Question:
Do you notice more ..
What other people eat now and how much.. Before I had surgery I would not give it a second thought on how much another person ate. Now that I have had WLS I look at someone eating and say "Are you going to eat all that" I mean I dont say it outloud but think it LOL.. It amazes me I used to eat like that too and now I cant fathom the amount of food people eat.. What strange things that happen to us after WLS. — Catherine B (posted on May 28, 2003)
May 28, 2003
Catherine, I know exactly what you mean! Some of my other WLS friends and I
have discussed this. It's amazing how often people will clear their plates,
even my skinny friends! I think it all the time, but ofcourse never say
anything (I can understand the slips though) I think we also notice it
more b/c we obviously eat such smaller amounts, but we may also finish
faster since we eat so little (atleast further post-op), so then we have to
sit and watch whoever we're with eat, and notice exactly HOW much they eat.
But we also have to think, a normal stomach is over 30oz, and ours
long-term are about 6-8, so it is a big difference! But I notice it
aaaalllll the time! lol
— Lezlie Y.
May 28, 2003
catherine, girl i know how you feel and think...I do the same thing lol
only i have a big mouth and say it...
— Deanna Wise
May 28, 2003
I know what you mean too! We had barbque the other night and I was just
floored at how much the guys ate. I mean, I picked at a couple of ribs and
some corn for a treat - but they were chowing! I remember when I could
pack away food like that and boy am I glad I cant anymore. I cant even
imagine how many calories and how much fat is in a rack of ribs! lol
— Anne R.
May 28, 2003
Yes, I think those same thoughts also. I even look at other ppl and think
to myself boy, they could sure use WLS. I think we really look at the world
differently after WLS.
— ChristineB
May 28, 2003
In addition to these same feelings/thoughts you have, I have discovered
something strange. I can understand my mother-in-law now! LOL What I mean
is, she is a tiny little thing who has never eaten very much. I used to
wonder if she ever ate on the sly, ran marathons when I wasn't looking,
something to explain her size. But no, she just eats moderate portions,
like we all should from the beginning. She's never had "issues"
like me, a MO from early on. Yes, strange things do happen to us post-WLS!
But GOOD strange things! :)
— Anna L.
May 29, 2003
Not only do I look incredulously at the size of people's meals now but when
a commercial comes on with food piled high on a plate I think "How
ridiculous...who could POSSIBLY eat all THAT??" Then I realize that a
year ago I would have eaten all that and probably have gone back for more.
Funny how our perceptions change!
— Samantha S.
May 29, 2003
It's funny that you brought this up, as I was thinking about it yesterday.
My lunch buddy had been dieting last year, before my surgery, and the size
of her lunches seemed so small compared to what I was eating. She stopped
dieting for awhile, and has just started back on the same diet. I'm now 8
weeks post-op, and those lunches that looked so small to me just a few
months ago now look HUGE! I can't imagine how big a "normal"
sized lunch would look to me now.
— Vespa R.
May 29, 2003
Catherine,
That is way to funny, I truly think the same way, it's so funny, for the
past 4 months I've watched one of the pregnate girls at work, just eat
herself away, man consuming so much it was unreal, (My jaw hit the floor)
as she was eating every hour, I blinked and the next minute bamm, she
gained like 50 pounds over night, what was funny was she was little, I mean
little 110 pound small peite girl, that over night looked like one of us,
(mo) It was nice seeing her gain the weight, and at the same time, I myself
loosing the weight, Role reversal for a while....
But ya I can't fathom the amount that people eat now-a-days, it seems
everything that we do is circled around food and at every gathering it
seems to be in large amounts.
Funny how things change, I now go to the sub shop and order a small
sandwich, sit down, and look at it and think damn, that's so big.... But
pre-op I could have easily ate (2) LARGE sandwiches, and still wanted
more.... I can't imgaine doing that now.
— tannedtigress
May 29, 2003
I used to think my 92 lb. mom didn't eat enough to keep a bird alive. Now,
when she eats with us, I look at her plate and wonder how she can pack in
so much food! LOL! And talk about eating it up - has anyone been to a
Golden Corral or other buffet lately and seen what others are eating? It's
hard to believe I used to do the same thing as they do! WOW!
— koogy
May 29, 2003
I not only can't believe how MUCH people eat but I can't believe how FAST
they eat and I used to be faster than anyone!!!
— susanje
May 29, 2003
What amazes me is when I see normal weighted people eating huge amounts and
wonder why they do not gain weight!? I also notice thin women eating about
as much as I do or a little more and now know how they stay slim. I also
wonder if they are hungry eating such small amounts, as pre-op, the tiny
amounts would have never filled me and I would have been starving all the
time. Yes, the portions at restaurants seem so huge now. My eyes are still
much bigger than my stomach, of course. I went to a restaurant last
weekend, was hungry and wanted both the soup and the full entree. So I
ordered both, got thru 1/2 the thick soup and about 1/5th of the
entree...amazing! Was eating leftovers for the next 3 days!! Pre-op,
could have finished both and had room for dessert.
— Cindy R.
May 29, 2003
I have not even had the surgery yet, and I already see that. I have been
trying to cut back on the amounts I eat so I will not deal with the hunger
so badly, and I watch my husband eat and he eats everything he can as
quickly as he can, and it somtimes disgusts me. He is also obese, but he
does not want to do anything to change it. He will be a heart attack victim
at 40, and have diabetes.
— Mini Gadget
May 29, 2003
LOL! I can't believe that other people do this too. I thought I was the
only one. Anyway, I notice what people eat all the time. Just last week,
I had lunch with a friend who kept complaining about how bad her entree
was. But, you guessed it, she ate the *whole* thing (and, it was a really
big platter-sized portion). I kept wondering "why are you eating that
if you don't like it?" Never would that thought have crossed my mind
pre-op.
— Laurie A.
May 29, 2003
Okay...so I'm NOT alone. I think this too but slowly I'm learning to get
over it. Now think about how we all looked pre-op while we were sitting in
these public places stuffing our faces. Now we know just how disgusting we
looked to others.
The problem I have is others' eating habits....chomping, smacking lips...
arghhhh
— Diane S.
May 29, 2003
I think this is one of those things that helps explain why WLS is different
from a diet, and why it works better. When I noticed how much others could
eat while I was on Weight Watchers, I sometimes resented it (WHY can't I do
that too?). Now, with a small pouch, I know why I can't do it, and I'm at
peace with the fact that my mechanics don't allow me to eat the prodigious
portions I could eat before (and others still eat now, but very few get
away with it, do we/they?).
— Suzy C.
May 29, 2003
I don't think what you're thinking.. but I have noticed I have a completely
skewed view of what a portion is. That's not bad.. although I cook less
than I should sometimes for the amount of people eating. That's a little
disconcerting to me. I also find that I look at the bites people are
taking and I think, WOW, I'd never get that in one bite. Its a funny
thing, while this surgery only fixes your stomach.. the impact on your head
is strange sometimes.
— Lisa C.
May 29, 2003
I too have had the same thoughts and I have been passing my small sized
meals onto my 19 year old son too. He is handicapped and wouldn't/won't
make a plate of food for himself and I have just noticed lately he is
getting smaller sized portions for his dinner from me. He is not at all
overweight and can eat a whole pizza no problem, but I have just been
cutting the amount of his food without thinking about it. The other day my
husband gave me a funny look after I served my son his supper and his meal
was just slightly larger than my own plate. It is really hard to
judge/remember the size portions to feed him.
— jocelyn
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