Question:
how difficult has it been for people to change the way they eat
i am having surgery next month and the thing that worries me is the total radical change in eating habits there has to be following surgery. just how hard has it been for everyone? is this feeling of fullness like you have had a banquet?! how do people cope with social occasions such as xmas and birhtdays and situations , like parties and lots of food is around you? i hate to sound greedy but am just being honest. do people find it difficult having to cook again for the family? any help would be fantastic. thanks — JULIE B. (posted on April 20, 2003)
April 19, 2003
I didnt find it difficult, this surgery makes it almost imposible to
overeat. My mom who is wanting to have surgery told me after I had mine
that she could not see how it would work for her because she could still
eat when she was full DUH!!! thats how we got like this. But this is a
different kind of full, its a feeling like I know if I take another bite I
am going to DIE!!! And you know what it feels great, this is a great tool.
Take care. RNY 9/02 was 213 now 137.
— April G.
April 19, 2003
Not bad at all once your over the first couple months. Christmas dinner at
3 weeks might be a downer. But once your a few months out you will eat more
than that one egg sized portion.Besides you will be so busy answering
questions aboutr your surgery, how much weight you have lost, how your life
and health has improved you will be very busy! A small meal will feel like
a banquet, and that stuffed feeling will prevent hunger. You can have a
couple bites of cake or a small sliver, Even bad dumpers can have a little.
Over timew you can eat more. Last night I ate a whole pizza hut personal
pan supreme for dinner. I will be two years out in julyand hungry for pizza
hut for a couple weeks. WLS doesnt end things, It gives us a new
beginning!!!!
— bob-haller
April 19, 2003
Eating has been somewhat of a challenge for me but I am getting better at
it each day. You just have to be willing to try new things and know your
body signs when you are full etc. The feeling of fullness may be different
for everyone. As for me for example I can eat a whole baked potato minus
the skin w/ butter and salsa and I am fine. It depends on the food.
Social occasions are going to be easy in my opinion. As with the previous
answer you will be busy talking about the surgery and your weight loss.
This is also a good opportunity to explore some different foods in small
quanities. If you stick with the no fat, low fat, sugar substitutes you
will do fine. For me most all of the foods I would have eaten before
surgery if they were just around me I am not really interested in now.
Chocolate-no desire! You are not sounding greedy you just have to
experience the changes to get a better feeling for how you will do.
— Kitty Kat
April 19, 2003
The first six months was hard (2 months the hardest!). While walking in a
hospital I literally had to flee the smell of perking coffee (about my
favorite smell in the world). Your nose will be keenly sensitive to
smells... food will smell terrible! You will probally insult a few cooks
this way. lol The learning when to stop eating can sometimes be hard.
Breads and chicken knotted up my stomach. And God help you if you have to
eat fast or are upset! Talk about pain! Geese. It is a learning experience
as you can have the same procedure done by the same surgeon and yet two
people will still have different tolerances. You just need to go slow, and
listen to your surgeon AND YOUR body. The feeling of fullness certainly is
NOT like a banquet for me. Most of the time I'm happy I can't eat much, but
for Easter, Mother's Day, Birthdays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas (the only
time I get together with family) it is a Hell in my opinion. All that good,
salivating, wonderful food that smells out of this world, and only a few
bites fill you. Hell. Just plain Hell. :( But thankfully this is not an
everyday feeling, but it is no fun just the same. As far as cooking, I
don't enjoy that so I can't say. But I will admit I've fallen back into the
"eating fast" trap that I've done since I was 19 years old.
Sometimes I get some really bad pains from it, but I can't seem to stop.
