Question:
How did you deal with compulsive overeating??

Before my surgery I didn't realize I was a compulsive overeater. Now I am two wks out and all I think about it food. At one wk I was on reg foods. My mouth waters all of the time like I am looking at a huge steak. I can eat 2-5 oz of food in 10 min depends on what I am eating and what type of consistancy it is. Wait it gets worse....I wait for the full feeling to go away and then I eat again. Or sometimes I will drink right after I am done eating so I can eat more. I am only two wks out and I am already sabotoging this. My doc thinks I am doing fine.. I have lost 15 or so pounds since my surgery on 8/8. He said that if I feel comfortable eating and it stays down so be it. My question for you is how do you overcome your desire to compulsivly eat. I plan on going to an OA meeting, I just wanted some input from people on how they overcame this problem. People say that after surgery for a couple of wks you don't even want to eat....Well let's just say I am not in that statistic. I would just like some advise or ideas of what to do to stop thinking about food and wanting to eat all the time... I want to eat b/c I have to not b/c I want to. Eat to live not live to eat!!! Anyone got any ideas???    — Alison B. (posted on August 24, 2000)

August 24, 2000
I have had a problem for years with compulsive overeating the only thing I have ever found which has helped is effexor xr. I take 37.5mg a day and it really does help with the constant wanting to eat Good Luck to you Charlene
   — Charlene M.

August 24, 2000
I just wanted to let you know your not alone, I too didn't realize how dependent I was on food until after this surgery. At first when I was very limited to what I could eat and what I was not to eat --- thats when I wanted it the most and craved it the most... The first thing I had to realize was that I had to quit making myseld feel so terrible for wanting or eating a certain kind of food. Next... you need to realize no matter what you think you eating... your pouch will let you know when you eat too much!!! You may think you are eating so much, but in reality you may only be eating very small portions though-out the day. I eat sometimes what I think is all the time... morning till' night, but when I stop to think about it... it really wasn't that much. Honestly it does get easier and easier to not hold food so close to your heart! I promise. I am just over 10 months post op, and I have thus far lost 170lbs, We are human and we all make mistakes, just don't beat yourself up for the mistakes along the way. Best of luck!
   — Jamie T.

August 24, 2000
Hi There, Sounds to me like you arre all into you and the food. Wherfe is God in your life? And where are otheres? Get outside of yourself, and reach out to help someone else, and in the meantime, you are really helping you. Also, get down on your knees and ask God to please help you, not to keep abusing yourself, with food and food thoughts, He will help if you will allow Him to do so. Linda
   — Linda H.

August 24, 2000
Hi Alison, I'll try real hard not to make this a "marathon" posting...First of all, let me say that I don't think it's at all unusual to "think about food all the time" right after you're post-op. All of a sudden we're faced with choices that we never had to face before, ("should I eat this...CAN I eat this...will it cause me to dump...does it have enought protein...etc...) so we HAVE to think about the food that we're consuming now...and sometimes we think so much about it that it's almost to the point of obsession. When we were pre-op, we really didn't think about food in this way, we just popped whatever we felt like eating into our mouths and away we went. "Food" was our main "comfort giver"...we truly centered our lives around some sort of "food activity". When we went to a movie, we ate...when we went shopping...we ate...if we were happy...sad...upset...etc...we ate. Eating brought us comfort, happiness, instant gratification, and it was THE primary "activity" that we centered our other activities around. THAT is a very hard habit to break. BUT it CAN be broken. NOW is the time to begin to put that "food" into it's proper perspective. Alison, food (in itself) is NOT the friend that for years we (myself included here) made it out to be. Yes, we enjoy eating. I still enjoy eating. But I have finally begun to recognize that there are more/better things and people that I CAN enjoy as much as I used to enjoy eating. But it's taken me some time to find them. I'm not sure what your pre-op weight was, but I started out at 288#. Now at 215# I'm JUST NOW beginning to feel more "normal"...more active and getting out more and ALLOWING myself to enjoy other things in life. It took the loss of 73# to finally make me feel like I just might be worthy afterall of some degree of happiness. I still find that I have a tendency to turn to food when I'm upset about something or angry with someone (like I said, old habits are hard to break). But it's getting better with every pound I lose. Eventually you, too, will begin to develop a "life" outside of eating. Going to OA will probably help you develop some disciplines that will contribute to a more healthy eating plan. Sometimes we have to take it one hour at a time. OA can help you there. Plan your meals ahead of time, sweetie and stick to that plan. Don't wait until it's time to eat to figure out WHAT to eat. In between your meals, DO something constructive and postive...something you ENJOY doing, that you get some personal satisfaction from (crafts, reading, walking, or yes, even (gasp) cleaning something) and then pat yourself on the back for DOING it. Give yourself (literally) a gold star for every positive step you take toward sticking to your eating plan. But don't constantly beat yourself up for being human, honey. I was starved when I came home from the hospital and I wanted a Whopper so bad I couldn't stand it...so not EVERYBODY can't or doesn't want to eat immediately post-op. And give yourself a little time to begin to see that there really can be life beyond your refrigerator. Don't get dishearted. Take one day at a time. It will get better...I promise. cj
   — cj T.

August 24, 2000
I have always had a problem with food. I knew before I had the surgery that it was going to be a struggle to look at food in a different way. The first few weeks after surgery were the worst for me. I craved everything I saw, I had mental hunger all of the time, and if I satisfied those hungers I would pay by vomiting. Since then, I have had to change the way I think about eating, (I am three months out)I continue to have issues with food...this surgery makes you look at your food issues square in the face. I have had to start therapy so I could understand why food is like this to me. Just because we have had surgery does not mean that the problems with food will just disappear overnight. It does take some work. Do not be too hard on yourself. This is a life-changing surgery and and you have made the first step in releasing yourself from the prison of food. If you ever need to talk...let me know.
   — twenc

August 24, 2000
not a question, just checkinn if my posts work.
   — Cindy B.

August 25, 2000
I just want to say this one thing: The next year is going to go by whether you cooperate or not. To the best of your ability just think thin. I know it's hard because this surgery is the ONLY thing that has ever helped me. I know that it must be doing some good. I mean you're not eating 3,000 calories a day are you? Probably not. FOCUS, regroup and ask yourself-On August 25, 2001 do I want to be obese and undisciplined or healthy and happy? The time is going to go by whether you lose the weight or you don't lose the weight. There is something more than willpower. Think of your incentives: clothes, attention, happiness, a less burdened lifestyle and we all know the list goes on. It looks like you're going to be a little hungry but that's good because it's a sign you're losing weight. Could you have a staple-line disruption? Not many people feel hunger the way you are. If you want to eat then you should take two bites of something you like to rid yourself of the irritation of it all. Use all of your diet knowledge and apply it. Best of luck to you, Jennifer.
   — [Deactivated Member]