/14/2017 (UBL & mastopexy), 11/6/2017 (medial leg lift)
Age 42 Height 5'4" HW 319 (1/3/2014) SW 293 (3/13/2014) CW 149 (7/16/2017)
Next Goal 145 - normal BMI | Total Weight Lost 170
TrendWeight | Food Blog (sort of functional) | Journal (down for maintenance)