Question:
Anyone panic about the amount of food for post-op?

Help! I'm 7 weeks from surgery & starting to panic about eating hardly any food post-op! I'm eating faster, and more, afraid of whats' to come after surgery. How Do I deal with this?? I don't want to blow my losing weight right now just to get the surgery!! (Have to lose 20 lbs.)    — Grace loves cats (posted on October 14, 2003)

October 14, 2003
Grace, I'm about to pass on some very valuable information that was passed to me as a pre-op: PUT THAT FOOD DOWN! Sweetie, you will eventually be able to eat most of the same foods you do now, and what's wonderful about it, is that when you take a bite of something that you've been craving, or that you really adore, just a few bites will make you savor it more and it will taste that much better. Please trust me here...I'm going through just that. You will be able to eat most of those foods again.....Please make this your new mantra! It's so funny. I'll start having a craving, for watermelon or something, and I'll have a couple litte pieces, and poof* the cravings gone and I'm COMPLETELY SATISFIED! I did the same exact thing you're doing now, and once my friend told me to stop that behaviour and helped me realize what I was doing, I was able to stop and lose the extra weight I'd put on. Right now, just try to make yourself as healthy as possible before surgery so that you'll make a complete, speedy recovery. Remember, we don't have to do soft foods forever! Good luck, and God Bless! Proximal lap rny, 08/19/03, -38 lbs.
   — Moysa B.

October 14, 2003
Hi Grace: I'm not going to fool you. For me, eating 2 or 3 bites meal after meal post op was hard mentally. Physicially not at all because you don't want to eat for a while. But if you enjoy food it is hard to not be able to eat. It really does go away. Partly because you start feeling better thinner, and partly because you get more used to eating less. You can, over time, eat a bit more, and there probably is some emotional factor with all that estrogen being dumped into the blood stream that makes it harder for woman. My only suggestion is eat at least one last pasta meal. I was so focused on eating protein to help build my body up for surgery that I spent most of my farewell meals on meats followed by favorite desserts. I did love pasta and couldn't eat it at all for a while post op. Now I don't eat it because I'm dieting again, but I could add a small amount after a while post op. There really probably won't be any food that you can't eventually add, so there is no need to feel like you're bidding a final farewell. If you have the requirement of losing weight or no surgery, then you have to be really careful. Don't let the panic cause you to miss the opportunity of having surgery. Just have your favorites, but if they're the things that cause you to gain weight, don't eat too much of it. Increase your exercise, if you can, to make up for any additional calories you felt you wanted that day. You can do what needs to be done. Other than that, I have no other advice. Good luck. S
   — sherry hedgecock

October 14, 2003
As a pre-op you just cannot imagine how this will work. As a post-op you will know, so don't sweat it. You will get a full signal at the right time for maybe the first time in your life, when post-op. Early out all anyone did was ask my mom, isn't she hungry. The answer was NO. I sometimes had a hard time getting in what I was supposed to. Like the others said you are likely not giving up anything that is really enjoyable to you for the rest of your life. Yes you are for a while so as to make maximum progress in the first 6 months, as that's sort of the no brainer months. You'll lose no matter if you screw up badly. Take that important time to learn new habits. You will find things that you could die for before surgery may not even appeal to you after surgery. I'm close to 8-1/2 months PO and I am fine with greatly reduced quantities of carbs. I've managed to break the hold carbs used to have on me. I'm fine with a cheeseburger with no bun because I've chosen to have a few onion rings with it. I could eat some bun too but I don't really miss it and then I can control the carbs better. Everyone is different but you will do great. You will learn to read labels and find all kinds of new treasures. I've always like BBQ'd things. My plan says no BBQ sauce. Well I found The Turkey Store Shredded BBQ Turkey which is awesome protein and very low carbs and fat, so I've been eating it since about 3 weeks PO. I could have just believed my binder that all BBQ is bad but because I chose to read labels I found one of the items that got me through those first months wonderfully. I got a little burned out on it so only have it occassionally now but do have occassionally. <p>My surgeon puts us on protien and veggies only for the two weeks before surgery to shrink our livers. For me I lost 21 lbs so think about trying that. Gaining lots of weight before surgery is just going to make it that much more difficult to move after surgery. Look at it that your new life has already arrived and you need to do what you can to help be the healthiest you can be for surgery. Personally I found the protien and veggies filled me up and I wasn't snacking etc. like I typically would have. I ate as much quality protein as I needed to fill me up. I did not limit it to X amount. It worked for me and maybe can for you.
   — zoedogcbr