Thankfully I still don't eat alot, but in three minutes I'm full and
sometimes hurting as full hits FAST. This eating fast, just crept up on me
gradually. Now I can't seem to stop it. Surgery helps us, but our minds
still have whatever hangups we've always had. As far as food choices, now I
can eat bread and chicken. Also thankfully I still can enjoy deep fried
foods although I don't eat alot of it as I don't crave it. However for some
reason things with maynase in them make me nausus... things like coleslaw,
potatoe or mac salad and my favorite of tarter sauce. But that's ok. I can
eat Beef Jerky until the cows come home. lol Life would'nt be worth living
without jerky, beef and mash potatoes. ;)
— Danmark
April 20, 2003
The head hunger at first was a KILLER! I was miserable thinking I would
never be able to 'eat' again. Thankfully that disappeared within a few
weeks. I truly lived to eat. I STILL enjoy eating and cooking and I do
them both. I am not on a NO fat or NO sugar or NO anything. That would be
dieting and I could never diet. If I could do the NO sugar, NO fat, or
simply deny myself ANY thing I culinarily wanted, I wouldn't have needed to
have WLS. Instead I marvel in the fact I can eat very little. My head and
my stomach are in harmony. I sort of just get the idea I don't want
another bite, before I feel any sensation of 'full'. The 'last' bite just
does not TASTE good. I am totally satisfied with my small portions. I do
eat protein first and then the veggies/salad and other carbs last. It was
hard getting into to the habit of eating slooooooowly and chewing food
well. I was a 'chomp, chomp swallow' person. I agree with Daniel
here....this can get away from you and you will pay with a pretty icky
stomach ache and maybe pain right dab in the middle of your chest. I have
only done that one time. I didn't think I'd die, but it sure made it's
point. Slow down and chew well. You WILL be satisfied with VERY small
portions. You will NOT feel denied. Now, I think if a person is a
snacker, and they tend to 'graze', this might not be as 'easy'. My problem
that led to obesity was HUGE portions. This surgery was PERFECT for me
because it DOES prevent OVER eating. If I were a snacker, I know I could
snack my way right back to where I came from. If you eat three meals a day
and you do the protein first and drink your water, you will really not feel
the need to snack. Good luck. (Open RNY 10/30/02 down 132lbs)
— Ginger M.
April 20, 2003
For all of us, it is a learning experience. I went into surgery very well
prepared and informed, yet when I had my first meal in the hospital
consisting of a few tablespoons of sugar-free jello and a few tablespoons
of chicken broth, I was amazed that I was full - so full, it felt like
Thanksgiving!
<p>
The first few months are indeed tough. Your new tummy is swollen and
inflamed from surgery and you come home with the same brain you went into
the hospital with. You THINK you can eat more than you can. Your eyes
are so much bigger than your new pouch. I discovered that unless I
measured how much food I put on my plate, I would most likely put too much.
You probably will overeat a little, testing your limits, as we all do, but
thats the great thing about this surgery. Behavior modification that is
built in now! If you vomit from overeating enough, you WILL begin to
figure out what it is caused from and you most likely WILL change your
eating so you don't vomit again! It takes a little getting used to, that's
why most of us say the first few months were HELL! Thats the time we learn
what we can eat and how much, comfortably. The greatest thing is, with any
other "diet" you can cheat, we all have. With WLS it is very
tough to cheat and for some, its nearly impossible. It's built-in! Too
much sweets and fats and you get sick. Overeat and you get sick. It is
WONDERFUL!! Good luck to you - you WILL get it soon enough, we all
do.<br>
Lap-RNY 1/13/03 -100lbs & Counting!
— thumpiez
April 20, 2003
I am over 16 months post-op and I've had no trouble adjusting at all. I
was on full liquids for a week after leaving the hospital and then started
gradually adding soft foods. Three teaspoons of thin Cream of Wheat was a
huge meal. By the time you can eat more, you will have developed better
eating habits. I can eat almost anything I want with the exception of
pasta, rice and sweets. But the strange thing is that what I want has
changed - I crave fish, fruit, veggies - not junk. It's as if my body has
totally changed it what it needs.
Good luck to you.
— Patty_Butler
April 20, 2003
I'm 4 1/2 weeks post op RNY. First week was easy. Second week was pretty
easy. Third week...IF I SAW THAT KFC COMMERCIAL ONE MORE TIME!!! I wanted
to BITE right into a chicken leg sooo bad. I roasted a chicken leg, took a
bite. It got stuck! It hurts! It takes almost 2 hours to get relief.
