Question:
pre op and cant stop eating

I am preop. surgery is may 20th and i cant stop eating. i dont mean scoffing all day, but certainly eating more than usual, crisps, sweets etc. i am realising that food is a crutch for me. for instance, i feel happy if i know i have a nice lunch to look forward to and then a favourite dinner. that sounds so greedy i know. i am desperate to be slim, but even more scared that i am going to suffer some sort of "bereavement" when i cant have what i am used to. its hard for me to admit all this to anyone. have other pre and post ops felt like this?    — JULIE B. (posted on April 24, 2003)

April 24, 2003
I'm am a little over 2-weeks post-op and still mourning the loss of my old diet. :) It's normal. Any kind of a change is difficult.
   — Kim L.

April 24, 2003
I did the same thing! I actually gained over 20# from my first notice of approval until day of surgery, which took like 4mo. Then I did'nt care, but now I think I could be 20# lighter lol Oh well, I enjoyed the last of it, that's for sure! Good luck on your big day :o) 7mo. post-op open rny lost 115#
   — Sandy M.

April 24, 2003
Confession time. I told myself I would have one last big fatty meal and then start watching what I ate so I could get into the habit of it before surgery (I am haven't even got a surgery date yet). That was about 3 months ago. I was under the impression I would be having surgery in April...but its looking like Sept. or later...So I've been enjoying myself this whole time eating a ton of crap I know I shouldn't be using the excuse that one day I won't be able to have this anymore. I ate a half gallon of ice cream the other day without even realizing it. I use food to relax. I know I do...when I watching tv, I'm eating. The only time I'm not eating is when I'm on the computer. So how do we over come this? Well, realizing when we eat the most and why we eat like we do is a huge step to overcoming it. But we also can't make it like a punishment...you know what I mean "Your too fat to eat like this" because its just going to make things worse...like telling a child they can't stay up late and then watching them throw a fit. So...I'm going to try it myself...to have my snack put make it a healthy one. To have a glass of water instead of eating while I watch tv or whatever. To not keep the junk in the house that I long for when I'm vegging out. Will I stick to it? Probably not. I *know* I can have this stuff now without making myself sick...but after surgery I'll know that I've spent 30,000 dollars to be fit and there is no way I am wasting that money. That's a college education!!!!!!!!
   — Renee B.

April 24, 2003
Many of us had the "last supper syndrome" in the weeks leading up to our surgeries. For me, it was stress and nerves, and my old friend food comforted me. I was also unsure if i would ever be able to have certain foods again post-op so wanted to get them all in over and over before surgery. 10 pounds later....I wish I had not gone thru that as I'd be at goal now if I didn't pack on the last 10. AND I can eat just about everything I had pre-op, however, now I don't have the same taste for some of those pre-op favs. Some I do and some I don't. You will bereave some especially as a new post-op when your diet is so restricted, but as time goes by you can eat more and more normally and best of all, you'll be slimming down and looking and feeling so much better.
   — Cindy R.