October 14, 2003
I was in sheer panic over the "what will I eat, can I do it, maybe I dont want to do it". The weeks leading up to surgery were terrible for me, so much self doubt. I ate everything I could my hands on and had many last suppers, all my favorites! I felt so guilty and out of control. Remember life is not over actually its just beginning for you and you will eat again maybe not tons and tons of food, but several of the same things you eat now except for the sweets. No you wont sit down for a huge dinner, but you eat what you want and save the rest for later. You give yourself special treats here and there but the obession goes away! I was never sick --you may be. Things get better and better with time and you will finally be in control. Everything will be okay even though you cant imagine it right now. Good luck to you!
   — debmi

October 14, 2003
I think everyone experiences the "last supper" syndrome. I truly regret having eaten as much as I did the few months before surgery - not only did I gain weight, but I can now eat the exact same things. I was so convinced that I would never be able to eat pizza or whatever, so I ate a ton of it. Well, guess what? I can still eat pizza. I just eat 2 slices instead of the whole thing. What's funny is that I really had a difficult time the first 5 months or so after surgery, too - trying to prove to myself that I could still eat (please see a therapist or counselor post-op - the emotional effects of surgery are so much harder to deal with than the physical ones...). I find now, 7 months out, I'm finally in a place that food just doesn't have a hold on me. I wish I would have used my time more wisely, relearning to eat, instead of trying to prove that I could eat the same...Good luck! Open RNY 03/20/03 326-231-146
   — vittycat

October 15, 2003
This is SO totally normal! LOL!!! Be easy with yourself, dear, you're human. I was one of the lightweights for this surgery and so I did not have to lose weight pre-op for any reason. I have always prided myself on eating very healthy food so you would have laughed your head off to see this girl "saying goodby" to some of the most awful foods on the planet. I think ate three McDonalds Big Macs in the month before surgery where before I don't think I had eaten even one in the past two years. I also "said goodby" to Kung Pao Chicken, Fettucine Alfredo, Chocolate Silk Pie, and real Scottish shortbread. Well could I BE more happy with all that fat and sugar? LOL!!! Those days are now over, and something in my soul got satisifed, sorta like a six-year-old. Now I'm happy if I can keep down chicken broth! Take good care of yourself emotionally pre-op, its so important. Do what works. - Deborah Open RNY 10-25-03
   — Deborah M.

October 15, 2003
My comment is sort of a combo of the ones below. I gained 20 lbs before surgery and really beat myself up over it. I'd not dieted in 6 yrs (end of diets meant end of gaining weight) BUT THEN, I chose to eat worse than "not watching what I eat" and so I gained. I'm down 50 now post-op but I'd be 20 lbs lighter than I am if I hadn't done that. I have no emotional cares that I eat less now - I don't care about food like before. At 11 weeks, I'm started to add foods - I could eat whatever I want really now but I don't want anything. Food=fuel now and I don't care so much if it is yummy. Oddly, things I LOVED before sound just disgusting to me (such as fried chicken, cheeseburger & fries, etc). I was never a sweet eater but a carb junkie. I'd put away large quantities of everything. Now, a teeny bite satisfies a craving and I'm not cheating. A bite or 4 of a nice cheese is not bad for me - I keep my fats and carbs under the requirement without even depriving myself. It is so nice now. I have zero hunger anymore and there are those who say it will come back (some say it not so nicely) but the thing is...For me, I've already learned a new way to eat with choices. My ONE REGRET on this whole thing is not what i didn't eat pre-op but it's that I intended to practice chewing and did not. After the liquid phase, when I had to eat pureed food (or chew to a mush consistency), I had trouble and was a little afraid to eat after I had an "incident" with a tiny tiny piece of chicken. I've got the chewing down now but wish I'd done it before. Good luck to you!
   — Donya P.