Still didn't learn. I wanted chicken. Few days later, I tried a piece of
chicken souvlaki. Stupid stupid stupid! Stuck again. Pain,
uncomfortable. Last night...still was willing to try...got ground chicken
and made chicken balls (do chickens have balls?). One bite, got
stuck...Okay, so I'm like the pavlovian dogs who are learning, the only
difference is I'm a SLOW learner. I'm off chicken for at least another
month. Thank GOD I love fish. Fish works well and that's what I'll be
bringing to my sister's for MY easter dinner (Christ WAS a fisherman and
carpenter, right?). You'll be fine. I'm actually finding myself not
hungry anymore. I was beginning to think I was broken, because I was
hungry! You'll do great. Good luck!
— msmaryk
April 20, 2003
My hardest thing is that water hurts. I was a water fanatic before
surgery, I never drank anything else except for the occasional diet coke.
Now it hurts and I don't get enough in. I have to flavor it and I hate
flavored water. I can still drink coffee though so I have hope that I will
come around with the water. Like a few other posters, I have trouble
eating too fast. I ate fast before surgery and I tend to eat fast since
surgery. One problems is I still have not learned how often to eat. While
I try for 5 small meals, I still go hours without eating and then I am
ravenous and tend to inhale the food. You simply CAN'T do that with WLS.
I also eat too fast when I eat with others. I never realized how fast
everyone ate until I tried to eat slow while they are inhaling their food.
Not only does their pace affect me, but I lose track of my pace when
conversing and eating. I really need to concentrate on my speed and I get
very distracted at a meal with others.
— susanje
April 20, 2003
It's not that hard to change the way you eat -- especially after you try
something you are not supposed to eat and you get sick -- you will avoid at
all costs getting sick again. I consider it "lucky" that I am one
of the ones that do get sick if I eat something I'm not supposed to. You
will get full fast and after going through this surgery you do not want to
stretch your pouch. Food will not be "fun" as it has been in the
past, but it is worth it if you really want to lose weight.
— Betty Todd
April 20, 2003
I found the first 4 months easy because it was all fresh and I was so
motivated. I knew I couldn't eat much or anything "bad". Then I
started testing the limits and realized to my dismay that I CAN eat much
and eat things that are "bad". I wish I had NEVER done that.
Because now it's HARD. Once you fall back into bad habits, it will never
be easy again. I cannot seem to get back on track. My surgeon can't
explain why I can eat so much. My shrink can't help stop. It's still a
huge improvement over where I was pre-op, but much worse than where I
should be. I'm not ready to be done and sure never want to gain again. I
am determined to succeed, but have made it hard for myself. NEVER, NEVER
test the pouch!
— jen41766
April 20, 2003
I was a volume eater, not a grazer, so I agree with the poster who said it
is a bit easier for us. We learn TO eat, not to STOP eating. Going from
one giganto meal every 24 horus to 6 tiny ones was a shock to me! Now (8.5
yrs), I do 4. I eat normal foods. I do not avoid fats or carbs (as in
breads, potatoes), but I do avoid milk & sugar, especially HIDDEN
sugars, such as milk, applesauce, fruit juices, like that. Fat satisfies,
sugar makes one crave. Fat free means high sugar, so that's the only
adjustment I do. My surgery was in Oct, so we had Thnaksgiving, the
Christmas group of parties & all. I wasn't particuarly temped, because
*IW WAS LOSING WEIGHT!* so I was still on a high. The first time I got a
little grumpy was 4th of July. I wanted burgers, dogs, chicken, baked
beans, chips, green salad, bean salad, potato salad, macaroni salad,
melons, deviled eggs--I wanted it ALL. NOW. But you know, I had a few
squares of melon for bfast. 1/2 egg for snack (still on 6 meals here),
spoonful of salad, etc. You get the idea. I got to taste everything
throughout the day and played with my food at dinner. Since i'm not a
grazer, that set up no bad habits. It was almosy like a JOB I HAD TO DO to
get that food in. That was pretty much the last time I had that much of a
struggle. The food is there THERE, as in, the stores, my shelves, on the
table. If I want more, I can have it in 2 hours. I never do, buu IF I DID,
there it is. So, I work with the brain I've got. And again, I eat normal
fats, beause they wont' make me fat again, and they DO satisfy. But I avoid
sugars, as they can set me off on a binge for months, and they WILL make me
fat again.
