Question:
POST OP OVER EATING

I'm 18 mths post-op, male, age 55, 6'2" and doing great. Went from 305 to 205, now 210. I am often amazed at how much food I can eat and it scares me. I don't drink any soda or drink liquor. But sometimes the old urge to pig out appears. Slowly going back to burger king, wendys or nathan's hotdogs. Of course I can't eat the same amount I used to, but still it's more than I thought I should be able to. Am afraid that this is how getting fat starts all over again. Any suggestions from veterans out there? Therapy? What the answer. HELP before its too late. Thanks.    — ricky (posted on October 25, 2006)

October 25, 2006
i am 3 years post op. and had a baby about a year ago i have found that it is hard to get these extra 20 pounds off. I have used my picture before surgery as an incentive to not over eat i have made extra copies of it and put them in my car on the visor and in my purse on the fridge and anywhere i know i would see it. it really helps to see the before photo that way you can say to yourself that you don't want to get back to that weight. i have found that while i'm sitting at the drive thru at mcdonald, wendys, or whereever, i just look up at that picture of my old self and i leave that drive thru. it really helps.
   — rsalazar

October 25, 2006
Bear, you are not alone. For me, I attend peer-to-peer support group meetings (which help a great deal), talk to an eating disorder specialist when the food demons are yelling at me and try to live by some very simple, inviolate rules. For me, I recognize every morning that I need to think about absolutely everytyhing that goes into my mouth-- I try to remember to eat nothing right out of a bag, to always leave something on my plate (even if it is the last bite of a protein bar, I refuse to finish anything I am eating) and to avoid what I know to be my trigger foods (I religiously stay away from sugar and certain sugar-free versions of my old, demonic favorites). As I have struggled with my bounces, I've found some strength in knowing that, as long as I have peers to whom I can turn, I can avoid returning to my old days of using food to satisfy any unmet emotional need.
   — SteveColarossi

October 25, 2006
Hello. I am only 6 mos. post op, but I can identify. MY boyfriend suggested we grab a quick dinner. Of MCDONALDS. I reasoned with myself, well a hamburger can't be that bad. No, I was right, it won't be, but remember how it starts. You have one this week, and then next week you'll have a reasonto have another, and then all of a sudden, you'll be on the same path you were before surgery. Food is our drug of choice. As of now, and I hope I can continue with this,I figure why start on something I know (I KNOW!) will make me eat it again and again. Why not just not do it the first time, and then its so much easier to stay away after that. It's the first initial urge that really draws you in. If you can, occupy your mind with something else when the urge to eat bad hits again. I also suggest counseling, b/c it can help us figure out why we choose fast food over say a salad or a frozen lean cuisine meal from a grocery store. I know every time I wanted the fast bad food, I went straight to a grocery store, and picked up a healthy small frozen meal or soup. It worked, for now. I have to keep vigilant, though. Good luck, and its great your honest with yourself. That's the first step!
   — Meghan R.

October 25, 2006
Hi, I can definitely relate, I am 6 months out from surgery (gastric bypass) and I too have had this issue. I contacted my nutritionist at the Bariatric Center and she gave me some helpful advise. She advised me that it is not uncommon for people to think that they are eating too much. At this point your stomach can actually take in 1-2 cups of food. Make sure you are eating enough during your meals, then you wont get hungry as fast in between meals. If you snack in between meals which is what I was having issues with (sugar, cookies, bad stuff) you need to understand if you are truly hungry or if you are eating because of "Head Hunger" Do the Apple test, ask yourself Could I eat an apple right now, if the answer is yes, then you are probably really physically hungry, if you say to yourself no, then you are probably eating because of emotional reasons (happy , sad, bored, etc). Also, use a food that will work for you, rather than an apple, I say "would I eat a boiled egg", because I don't like them very much. I really have to be hungry to eat it. I hope this helps, let me know how it goes.
   — dbro

October 25, 2006
I'M ALL TOO GLAD THAT EVERYONE RESPONDED TO THIS QUESTION. I'M GOING THROUGH THE SAME THING RIGHT NOW, BUT DIDN'T KNOW HAW TO GET IT OUT TO ASK. THANKS FOR ANSWERING BEAR AND THANKS FOR SUBCONSIOUSLY ANSWERING ME.
   — creatyvyti

October 25, 2006
Bear, what a wonderful question!!!! I am 14 months post op and have struggling for the past 5 months with the same crisis. I didn't know how to put my feeling into words that could express how I felt. I too feel like I eat too much and don't want to repeat the vicious cycle of gaining weight. Bear, Thanks for asking the question and thank you to all of the wonderful suggestions!!!!
   — Slimming Down

October 25, 2006
Therapy can be really helpful - getting to the root of why you are doing things to your body that you know are not healthy. Getting on a support group like the OSSG-Grad list or OSSG-Off-Track list in Yahoo can be helpful too. Protein, protein, protein is really the answer. It staves off the craving for carbs, because eating carbs makes you crave MORE carbs. Now places like Burger King, Wendy's and Nathan's are NOT taboo though! You just need to make wise choices. At BK I always get the chicken grill sandwich with honey mustard dressing (same at Wendy's). At BK get a side salad, at Wendy's get a small chili. I'm not terribly familiar with Nathan's, but I know from personal experience that hotdog packages I've looked at have LOADS of fat in them. You'd be better off getting chicken weiners and making them at home. After awhile of not eating fast food (the crappy kind), you probably won't even feel that well when you try to eat it, so that can help as far as behaviour modification (i.e. you won't crave what makes you feel oogie). I wish you luck. I went from 305 to 145, back up to 182, and now back to 170 - JUST by making healthier choices and upping the exercise a bit. But I can't stress getting in your protein enough.
   — j_coulter

October 26, 2006
I'm almost 3 years post op (December will be my anniversary). I still get the urges as well. I can't eat the same amount either. At the risk of sounding like nagging, although you can "pig out" doesn't mean you have to. What I do in my times of weakness is look at my old pictures (which I carry a couple with me and they are laminated) I look at them, that usually cures me. When that doesn't work, I actually calculate the calories of my excess, and actually exercise to burn it off (preferably the treadmill or walking for miles, and I mean really miles, straight up hill for more calorie burning). You can see my profile to see that I've kept it off. I had a baby on 2/22/2006 (I gained 61 pounds). I've lost 64 and am still losing (this time it was on my own). You CAN do it, heck you've DONE it, CONGRATS!!
   — tinky471

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