— vitalady
April 20, 2003
Totally agree with you, Michelle, on the fat concept. I read a book called
"The Formula" by Gene and Joyce Daoqst. These people are
nutritionists and present a VERY interesting concept. Fats AND carbs ARE
important for proper nutrition and weight loss, as well as protein. Carbs
help and prevent. They have their proper place in a good 'diet'. You need
a proper 'balance' in order for your body to work right to do the job it
needs to do. If your body chemistry is not what it should be, the job does
not get done. I urge everyone to read this cool book. Do I follow it to
the letter? NOPE! I have ALWAYS been such a non-believer in all these
'hair brained' schemes these so called experts offer. But I do read it
all. Can't be too informed, right?
Michelle, congratulations on your long term success. You are an
inspiration to us 'newbies'. Continued good luck.
— Ginger M.
April 20, 2003
Well, you can only "push the limits" so far. I am almost 9 weeks
out, and last Wed. went to celebrate Passover at my sister-in-law's house.
Let's just say that matzo balls have a delayed reaction and continue to
expand after being eaten. I was sick as a dog. I tasted everything, just
a few bites, but by the time we left to go home, I was losing dinner at the
curb, outside. I went home w/ a "barf" bag in my lap. YUK!!!!
It was the worst feeling in the world, and the pain was undescribable. I
swore to myself that from now on, no more "expandable" foods, and
when I'm full, I stop. There ARE times that I eat til I'm full, but I
justdon't over do it like that night anymore. You'll see for yourself. If
you are aware of what you are eating, you'll just know what to do. Good
luck!
— Fixnmyself
April 20, 2003
Hi Julie, if you've learned anything from all these responses, its that we
are all different in the foods we eat and tolerate post-op. The first 6
months and sometimes the first year can be a little rough on some, and it
is a learning experience to "know" when you are full (and stop
eating), to judge quantity, and to figure out which foods sit well in the
tummy and which ones are no-no's. Sometimes the no-no foods that make you
sick one day you can tolerate just fine a week or two or a month later, and
sometimes never. I am 14 months post-op and can eat just about anything I
want,and do, so social occasions, birthdays etc are no problem. I will
have a taste (a bite or two) of whatever is being served. I usually try
for the protein first, then the veggie but always leave room for a bite or
two of dessert. One of the things I like the best about this surgery is
that I can eat a sliver of birthday cake and be satisfied,whereas pre-op,
I'd have a huge hunk and go back for seconds! One of the hardest things to
learn is judging amounts. To this day, I always put more food on my plate
than I can eat, even when it seems like its a small amount on my plate, but
I have learned that that full feeling means stop eating and I do, no matter
how much more is left on the plate. As for cooking for the family,
eventually you will be able to eat whatever the family eats so there is no
problem there.
— Cindy R.
April 20, 2003
I am almost 9 weeks post op and remember thinking with sadness before the
surgery about the family celebrations to come and all I would miss eating
and how I would feel left out, etc. We had our family Easter dinner on Good
Friday this year, it was at my house and I did most of the cooking and
preparation. I honestly didn't care because I am simply not that hungry. I
would've ate massive amounts before the surgery. Massive. My pouch rules
the roost now.
— Sandy T.
April 20, 2003
It was very hard for me right after surgery. I missed eating as much as I
wanted. I was used to eating til I was full. Not anymore, and that was hard
for me, still is at times. I am 3 months post-op, and for the most part, it
has just become natural for me now. I don't have many hard days anymore.
Just remember, everyday gets a little better. These are bad habbits we are
trying to change literally overnight, and it is not that easy. But with a
little time, the new good habits become easier.
— Sandy H.
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